If You Want Just to Be a Bit More Free?

Stacy Edwards is a trucker’s daughter, a pastor’s wife, and a mom to five beautiful daughters. Since her teens, Stacy has had an insatiable love of Scripture that she credits solely to the grace of God. To know her is to know an ordinary woman in love with an extraordinary Savior. It’s a joy to welcome Stacy to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Stacy Edwards

I grew up in an extended family in which alcoholism was rampant on both sides.

I saw it with my own eyes, personally felt its effects, heard stories of relatives’ struggles, and as a result, gave alcohol a wide berth throughout my life.

There were no parties in high school, sororities in college, or weekend drinking with friends as an adult for me. In all honesty, this was not necessarily a moral or biblical choice on my part.

I was simply terrified of falling prey to something I could not control.

But here’s the thing about addiction: it wears many masks.

While I had successfully avoided alcohol and other substances, I gave in daily to anxiety, fear, and people-pleasing.

I bit my fingernails until they bled, avoided social interactions like the plague, and became a voiceless observer in my own life. I wrote about the grace of God in devotional books and magazine articles while living in the grip of an anxiety so aggressive that I struggled to go to the grocery store. I spoke in churches and taught hundreds of women that they were dearly loved by God while allowing intense insecurities to cause me to question my own value.

I was locked in a prison of people-pleasing that prevented me from being myself for fear I was either too much or not enough for others to accept. My addictions, though perhaps not as visible, were every bit as powerful as the ones I had spent a lifetime trying to avoid.

“The mission of the Messiah was nothing less than deliverance and freedom.“

In my late forties, through a series of events only God could have orchestrated, I began the certification process to become a biblical counselor. I interacted with women who struggled with anxiety, alcohol, anger, fear, a desire to control everything in their lives, and many other issues that were affecting their daily existence as mothers, daughters, friends, etc. Regardless of the specific situation, one theme kept coming through. I found myself continually returning to the freedom found only in Christ. Scripture, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, points to the fact that Christ came to set people free.

Isaiah, the prophet, made it clear that God had this specific purpose in rescuing his people: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed” (Isaiah 61:1, NLT). This was the mission God would expand with his Messiah.

God was not sending his Son on a quest to simply offer comfort, contentment, or courage in the midst of bondage. The mission of the Messiah was nothing less than deliverance and freedom.

He came to end the oppression and captivity that marked the lives of so many people.

Jesus read those very words from Isaiah in the synagogue many years later and declared that, in him, they had been fulfilled (see Luke 4:16-21, NLT). Jesus is the good news for the poor. He is the one who sets the captive free, opens the eyes of the blind, and releases the oppressed.

The Lord began revealing to me that no one is more imprisoned and oppressed than the one controlled by an addiction whether that addiction is to a substance, to a coping mechanism, or to a sinful response to stressful situations.

This realization was mind blowing to me. I had allowed anxiety and fear to become addictions.

They were my go-to responses in nearly every situation.

They controlled my decisions and behavior just as strongly as an alcoholic beverage. I’m embarrassed to say that I had even allowed my addictions to become my identity. I would refer to myself as “just an awkward person.” I would jokingly say that my anxiety would never let me do this or that. I would repeatedly speak of my fears of looking foolish during speaking engagements or saying something stupid at a social engagement. These were seemingly minor issues, but it showed a pattern of choosing fear over faith.

It all came to a head for me personally, however, when my eighteen-year-old daughter decided to join the military.

I knew I could not allow anxious and fearful thoughts to control me any longer.

As I began to dig deeper in the Bible, the Lord graciously reminded me that Jesus had not died so that I could eke my way through life while constantly apologizing for existing and taking up space.

“God’s intention and desire for his children, as a whole and for each of us individually, is absolute freedom.“

I was not created to cater to the opinions of others or to desire the praise and applause of people. Cowering in fear was not for me. These behaviors always end in bondage.

God’s intention and desire for his children, as a whole and for each of us individually, is absolute freedom.

Paul’s declaration in Galatians serves as a battle cry for the believer: “Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free” (Galatians 5:1, NLT). I can almost hear the pleading in Paul’s voice.

Christ has accomplished the difficult and costly work of setting us free, but there is a part that we must play.

We choose daily to make prayer our default response.

We find our identity in Christ and believe what he has to say about us.

We seek comfort in the Cross and no substance or earthly substitute.

Freedom is ours when we allow God’s Word to define us, direct us, delight us, and dwell within us.

Lord, make it so in my life.

Stacy Edwards is a wife and a mom to five daughters. She is passionate about the study of Scripture and serving women in her community through her work as a victim advocate for those who have experienced sexual assault. Stacy is the author of seven devotional books and seeks to encourage individuals through Scripture on her From the Overflow Podcast. 

Hope and healing are possible! Whether you’re in a dark valley or walking with someone through theirs, millions of people have chosen the Life Recovery Bible. It’s packed with practical notes, helps, and themes that are fully integrated with the twelve-step program and point you back to your Creator, who alone is the source of freedom, hope, and victory. It’s available in the NLT, KJV, Spanish NTV, and Spanish RVR60. Courageously take important next steps toward a new life and a hope-filled future with the Life Recovery Bible, which provides a powerful foundation for recovery with spiritual care, practical wisdom, and the life-changing Word of God.

{Our humble thanks to Tyndale for their partnership in today’s devotional.}