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Freedom, Worth, Wholeness with Jessica Hottle

Who would have thought the world would have turned into a battlefield overnight? And I’m not just speaking of outward protests and riots, but the inward struggles that fuel these displays. People are hurting, and evidence of that is on the news daily. Yet others have more quiet struggles. These struggles keep them up at night, and during the day the deep ache is an unwanted, but familiar, friend.

The amazing thing is that God gives us something for the fight.

Did you know that the armor of God only has one offensive weapon, and it’s a sword? Ephesians 6:17 says, “And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you, (GWT).

The sword we fight with is God’s Word. God’s Word—the truth—changes everything.

Recently, my school-aged son and I had a movie night, and I introduced him to Zorro. At the beginning of the movie, Zorro is clumsy with his sword. He has big emotions and little skill. His mentor disarms Zorro during an emotional confrontation and warns him. “If you seek revenge now, you’re going to be killed.” Seeing his mentor’s skill, Zorro chooses to submit and become teachable. Following his mentor’s training, he learns to use the sword well, and his enemies are soon defeated.

Jesus was an expert at using the Word of God as a sword. When the enemy Satan attempted to overcome Jesus with lies, Jesus fought back with the truth:
The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” (Matthew 4:3-4)

Where did these words come from? From the Scriptures. Near the end of his life, Moses summed up the Israelite’s wilderness journey, and pleaded with the people to continue seeking the Lord:

“He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD,” Deuteronomy 8:3, (NIV).

Jesus knew the Scriptures, and He used them again the enemy. As Jesus’ followers, we can fight off the enemy’s lies when we do the same. But in order to use the truth, we need to know the truth.

The enemy is holding up numerous lies, right in our faces, because he doesn’t want us to discover the peace and joy that God offers. He also doesn’t want us to step forward in faith on the good path that God has designed for us. Satan wants us to stay stuck in our pain, but Jesus wants us to find the freedom He offers. He wants us to find healing and to point others in that direction, too.

In my own life, the more I read and understand God’s Word, the more I can use it to fight the enemy’s lies: Lies about my worth. Lies about my future.

The enemy loves to poke at the places where we’ve been hurt in order to bring pain and doubt. Yet, when we look to the Bible and discover that God wants to bring healing in all areas of our lives, then everything changes. Hope can replace the ache. As we read the Bible, we can find freedom, worth, and wholeness. And this is exactly what I’m talking about with today’s guest: Jessica Hottle.

Who is Jessica Hottle?

Jessica’s passion for helping others “weigh” less emotionally, physically, and spiritually. She inspires and encourages thousands by sharing her own personal struggles, victories, and journey through life. Jessica is a successful online entrepreneur, speaker, podcaster for What’s The Truth, and author of two best-selling books, Know Your Worth and A Worthy Wife. Her passions are being a wife to her husband, Jon, being a momma to their three cats, and spending her free time outside whenever she can. Jessica has a heart that runs hard after Jesus and credits everything she has done to her Savior.

Walk It Out Scripture

And accept salvation as a helmet and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you (GWT). Ephesians 6:17

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