Walking in lasting freedom and using your story to bring hope to others
Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
You’ve faced the chains, spoken the truth, received grace, renewed your mind, and found strength in community. Now it’s time to embrace what this journey was leading to all along—freedom.
Freedom isn’t just the absence of addiction; it’s the presence of a new purpose. God didn’t pull you out of the pit just to set you on solid ground—He gave you a calling to shine light into dark places and reach those still stuck where you once were.
Walking in freedom means choosing daily to live by God’s Spirit, resisting the old chains that try to pull you back. It means telling your story boldly so someone else can believe theirs isn’t over either. Your scars become a testimony that Jesus still sets captives free.
Reflection Questions
- How has God transformed your life throughout this recovery journey?
- What steps can you take to protect and strengthen the freedom you’ve found?
- Who might God be calling you to encourage or help through your own testimony?
MUSIC: SONG: FREEDOM’S CALLING
(Verse 1)
In the night when chains feel heavy
When my hands can barely pray
You are near, Your whisper steady
Calling me to walk Your way
(Refrain)
Freedom’s calling my name
Grace has covered my shame
I am Yours…
I am Yours…
(Verse 2)When the road is long and lonely
And the weight won’t let me stand
Still Your mercy walks beside me
Guiding me with gentle hands
(Refrain)
Freedom’s calling my name
Grace has covered my shame
I am Yours…
I am Yours…
(Bridge)
No chains, no fear
Your love is here
No chains, no fear
Your love is here…
(Final Refrain)
Freedom’s calling my name
Grace has covered my shame
I am Yours…
I am Yours…
Lord, thank You for breaking my chains and calling me into freedom. Teach me to walk boldly in this new life You’ve given me. Keep me strong against the pull of my old ways and use my story to lead others to the same freedom only You can give. Amen.
Theme: Walking in lasting freedom, sealed by grace
Key Scripture: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” — Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
Lord, we’ve walked this path together—through chains, through confession, through grace and healing community. Every step has been a move from darkness into light, from silence into song.
Today we pause, not to end this journey, but to mark it. To lift our hands and remember: the freedom You give isn’t fragile, it’s forever.
Though temptations and trials may whisper again, Your Spirit speaks louder. Your mercy is not momentary; it is eternal. And now, clothed in Your love, we rise—not as captives, but as children set free.
As we step out from these pages and into daily life, seal this work in us. Let every breath remind us: we are no longer slaves, but sons and daughters. And when old chains call our name, may our souls answer back with one truth: “I am Yours… I am free.”
Reflection Questions:
- What moment in these six days felt like a personal turning point for you?- Where do you sense God leading you next as you walk out your freedom?
- Who could you share this journey with to help them find the same hope?
Benediction Prayer:
Father, as this journey closes, may Your Spirit continue what was begun here. Let these truths take root and grow into unshakable freedom. Send us out singing, covered by grace, chains broken for good. We belong to You now and forever. Amen.
Testimony: Tim Hughes – My Story: Finding Fireproof Faith
There was a time when I thought I had life figured out. Married young, committed to faith, working hard, raising kids—I checked the boxes. But faith that’s never tested is just theory, and mine would face fires I never saw coming.
The first blaze came slowly—strained relationships, health struggles, and career in Ministry burnout. Then came the inferno: divorce after decades of marriage, a complete identity shake-up. I wasn’t just losing things—I was losing *me*. I found myself living alone with my daughter, trying to co-parent, battling the weight of chronic illness, and wondering what in the world God was doing. Yet I found strength in His Word, a leather-bound version that my parents had bought me for my high school graduation that survived a total loss house fire, showing me that not even the hottest flames can extinguish the Word.
But it was in that *loss* that God started rebuilding.
I started writing again. Songs. Prayers. Questions. Sometimes all mixed into one. That creative process became my quiet place with God. I didn’t write from the mountaintop—I wrote from the valley, sometimes from the floor, in tears. And yet, over time, that writing became worship. Those lyrics, laments, and eventually, declarations, brought me back to life.
What you’re reading here—this devotional—is the fruit of that fire. These aren’t just songs or studies. They’re my lifeline. They are prayers I prayed, truths I clung to, and the whisper of God’s voice when mine was gone.
If you’re starting this journey feeling tired, doubting your worth, or wondering if God can use what’s left of your story—welcome. You’re in the right place. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. His presence.
And I promise you this: nothing in your life has been wasted. Not the pain. Not the pause. Not even the squirrel trails.