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We all have walls. There is, most likely, something you’ve been through, which has inhibited your ability to enter into freedom through a new door in life. At times we allow God to crumble the walls around us and bring liberty. And then we run into an obstacle and rebuild the same confining space for ourselves all over again. For most of us it’s a cycle.

Are you tired of the walls?

Walls are usually made up of lies. We listen to lies from the enemy, lies from others, and before you know it, we are lying to ourselves and people who care about our situations because we feel unable to ask for help. We feel weak. And we don’t want anyone to know it.

What if there was some way to permanently bring down the walls around us? I believe there is. I’m not even close to perfecting this, but I’m working on it. That has to count for something, right?

Throughout my life I’ve had difficulty admitting certain things. The following are a couple examples that come quickly to my mind:

• I grew up with a learning disability that I hid the best I could. I remember once failing a test for which I studied extremely hard. Someone saw my grade and I went into a quick explanation of how I had no time to study. I lied. And lies further cement the walls.
• While living through secondary infertility I was constantly asked when I was going to have another baby. For a very long time I hid that I was having difficulty. I would say things such as, “I’m not ready to get up in the middle of the night again with another baby.” Or “I’m not sure we want another child.” All lies. I was dying inside. My walls were becoming higher and higher.

The ramification of high towering walls is usually asphyxiation. When the walls are up we can’t breathe. Friends, we need to breathe.

I do believe we can bring the walls in our lives down once and for all. And here is how…

1. Prayer: Communication with the Father is imperative. We must pray specifically for our situations. It’s okay to pray for ourselves. We need to ask God to equip us with the strength we need to help the walls fall down.
2. Transparency: It is important we find someone we can trust who we know will pray for us. No one should have to carry large burdens alone.  We weren’t meant to. (James 5:13-18)
3. Be prepared for questions and advice from others (Stop the lies.): If your situations are anything like mine were, it is easy to have an excuse rather than face questions from others. The problem with excuses is that they are usually made up of half truths, which are lies. The last few years of my infertility struggle I had  some answers prepared which were truths about my situation that I felt comfortable revealing. I also had to be bold sometimes and say, “This is a difficult subject matter for me. I can’t talk about it, but thank you so much for your kindness and support. The most beneficial thing you can do is pray for me.” Most people just want to love on you. You need to give them the benefit of the doubt.
4. Stand on a scripture: Find a scripture to help you battle. Memorize it and recite it every time you feel the walls begin to build up again. I used to tape mine up on mirrors and even print them out to hang on the refrigerator.
5. Listen to worship music and read encouraging books: Fill your soul with beautiful things. Have you ever heard the saying, “Garbage in; garbage out?” You really need to fill yourself with words that will strengthen you and glorify God.  Don’t put anything in that will damage your healing process. (Proverbs 16:24)

I know some of these suggestions may seem cliché and even make you feel like you are going to gag when you hear them, but I know what it means to battle. I’ve lived with very high walls all around me, sometimes I still do, and all I can tell you is that everything on this list helped me. But please understand that it is a life journey. Once you apply these principles, you can never stop. They are all very much like food and water to the soul. They help you stand on good ground and keep your heart pointed to the Lord.

All of these steps are part of yielding your heart to Jesus. All of them bring freedom and allow God to crash down the walls into a million beautiful pieces that will lead you straight into the life you were meant to live. Live free, my friends! Tear down the walls!

Love,

Jennifer

I’m linking up with Holley Gerth for the Coffee for Your Heart Encouragement Challenge!