“Freedom Writers”

is my favorite movie.  I love a true story of hope, life change, unity, reconciliation, love, and freedom.

Who doesn’t, right?

I have the extreme privilege of journal writing with teenage girls.   This journal writing journey began in 2010 at a local, public middle school.  At first, all I did was sat in the parking lot and read from the book of Nehemiah.  I prayed prayers of protection and restoration and peace around the building, each staff member, each child and each family represented.  Once I was finally brave enough to “go back to middle school,” walk in the doors, and head toward the office, I found that I stumbled upon my niche.

I loved the kids in trouble outside the principal’s office and I loved bringing coffee to the custodians and secretaries and counselor.  I loved checking in on the clinic to see if they needed supplies, and I loved walking up and down the halls praying bold prayers in my spirit, pushing back the darkness that was trying to kill, steal and destroy the next generation.  The building was loaded with potential, potential being birthed in every life under that roof. I had tasted freedom and was walking in freedom, and it was my mission to make sure every girl and boy knew that freedom was available to them too.

One of my primary tasks on this educational mission field, was to file for the counselor.  I felt like I had landed the star role in a play called:

Spiritual Warfare.

I prayed over every name in that school, as I filed their papers.  It may have looked to the outside world like I had the grunt work, but I was on the frontline in the unseen world, where we walk by faith and not by sight.

I prayed prayers like the one below with boldness, believing God could and would do the impossible in the lives of every child at that school.  Read the prayer below out loud.  There is power in the Name of Jesus and the Word of God is a Sword that demolishes every stronghold.  As you read it aloud, try to picture a cosmic battle going on all around you.  We have nothing to fear because the war is won. We are free, free indeed, but the enemy is not.  He knows his time is short and his goal is to try to destroy and enslave as many as possible in his remaining time here.

In Jesus name, I bind up the spirit of infirmity, sickness, disease, pain, addiction, affliction, calamity, the devourer, the destroyer, the accuser, the deceiver, the corrupter & every spirit of poverty. In the name of Jesus, I bind up the spirit of strife & division, back biting & gossip, critical & judgmental spirits, spirits of resistance & hindrance, every spirit of retribution, revenge & retaliation, & the lying, seducing, deceiving spirit of deception. (I TIM. 4:1,2) In the name of Jesus, I bind up every root of fear, doubt, unbelief, discouragement & every deadly D from despair to depression, the spirit of pride, rebellion, disobedience, self, ego, independence, unforgiveness, bitterness, lust & the flesh.

http://www.focus-on-prayer.com/Prayers-for-Spiritual-Warfare.html

*May we rest in this fact:

in Christ, we are free and the enemy can never steal you or me!

What was birthed in prayer in the parking lot of a local, public middle school, God grew into a “Freedom Writers” journaling group.  Totally inspired by  The Freedom Writers Diary and Erin Gruwell, I linked arms with a bunch of teenage girls and we decided to look at the stories of our lives, learn from them and start writing a better narrative .  There was a clean slate before us.   We were encouraged by and believing in the lyrics of “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield:

“I am unwritten, can’t read my mind, I’m undefined
I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand, ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find…”

I have been blessed to walk beside some teenage girls through their middle and high school years and we have embraced areas of freedom together.  I continue to write with new groups and chains are broken one written word at a time.

Freedom is a reality in my life, as well as an ongoing process.  God broke the chains of bondage in some areas immediately, but for the most part, my freedom songs have been written over time, and they have been hard work.  Freedom is worth every ounce of the effort it takes to get there, and when there are set backs, freedom is gracious to extend the offer once again.

Freedom Treasures I hope to leave you with:

*Freedom is available to everyone.  Once you taste it, you can’t help but want to share it.

*Prayer opens doors for freedom and writing is a tool that documents our journey.

*Freedom can happen in an instant but it is also a process.  There are always new places of freedom available.

*Salvation ushers in Freedom. Freedom precedes restoration and Restoration leads to fulfillment.

*Prayer and the Holy Spirit’s empowerment are crucial to freedom, but truly living a life of freedom is hard work.  We are saved by grace alone but living in freedom on this broken planet requires action on our part.  (Ask anyone who has worked the 12 steps at Celebrate Recovery.  Their recovery is hard work, but most good things are. It is worth it.)

*because i am free in christ, i can rest with peace and joy and offer hope to the world around me.  If God saved me and freed me, he can save and free you!

This really is the tip of the iceberg for what freedom means to me.  I will probably write a follow-up on freedom at some point during this 31 day of #my500words.

I would love to hear what freedom means to you.