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No Longer Slaves – Bethel Music

You unravel me, with a melody
You surround me with a song
Of deliverance, from my enemies
Till all my fears are gone

I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

From my mother’s womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I've been born again, into your family
Your blood flows through my veins

I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

I am surrounded
By the arms of the Father
I am surrounded
By songs of deliverance

We've been liberated
From our bondage
We're the sons and the daughters
Let us sing our freedom

You split the sea
So I could walk right through it
All my fears were drowned in perfect love
You rescued me
So I could stand and sing
I am child of God.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. - Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

For the past year I have been struggling with anxiety. Thankfully, its inconvenient head has not reared itself on a daily basis but often enough to be an issue. My particular struggle involves traveling. I do not fear driving on highways or even worry about getting in an accident. I’m not concerned with my vehicle breaking down or needing assistance along the way. In analyzing the why and when of my anxiety, it seems to mostly appear when I have to travel with others. Just the thought of losing control in front of those who aren’t in my immediate family, causes anxiety to grip my heart.

My family knows my occasional quirkiness. They understand that I need to do certain things to remain even keeled and not need to rely on any medication to balance me out. There are times, depending on the stress of the situation, that I feel my personal coping skills slipping away and I have to resort to using the medication my doctor prescribed for me. I do feel it is a last resort though. I have always relied on prayer and the strength I have in Christ to get through whatever comes my way. Over the past year, having to acknowledge that I may need assistance to overcome my anxious thoughts, has been a bit of a blow for my self-controlling ego.

My life over the past year has consisted of much prayer to get through all that I need to do each and every day. It has consisted of much Scripture brought to mind that I learned as a child to bring me back to searching God’s Word more readily. There are so many negative aspects of struggling with anxiety, but the one positive is that you realize again and again that you are not in control and you must submit to the One who is.

This brings me to my song choice for this blog, No Longer Slaves, by Bethel Music. The words that struck me to my core are not earth shattering in and of themselves, but they are earth shattering for the mere fact that they show how much I rely on myself and not on God. “I’m no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God.” This got me questioning if I am a slave to fear. I know I’m a child of the one and only, Almighty God. I don’t doubt His abilities in my life. But, do I have fears that cause my anxious thoughts? Am I not submitting them to Him on a regular basis and dying to self so that He may live in me? Am I living so deeply in denial that I can’t even knowingly answer these questions truthfully?

And then my heart hears the words that God has chosen me, He has called my name, His arms surround me, and He has liberated me from my bondage. How amazing. How absolutely and utterly amazing. Even in my weakness and doubt and fear, He loves me and holds me close to Himself. He knows my heart wants to earnestly and only follow Him. He knows the struggles I deal with each and every day and He walks with me through them all. He has liberated me from my bondage to sin and given me eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. I am a child of God.

I find in my own life, going about my day to day business, I can take for granted the meaning of being a child a God. I don’t fully recognize the power that I have access to through my Heavenly Father. Instead, I choose to push on in life with the perception that I have control over what I have control over. And yet, in submitting my control, true liberation and freedom can be found. Even though I find that anxiety has become a thorn in my flesh, I am thankful to God for it as it keeps me seeking after Him. I pray that I will not struggle with it for the rest of my days, but even so, my prayer is that God would use it to refine me into Christ-likeness. May we all be able to proclaim, “I’m no longer a slave to fear. I am child of God.”