Let Go of Your Past and Embrace Your Purposes Today

SHOW NOTES: 

EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode, I share an excerpt from Step Nine of my new book, Living Perfectly Loved. 

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19 NIV).

You’ve been delivered from your Egypt, from living a slave to fear, and God is now making a way forward for you, not just into a new position or assignment, but into fullness of life in Christ and living out your God-given purpose! Rather than crossing the Red Sea and arriving at your promised land, however, you find yourself called by God into a wilderness season. In the wilderness, you may feel like they are neither here nor there, as if you took a wrong turn somewhere and got lost or off track with God, but God has not left you. He is with you to show you the way forward through your wilderness, and to provide for your every need all along the way. You will learn the reasons God has called you into the wilderness: to teach you and further develop your character, to grow your trust in Him, to make you fully dependent and reliant on Him for your every need, and to help you let go of your past and embrace your God-given purpose today. 

CONNECT WITH KELLY: I’m your host, Kelly Ann Snyder, a Christian writer, speaker, and teacher. Grateful to God for rescuing me from the grip of anxiety and fear, I created this podcast, started a blog, launched a small group for women at my church, and wrote my first book titled, Living Perfectly Loved, to encourage, equip, and inspire Christian women to live free from fear and full of joy, secure in God’s perfect love. I enjoy fresh flowers, nature walks, decorating my home, sipping tea, and studying God's Word.

Visit my website at kellyannsnyder.com to learn more about me and Living Perfectly Loved Ministries, including information that can help you take the next step forward in your faith journey.

By signing up for my email list today, you’ll get blog and podcast episodes sent directly to your inbox, and be given the opportunity to learn about other Living Perfectly Loved Ministries offerings made available only to my subscribers. Here’s a link to a free resource I created for signing up: 40 Anxiety-Reducing Self-Care Tips for the Weary

You can also purchase my new book on Amazon today: Living Perfectly Loved: A Christian’s 12-Step Journey to Freedom from the Grip of Anxiety and Fear

Find me on my Facebook Page @kellyannsnyderauthor and on my Facebook profile @kellyannsnyderofficial, as well as on my Instagram account @kellyannsnyderofficial. I look forward to connecting with you soon!

DISCLAIMER: The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. This podcast is not a substitute for consultation with a licensed practitioner. Please consult with your physician or healthcare specialist regarding the suggestions and recommendations made in this podcast. The podcast host makes no guarantees concerning the level of success you may experience by following the advice and strategies she has offered, and you accept the risk that results will differ for each individual. The use of this podcast implies your acceptance of this disclaimer.

For additional help or resources, I recommend you consider reaching out to a professional Christian counselor or a pastor at a church for guidance in your next steps.

Episode Transcript

Kelly Ann Snyder (00:02):
I'm Kelly Ann Snyder.
Welcome to Living PerfectlyLoved, the podcast created to
encourage, equip, and inspireyou to live free from fear and
full of joy, secure in God'sperfect love.
If you're longing to stand firmin Christ amidst the storms of
life with a faith deeply rootedin God's perfect love, stop

(00:25):
anxiety and fear from stealingyour joy and controlling your
life, shine brightly and lovefearlessly, confident in who God
uniquely created and called youto be, then this faith-inspiring
podcast, full of practical helpand spiritual tools, is for you.
You're listening to Season One,Episode 10: Let Go of Your Past

(00:47):
and Embrace Your Purpose Today.
Brought to you by LivingPerfectly Loved Ministries and
my new book, Living PerfectlyLoved: A Christian's 12-Step
Journey to Freedom from the Gripof Anxiety and Fear.
For all recommended resources,products, and freebies discussed
in this episode, please see thenotes for this episode.

(01:10):
I'm happy to announce that ineach episode this season, I will
be sharing an excerpt from mybook containing each of the 12
steps the Lord used to deliverme from the grip of anxiety and
fear.
In this way, you'll be getting asneak peek into my book, Living
Perfectly Loved.
I'm so glad you've decided tojoin me.
Subscribe to my email list todayat kellyandsnyder.com and you

(01:34):
will be kept in the loop withall book and ministry-related
announcements I make, and beeligible to receive all free
resources I create and sharewith my subscribers.
Visit my website atkellyandsnyder.com to learn more
about Living Perfectly LovedMinistries, including direct
links to purchase my book andinformation that can help you

(01:57):
take the next step forward inyour faith journey.
If you haven't yet listened tomy podcast trailer, I'd like to
invite you to do so afterlistening to this episode.
All right, let's get started!The following is an excerpt from
Step Nine of my book, LivingPerfectly Loved, titled: Let Go

(02:20):
of Your Past and Embrace YourPurpose Today.
Isaiah 43 verses 18 through 19says,"Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing! Nowit Springs up; do you not
perceive it?
I'm making a way in thewilderness and streams in the

(02:41):
wasteland." When the Lord calledJoshua to lead the Israelites
into the promised land, he said,"I will give you every place
where you set your foot.
No one will be able to standagainst you all the days of your
life.
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid; do not bediscouraged, for the Lord your

(03:02):
God will be with you whereveryou go," Joshua one verse three,
five, and nine.
Does the Lord not say the samething to us today?
If God has made clear you'recalling, you can confidently go
all in knowing that the Lordgoes with you.
There is nothing to fear.

(03:22):
After saying yes to my call towrite a book for the Lord, God
led me through multiplesignificant life transitions as
part of my wilderness season andtransformation journey to
becoming a writer and speakerfor God.
While, I couldn't see where Iwas going, I knew God was with
me, even when I couldn'tunderstand what He was doing.

(03:44):
Some of these transitions werewonderful and filled my heart
with joy and excitement.
Like when I started writing mybook, growing in my craft,
learning all the ins and outs ofthe industry, and connecting
with other aspiring authors,agents, and publishers, at
writers' conferences and online.
Other transitions were extremelychallenging, stretching me

(04:06):
beyond my personal limits,causing me to rely fully on the
Lord for my every need.
For example, after five yearsworking as an intervention
resource teacher, I wasdiagnosed with another chronic
illness that ultimately led tomy resignation from the school
district I worked for and givingup my 17-year teaching career to

(04:28):
stay home full time.
It was hard to understand whyGod would allow such
debilitating pain and physicallimitations in my life.
My husband and I wondered how wewould make it financially as a
single income family living inSan Diego, California, one of
the most expensive places in theworld to live.
However, God soon revealed whythis was necessary and how it

(04:52):
would work out for our ultimategood.
Just a few months after I tookleave, the COVID pandemic hit
the country and my twoschool-age children ended up
home full-time with me doingschool via distance learning.
My husband who was serving as apolice officer on the front
lines during this particularlyvolatile time of rioting in the

(05:14):
streets needed my support morethan ever.
My time at home also gave me theopportunity to continue writing
my book.
Still other transitions broke myheart as God confirmed a need to
let go and move on from a coupleclose relationships.
I grieved these lossesespecially, as they involved

(05:35):
people I love dearly.
But I knew in order to live thelife God called me to, to remain
faithful to Him rather than anemotional bondage to others, I
could only move forward in thedirection of His leading.
I could not cling to what hadbeen or to what I had hoped
would be.
I had to accept the reality thatthese relationships were broken.

(05:58):
I needed to trust God to holdsecure my heart and theirs
through the healing process, notknowing whether or not one day
these relationships might berestored.
Through each transition.
God further transformed mycharacter, increased my trust
and reliance on Him, and humbledme.
He helped me embrace my worth,security, purpose, calling, and

(06:23):
fullness of life in Christalone.
I could have let theseexperiences wreck me, cause me
to wallow in self-pity, and growcontinually and anger and
bitterness.
I could have let fear lead tomisplaced priorities and
disobedience to God, but I knewmaking these choices would never
lead to the wholeness andfullness of life only God could

(06:45):
give me.
Instead, I was determined tocling to God as He graciously
revealed my path forward.
When I felt discouraged by mycircumstances or couldn't see
God's hand a blessing, I heldtight to His promises.
I remembered Jesus' sacrificefor me, and that kept me humble

(07:06):
and obedient.
I remembered that God would notleave me in the wilderness to
die, Nehemiah nine verse 21.
He was with me and for me,Isaiah 41 verse 10.
Closer than my next breath, Acts17 verse 28.
He was leading me in a cloud byday and fire by night, Exodus 13

(07:29):
verse 21.
To become all God has destinedfor you to become as the new
creation you are, and to finallycross over into your personal
promised land in Christ, you toowill experience a type of
transformation.
Consider, for example, thetransformation process a
caterpillar undergoes to becomea butterfly.

(07:52):
After spinning a chrysalisaround itself, it isn't just
dormant.
The caterpillar releasesdigestive enzymes, effectively
reducing itself to nothing morethan a soupy mixture of cells.
It loses all semblance to acaterpillar, but all is not
lost.
Within that cellular soup canstill be found the building

(08:15):
blocks of an adult butterfly.
Cells begin rapidly dividing andmultiplying, and within just two
weeks, the caterpillar'stransformation is complete.
It can finally emerge abeautiful butterfly! Much like
the caterpillar and itschrysalis, you may experience
dramatic changes.
In the process of becoming abutterfly, you may feel a lack

(08:38):
of purpose, loss of identity andconnection with the world around
you.
You may feel disoriented anddirectionless.
Nevertheless, this is exactlywhere God wants you to be.
Layers of who you have been willbegin molting away, making way
for new growth.
Your old self, the you that maystill be struggling with the

(09:00):
pain of the past, unhelpfulhabits, and long standing
hangups will disintegrate beforeyour very eyes.
While experiencing suchsignificant life changes will
feel quite unsettling at times.
Try not to see yourself as whoyou are in this wilderness
season of transformation, whichmay feel a lot like broken down

(09:21):
butterfly soup, but as theperson God has destined for you

to become (09:26):
a beautiful woman living out the purpose for which
you were created.
Second Corinthians five verse 17reminds us,"If anyone is in
Christ, the new creation hascome: The old has gone, the new
is here!" Learn to embrace yourpurpose today, my friend, and

(09:46):
trust God will be with you tosee you through every
heartbreaking, uncomfortable,and exciting change along the
way.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, Thank You forleading me through the
unfamiliar territory of thewilderness I now find myself in.
Please use this time to teach,refine, mold, and shape me into

(10:07):
who You've called me to be.
Give me a vision for my future.
Show me my purpose and what nextsteps of obedience I can take to
embrace it, and fulfill mykingdom calling.
Father, give me also thestrength and wisdom to know how
to battle temptation in thisdesert place, and when it's time

(10:28):
for me to cross over into mypromised land, Father, supply me
with the courage I need to leavethe pain and sins of my past in
the past.
In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Thanks for listening to thisepisode of the Living Perfectly
Loved podcast.
While it's true that God is loveand we are perfectly loved by

(10:50):
Him, we all struggle at times tolive like this true.
While we should strive to growin Christ likeness, we can rest
in knowing God loves us becauseof who He is, not because of who
we are or anything we could everdo for Him.
In Jesus Christ, we are enough!Remember, you don't have to be

(11:12):
perfect to live perfectly loved.
You have always been and willalways be a completely forgiven,
fully accepted, deeply loved,daughter the King.
Beautiful friend, His grace isfor you.
Please subscribe to my podcastnow and stay tuned for another
episode of Living PerfectlyLoved.

(11:34):
May the Lord bless you and keepyou.
May He shine His face on you andbe gracious to you.
May He turn His face toward youand give you peace, in Jesus'
name.