When We Stop Clinging, We can Enjoy Freedom

When We Stop Clinging, We can Enjoy Freedom
Speaker: Audrey Smith

Jonah 1:17-2:10
✅ When we let go, we can turn around and start moving forward.
✅Jonah need to learn the freedom and joy of trusting in God and that his life and security were out of his control and completely a gift of God’s grace and mercy.
• 3 You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.
• 4I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.
5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
• 6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever.
• 6b But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit.
. 7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple
• 2 “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
📍I remembered you, Lord = turning to God
Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved.
“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.” ”
📍Our lifelong journey is to turn from unbelief to belief in Jesus in every area of our life.
📍Clinging to pride, position, religion, anger, fear, doubt
📍Turning to God’s love, following Jesus, trusting His way is best for me, obeying even when it is difficult, believing without seeing.
✅We will experience the freedom and joy of trusting in God when we understand that our life and security are out of our control and completely a gift of God’s grace and mercy.
✅This is a lifelong process of transformation