Newton North Carolina was home to the Freedom March the weekend of April 23rd, 2021. Founded by Jeffery McCall, this powerful movement is led by the Spirit of God, despite the world wanting to keep it hidden. Freedom March weekends are led by those who once identified as LGBTQ and are now overcomers in Christ. Upcoming events will be in Washington DC, June 3rd - 5th and West Palm Beach FL, October 22nd – 24th. All are invited to come hear testimonies of how God radically changed their lives and now have found true freedom in Christ. These God sized stories showed of His miraculous intervention and Christ’s deliverance that come to those who were shunned and misunderstood, but the Lord says, “Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—those He redeemed from the hand of the foe.” Psalm 107:2 NLT
Even though it was a privilege to be invited as a speaker to share my testimony, I love how God always places the right people at the right time. Through this event I was challenged to start sharing my testimony at a whole new level.
Without my faith and my confidence in Him I would not have been able to do this. God has been preparing me for a time such as this. Don’t get me wrong, I have shared my testimony many times, but not to a group of men and women who had also been delivered from the same past as I and they too have said, “yes Lord I lay down myself to follow You,”
Satan wants nothing more than to silence those who have been set free and tries to scare us out of giving our testimony from his lies of “what ifs.” God has given me Psalms 34:3 to recite when the father of lies starts to chatter in my ear in order to silence me.
“I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And rescued me from all my fears."
Psalm 34:4 NASB
Giving one’s testimony is hard but also one of the most important things we can do because it speaks of God’s powerful work in our lives. It also is medium we can use as we talk from a place of healing to help others and give them hope.
I opened my time with the verse Revelation 12:11.
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death (NIV)
I shared that they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the lamb (sacrifice of Jesus on the cross) and the word of their testimony, not loving their own lives even when faced with death (these pre-shadowing dark end times that are only going to get more difficult).
For me it started on this particular Resurrection Sunday when I had a radical encounter with Jesus. Because of all my pain from sexual brokenness, dysfunctional relationships, I found myself hiding in my addiction. I was pulled over for speeding, and arrested for a DUI. It was in the jail cell where He turned my life upside down and inside out and became real after I cried out to God, “please help me, I’m so sorry, I’ll do anything.”
God showed me a story about a woman who’d been convicted of a DUI and came out the other side. It gave me hope in my darkest hour. I reached out to her and she poured God’s love into me and prayed for me.
This is when my relationship with Him became alive. I started focusing on deep inner healing by building my personal relationship with the Lord. Today I can without a doubt tell you His Holy Spirit has taken up residence and filled every broken place. Drugs and alcohol were once the medication I used to hide the pain from the devastation of the abuse trauma. The Lord delivered me from the fear of men that plunged me into having gay relationships. The love of my ex, was and is real, but it is different now that the Lord is the love of my life. I'm no longer fearful of men or living a past life of homosexuality. I have been healed and set free.
Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32 NLT
Telling your testimony from a place of healing and not being fearful of bringing the darkness to light is so freeing.
One of the most powerful things to know is, “I’m not alone”.
The key to true freedom is not only knowing the absolute truth of God’s word, but allowing it to radically change your life. The Word reveals who He is and who we are in Him. To live in true freedom is to completely entrust our lives to Him, not only as our Savior, but also as Lord over ALL our life.