Do you remember the childhood saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?” Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is, words do hurt. They can wound, bruise, and inflict great harm on the unassuming victims of a razor-sharp tongue.
Once in the second grade I was called a terribly obscene name by an older boy on the playground. At the time I didn’t even understand what the word meant–my young innocence could hardly fathom words of such cruelty. But I knew by the gasps of the other children that he hadn’t given me a flattering compliment. I felt like something was wrong with me.
His words communicated that I was bad, unlovable, and unwanted…
Sticks and stones.
Throughout my years in school I can recall other times when I was teased and called names–just for being myself. Over the years, those words of rejection locked me into a prison of fear. Fear of what others thought of me. Fear of how I was perceived by my peers. I worried whether I would be accepted by others, and constantly replayed scenarios over and over in my head.
Did I come across too strong? Was I too bubbly? Do others think I’m fake? Do they really like me, or are they just pretending?
I was exhausted in this prison, often feeling enslaved to my own self-defeating thoughts. I knew that God loved me. I knew that the words of others didn’t really matter. I knew that their opinions were merely “sticks and stones”, but it seemed that I could never fully live true freedom.
Until that night.
The night I looked up every verse I could find on what it truly means to be clothed in the freedom of Christ. It must have been a verse I skimmed over a dozen times before–but this time it hit me, and finally clicked.
Awake, awake, Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of splendor, Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again. Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, Daughter Zion, now a captive. Isaiah 52:1-2
Christ came to set us free from the prisons we have lived in for far too long. When we clothe ourselves in the strength and splendor of our great God, no weapon forged against us will prosper. When we envelop our souls with his brilliance and power, we put on the armor of God–and his gleaming garments of light will push back the darkness of defeat. Instead of wallowing in the dust, we rise up as a royal priesthood, seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6).
[bctt tweet=”When we clothe ourselves in the strength and splendor of our great God, no weapon forged against us will prosper.” username=”christinbaker12″]
If God is for us, who can be against us?!?
The enemy will try to defeat us with sticks and stones, but Jesus was crucified on two cross-shaped sticks, and three days later, rolled away a stone–forever defeating death and the grave!
That night on my bed, I wept tears of great joy. The truth of God’s Word radically set me free from my prison of shame, fear and defeat. Whenever I sense those lies creeping back, I remind myself that I am covered, clothed, and surrounded by the strength and splendor of my Father.
Here are three ways I’ve learned to experience true freedom in Christ:
- Identify the lies of the Enemy
- Replace the lies with the truth of God’s Word
- Clothe myself with the splendor of Christ
Words Set me Free
The other day I was deeply struck by a picture book I read with my children. Words Set Me Free by Lesa-Cline-Ransome tells the powerful story of Frederick Douglass and his road to freedom from slavery: through the power of words.
As a young boy, the wife of Frederick’s new master taught him the alphabet and how to read a few words (although this was emphatically against the law). When his master discovered this, he forbade his wife from teaching Frederick–but unbeknownst to this couple, their young slave would spend the next several years secretly teaching himself to read and write.
Frederick was eventually sent back to his former master in the south. Years later, he obtained a quill and paper from another slave, and carefully wrote a letter declaring his own freedom, signing the letter as if it were skillfully penned by his master. He escaped from his plantation, and whenever he was questioned, he showed his letter of emancipation–and lived the rest of his life a free man.
Frederick’s letter of freedom reminded me of another letter written by the prophet Isaiah…
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners… Isaiah 61:1
In the same way Frederick Douglass used the power of words to declare his freedom, Jesus, the Living Word, proclaims freedom to all those captive to the clutches of sin. His words of freedom bring healing to our bones and life our weary souls.
And this is why I write.
The day I discovered true freedom in Christ, I knew that God was calling me to use my words to proclaim to the world that He is the way, the truth, and the path to abundant life. I am honored to join my sisters in Christ in the Blogger Voices Network, as we all put pen to paper (or more accurately, finger to keyboard!) and use our words to tell our stories.
To tell of His goodness.
To declare as bloggers that we are free.
Free to write what God has placed on our hearts in hopes that others will be encouraged, and may find a little more strength to live freely, love fully, and together as one voice, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:7).
Will you join us? Check out the Blogger Voices Network page here!
[bctt tweet=”Join the Blogger Voices Network! #BeAVoice” username=”christinbaker12″]
Be sure to visit Sarah Geringer’s blog tomorrow for our final blog hop–you will truly be blessed!!
Linking with these lovely bloggers here.
How have you experienced freedom in Christ? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. Feel free view mu full disclosure here. Thank you!
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- Three Powerful Truths we can Learn from the Song of Songs
- How to See God through the Grit and Grime of Life
- 6 Powerful Bible Verses to Pray for your Family
- 10 Powerful Prayers of Thanksgiving and Praise
Christin,
I never put two and two together with the sticks and stones. Wow! This post was so powerful, I am still thinking about all it can mean. The slave’s words bringing freedom. I could go on. You have written beautifully here and I know God is using your words to help others. So thankful to be in this ministry of faith-building with you wonderful ladies. xoxoxo
Thank you so much Meghan! I am so honored to join this network as we encourage one another and continue to fan the flames of passion God placed in each of us to use our blogs to for His glory! Your words mean so much to me!
I had never visited your blog before, and when I saw the title “Garments of Splendor”, I was curious about how you chose that phrase. Your blog post gave me the answer!
The Truth of the Gospel becomes more precious to me with each passing day. Romans 8:31 reminds me “If God is for me, who can be against me?” I am more than a conqueror THROUGH HIM. This is so amazing because I KNOW I can’t be a conqueror on my own… and to think that the Creator of the Universe, the Great I AM has chosen me, loves me, cares for me, is present with me at all times, has lived and died for me? It’s incredible.
Thank you for sharing your heart in this post.
Thank you so much for visiting, Jana! I LOVE the passage in Romans that talks about how we are more than conquerors! Isn’t it amazing to fathom the incomprehensible love of our God? Blessings as you continue to abide in His perfect love and grace!
What a beautiful testimony! I love how you looked up every verse, determined to take what was rightly yours as God’s daughter and walk in freedom! Just awesome!
So blessed by your friendship, Kelly! I’m so excited for what the Lord will do through the amazing vision He has placed on your heart! 🙂
Excellent post, Christin. Sharing on Pinterest and Twitter. So glad to be on the team with you!
Thanks Sarah! So excited for how the Lord will use this network–such a blessing to serve with you! 🙂
It’s been a while since I visited you ,Christin ! I am so glad you are part of the BVN because you are anointed my friend !
It is so important to know that Chris has set us free and clothed us in splendor .
I love the freedom we experience through the Gospel because it breaks every chain and sets a prisoner free
Visiting you from by his grace girls
Amen, my sister! Thank you so much for your words of encouragement! Praise God for the wonderful freedom we have through Christ!
Thank you for this call to freedom in Christ. I too am free from the bondage of sin by my Redeemer. I am thankful that in Him we can inherit His kingdom and live strong in Him. I tend to fear more than I need to, and in that moment of anxiousness, I remember that Christ has it covered. I can trust Him because He can!
You have a lovely blog by the way. So glad to meet you here.
Yes! I continually have to remind myself of these truths–I’m so thankful that we can trust Him to cover us with His amazing grace!
Such a powerful and encouraging post! Thank you! I struggle with finding my true freedom in Christ often. I’m constantly reminding myself of God’s truth to combat the lies Satan likes to tell us. God’s Word is truly our best weapon. I will continue striving to find my true identity and freedom in Christ, and also remain there. Thanks again for sharing this! 🙂
Thank you so much for visiting, Brooke! I am so thankful for the powerful weapon we have in the Word of God, and how Christ, the Lining Word fights our battles for us! Blessings to you!
Such a great and encouraging post. I believe that in order to continue to experience the freedom of Christ we have to continue reading, studying, and memorizing the words that He so graciously gave us. When we know what God says about us we will not entertain the things that the enemy tries to say about us. We also need to continue to walk in the truth of scripture daily. By the way my mother loved your Redeemed post!
Thanks Tona! So glad your mom liked the post–I’m sure she is so proud of all your efforts to share the love of Christ with others! 🙂
Yeah, verbal sticks and stones do wound our hearts, don’t they, Christin … I’m so grateful to run into via Holley’s place this morning.
It’s been a sweet visit indeed to see your faith shine bright.
Thank you so much for your words of encouragement, Linda! 🙂
What an inspiring, encouraging testimony, Christin! Thank you for sharing. Sometimes, we have to wrestle with our own flesh to claim the freedom Christ offers to us. But it is a life worth fighting for. 🙂 Your story is a beautiful reminder of that.
Thank you, Carlie! I’m so glad that you visited today! Blessings to you and your wonderful family! 🙂
The truth still makes us free. Spending time finding out what God has said about us is a discipline we must gain mastery of because the lies of the enemy can become unnecessary weights that are heavy to bear. Thanks for sharing, Christin. Blessings to you.
Thank you so much Boma for stopping by! Your post last week was an encouragement to me! 🙂
As your husband, I continue to learn and grow in my faith all the more reading your wonderful posts!! I love this…
“The enemy will try to defeat us with sticks and stones, but Jesus was crucified on two cross-shaped sticks, and three days later, rolled away a stone–forever defeating death and the grave!” WOW!!!!!!!!!
Shouting Hallelujah at my desk!
Thank you so much, Honey! It means so much to me that you support me, as I continue to write what the Lord puts on my heart! I love you!! 🙂
I love that passage in Isaiah 61. My husband and I were talking about it the other day – it is why He came. To set the captives free. To bind up the brokenhearted. Fighting for our freedom takes work – it is constant sometimes. But I’d much rather have freedom than be in a cage. I’ve written a lot about living in freedom, too, and I love the scene from Lord of the Rings when Aragorn and Eowyn are talking in the hall and she shares that she fears being stuck in a cage. Aragorn replies, “You are a shield maiden of Rohan. I do not think that will be your fate.” That just resonated with my heart! Thanks for sharing on Grace & Truth.
The freedom that we can find in Christ is truly amazing. Because of His grace, we are no longer bound by our former identity. Thank you for sharing this beautiful truth and for sharing at Grace and Truth last week. I would love to feature this post tomorrow.
Thank you so much, Dawn! I’d be honored!! 🙂