What's in a Name?
I think God really enjoys surprising His kids. I’m sitting here slack-jawed, eyes full of wonder like a little kid.
I have been thinking and praying about my deliverance testimony and how to share it for almost five years. Today, as I sit in the middle of West Virginia’s Canaan Valley (of all places) on a ski trip I nearly missed, the Spirit speaks so loudly that I cannot help but write.
My name is Erin. Gabbie’s story and my own intertwine and overlap in the most holy of ways. God brought us together first as friends and has since lit a passion in our hearts to proclaim and prophesy freedom to all people in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice I said, “to all people.” To the bound believer and to the bound unbeliever, the One holding the keys will always be the same.
We chose the name of this website with much prayer and consideration. “Freedom’s Treasure” not only felt right but more importantly, the Spirit of God breathed on it. In truth, the name has taken on a greater depth of meaning the longer I ponder it. I am increasingly glad for its God-given profundity.
You see, I was a bound believer. Despite knowing Jesus as my Savior my entire life and knowing I would go to Heaven someday, I had believed lies about myself, my identity, and my future. The enemy was granted access to steal and plunder truth from my life due to my own sin and ignorance. I will share more about that another time.
As a believer in bondage, I had a distorted spiritual vision. I was not accurately seeing Jesus Christ, nor was I relating to Him in the fullness He offered me daily. God’s Word says in John 8:32: “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
I was living blind to the Truth, and I wasn’t free.
Freedom’s treasure is knowing Jesus more deeply. It’s seeing Him with opened spiritual eyes from a ransomed heart. It’s seeing Christ in view of the Cross and the total dominance He enforced over satan through the Resurrection. When we receive freedom through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ, we are victoriously moving past the blockages of sin and separation into the abundance of overflowing life.
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” John 10:10, AMPC.
When the spaces in our souls formerly occupied by the enemy are relinquished- because he MUST GO at the Name of Jesus- we have a greater capacity to know and serve our Savior, our Treasure. In my case, as freedom moved in, fear and anxiety had no more hold on me. God enlarged my capacity for his truth- more about this later.
Gabbie has written about her journey from slavery into the Promised Land. The story of Egypt to Canaan is different for each person, but the only One with the power to deliver is Jesus Christ.
He’s my Deliverer, and He’s yours, too.
Maybe you are still rubbing your eyes, looking for clarity. Squinting to see Him rightly, but sensing that something isn’t right. Are you blinded by addiction, patterns of sin, fear, anxiety, depression, hopelessness, or anger? Do you have a past littered with trauma and wounds that just won’t stop bleeding?
Jesus has come to set you free. He’s come to walk you out of Egypt and into a wide-open space. “We went through fire and through water, but you brought us out into a broad, moist place [to abundance and refreshment and the open air].” Psalm 66:12b, AMPC.
I will share more soon. In the meantime, two resources that helped me greatly are:
I’d like to pray for you:
Dear Jesus, thank you for each person reading these humble words today. Thank you for every single one seeking freedom and more of You. I prophesy freedom now to every hungry soul in the mighty Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Your testimony is the Spirit of prophecy, Jesus. I ask You to do it again. In Your Name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.
If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior, or maybe you did long ago and need to renew your commitment to Him, pray these simple words and mean them from your heart. They aren’t magical but mixed with faith; they become supernatural.
Dear Jesus, I want you. I ask You to forgive me of all my sins. I want to live for You every day from now on. I invite You into my life. I receive forgiveness now and receive the gift of eternal life. I confess that You died on the Cross, Jesus, and rose again. You are the Savior of the world. I am now a child of God. Holy Spirit, fill me with Your power. Thank you for saving me. In Your Name, Jesus, amen.
-Pastor Erin