The Domino Effect: Freedom from Hand-Me-Downs - Living Free - March 17

The Domino Effect: Freedom from Hand-Me-Downs 

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Living Free Every Day®
 A ministry of LivingFree.org

Today's Scripture
"For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God."
 1 Peter 1:18-19 NLT. Suggested reading 1 Peter 1:17-23.

Thoughts for Today
 There are no perfectly functional families because there are no perfect people. All of us suffer some dysfunction, and that is why recognizing destructive patterns in relationships is important.

One person struggling with a life-controlling problem can have a domino effect on the entire family—both now and in the future. We tend to carry hand-me-downs into our adult life and begin to build the same dysfunctional patterns we experienced as a child into our marriage and other relationships.

Consider this …
 Is your life heavily influenced by hand-me-downs? Do you sometimes feel as though there is no way out? No way to be free of those negative influences?

Good news! Christ offers release from enslaving hand-me-downs. This comes with "… not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God." Christ provided the payment of this release with his precious blood. Jesus said, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36 NIV

You have a choice. You can continue dragging the hand-me-downs along … or you can ask Jesus to set you free. You have been influenced by these negatives for a long time, and the road to freedom may require a process. But remember, Jesus has paid the price for your freedom, and he will be at your side as you take the journey away from enslaving hand-me-downs and into a life of freedom in him.

Prayer
Father, I know that these negative things from my childhood are affecting my relationships today. And I know they are preventing me from being all you have designed me to be. Thank you that Jesus paid the price for my freedom. Please set me free. In Jesus' name …

These thoughts were drawn from … Living Free by Jimmy Ray Lee, D. Min. and Dan Strickland, M. Div. This updated version is presented in two parts. It offers information for anyone who either has a life-controlling problem or has a loved one with a life-controlling problem:

Part 1: Learning to Live Free

• Defining Life-Controlling Problems
• Mastered and Trapped by Issues
• Walls of Protection
• Family Influences
• Helping or Harming?

Part 2: Helping Others to Live Free through Small Groups

• The Small Group Strategy
• Effective Facilitation and Communication
• Launching a Living Free Ministry

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