Victory
You might be thinking at this point, "Victory? Really? You have no idea what I struggle with." You're absolutely right. I don't, but you don't know what I struggle with, either.

Please understand, I know I'm not a great writer. I just write what I know... what God is teaching me and leading me to share. That's the reason for the title of this series of blog posts, "Baggage, Bondage and Baloney." I'm writing what I know and right now with God's help, I'm beginning to learn to let go of all baggage, bondage and baloney in my own life.

My past is not a pretty picture. Living in rebellion for several years led to many experiences and sinful choices that I wish had never happened. I've been through an abusive marriage, a painful divorce, and cancer twice. There's baggage. There's bondage. There's baloney. In my life and in yours. 

So, what's the answer? How do we get through all of this to victory? Again, you might have some thoughts here. "You're not gonna just throw some scriptures at us are you? That's not gonna help."

You probably already know that the Bible says to give all over to the Lord. You know that Jesus said we should come to Him with our burdens (our baggage) and He will give us rest. You know that true freedom is found only in Christ. You already know that the best way to combat the lies of the enemy is to meditate on God's truth.

Something that has really helped and encouraged me recently is the experiences of the apostle Paul. I've been in that cycle, as maybe some reading this have, where I give it over to the Lord and pick it up again. The baggage and the bondage just seem to call out to me to pick them back up again after I've laid them at His feet.

I think Paul knew that same struggle. In Galatians 2:20, he says, "I am crucified with Christ..." Notice he doesn't say, "I was crucified with Christ." He says, "I am crucified with Christ." See the difference? For Paul, dying to self was a continual process - a daily, moment-by-moment choice.

He also said, "I die daily" (1 Cor 15:31). Paul was a great man of God who achieved great things for God. Yet Paul had the same struggles we do. He was human. He gave it all - his baggage, his bondage, and his baloney - over to the Lord daily.

This is the key to victory over our baggage, bondage and baloney. We might pick it up sometimes, but the key is to keep setting it down, to keep giving it back to the Lord - daily, moment-by-moment. The more we get into the habit of making that choice, the less often we will have to.

As we practice that obedience, it becomes a part of who we are, and that desire to die to self and live instead for Christ will overtake our desire to carry the baggage, walk in bondage and believe the baloney.

Instead, we will begin to walk in freedom and truth, allowing Jesus to carry us and the rocks of our past. We will walk in victory!