We’re really excited for you to hear Hannah Marks share her story with us on today’s episode. Hannah grew up in the UK as a pastor’s kid, and she gave her life to Jesus at age 7. Eventually, she moved to the States to go to college, and while studying for her Masters degree, she was diagnosed with Graves disease and had her thyroid removed. But that was just the start of her journey with medical problems.

In 2018, she had a stroke and for the next couple of years, Hannah was in and out of the hospital, on multiple medications, and struggling with severe anxiety. It got so bad that Hannah didn’t want to leave her house, and she hit the lowest point she’d ever been at in her life. Although she was walking with Jesus the whole time, she truly believed that God had forgotten about her or that she had disappointed God in some way.

A few months later, Hannah was given the Bondage Breaker, a book written by Neil Anderson, and she learned who she was in Christ, the reality of the spiritual world, and how to deal with her fear and anxiety. Through that process, God set Hannah free from her anxiety. As other health issues have come up in her life, Hannah’s learned that the body can be out of control, but the mind can be at peace. Today, she’s passionate about sharing her story & helping other women like herself learn these powerful Bibilical truths.

EPISODE LINKS:

To sign up for the 12-week online study of Unraveling the Lie-Knot led by Sheryl Giesbrecht Turner: https://www.ficm.org/ficm-courses/unraveling-the-lie-knot-women-january-2023/. To purchase Unraveling the Lie-Knot: https://freedominchrist.com/unravelingthelie-knot.aspx.

For more information on the difference between the physical and the spiritual, check out our course, Keys to Health, Wholeness and Fruitfulness: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBQRpCNXnZVQi9BlYkrDgc59f4TNgv3tt

Subscribe to Stories of Freedom on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts so that you never miss an episode!

Learn more about Freedom in Christ Ministries USA and the discipleship resources we offer: www.ficm.org. For those outside the United States: www.freedominchrist.org.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedominchrist_usa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freedominchrist.usa

On today’s episode, you’re going to hear from Seth Broadhurst. He currently serves on staff with Freedom in Christ USA as our National Director of Ministry Relationships. He’s been married to his wife, Stacy, for 21 years and they have three children. Seth grew up attending church with his family, and trusted Jesus as His Savior on a youth retreat. After the death of a childhood friend, God ignited in Seth a passion to share the Gospel with others, and eventually, he became a church planter.

While his drivenness helped him grow the church and see a lot of positive results, his identity soon became wrapped up in his success as a pastor and people’s perception of him. Sundays were the hardest. If he felt like a sermon didn’t go well or he didn’t receive enough affirmation from others, he would wallow in shame and guilt for a few days.

This went on for many years, until Seth stumbled upon Freedom in Christ material and had an encounter with God he’ll never forget. As he embraced his identity in Christ and replaced lies with truth, he experienced freedom from the need to please people and be perfect, and his perspective on ministry radically changed. If you struggle with perfectionism, people-pleasing, or you work in ministry, we believe Seth’s story will be an encouragement to you.

EPISODE LINKS:

To purchase The Steps to Freedom in Christ booklet: https://freedominchrist.com/new-thestepstofreedominchrist.aspx.

Before going through The Steps to Freedom in Christ, we recommend going through one of these resources: Freedom in Christ Course, Restored, or Victory Over the Darkness and The Bondage Breaker. For details and to purchase: https://www.ficm.org/what-we-offer/our-discipleship-process/.

Subscribe to Stories of Freedom on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts so that you never miss an episode!

Learn more about Freedom in Christ Ministries USA and the discipleship resources we offer: www.ficm.org. For those outside the United States: www.freedominchrist.org.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedominchrist_usa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freedominchrist.usa

We’re joined today by Sunee Kim. She’s a military wife and mom with a passion for seeing women grow in Christ and walk in freedom. Sunee was adopted from Korea as a baby and grew up in a loving, Christian home here in the U.S. At age 13, she put her faith in Jesus Christ and trusted Him as her Lord and Savior. But Sunee always struggled to accept her Korean heritage. As a teenager, she experienced a disconnect between how she looked on the outside and who she was on the inside.

It was until she went off to college and was around other Asian-Americans that Sunee had to come to grips with her Korean heritage. Suddenly, she was lumped together with other Asian people and repeatedly asked whether she was Korean or not. Over time, she felt like she had to prove that she was a good Korean. This led to anger and resentment towards Korean people that was triggered by any interaction Sunee had with them.

As a young mom, she and friend decided to read through The Bondage Breaker by Neil Anderson. Soon after, God led her to forgive her birth parents, and she started experiencing freedom in many areas of her life. But it took years, and a whole lot of prayer & repentance, for her to finally accept her Korean identity and reconcile her inner self with her outer self. Today, she’s learning to walk this out on a daily basis. And she tells us all about it on this episode!

EPISODE LINKS:

For more information about the 2022 National Disciple Making Forum and to sign up: https://discipleship.org/national-disciple-making-forum/.

To purchase the book The Bondage Breaker that Sunee mentioned in the episode: https://freedominchrist.com/thebondagebreaker-new.aspx.

Subscribe to Stories of Freedom on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts so that you never miss an episode!

Learn more about Freedom in Christ Ministries USA and the discipleship resources we offer: www.ficm.org. For those outside the United States: www.freedominchrist.org.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedominchrist_usa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freedominchrist.usa

Our guest today is Harold Webb. Harold currently serves as the Director of Christian Education at New Community Bible Fellowship in Cleveland, Ohio, where he has been for the past 6 years. But prior to entering ministry, Harold struggled daily with intense fear. After experiencing painful rejection as a kid, Harold did whatever he could to fit in—drinking, partying, girls, anything to protect him from being rejected again. This also developed into a fear of public speaking. Even after becoming a Christian at age 32 and serving as a leader at his church, Harold’s fear would not go away. At one point, he had a panic attack and passed out while he was leading a breakout session at a men’s conference at his church.

Not long after this, Harold went through some Freedom in Christ material. He learned about his new identity as a child of God, repented of past sins, and started to deal with the roots of his fear. Through this process of submitting to God and walking in fellowship with other believers, God broke the shackles of his fear. For the first time, Harold experienced true peace, and it transformed his entire life. Today, he’s passionate about helping others experience this same freedom.

EPISODE LINKS:

For more information about the 2022 National Disciple Making Forum and to sign up: https://discipleship.org/national-disciple-making-forum/.

To purchase the book Letting Go of Fear that Harold mentioned in the episode: https://freedominchrist.com/lettinggooffear.aspx

Subscribe to Stories of Freedom on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts so that you never miss an episode!

Learn more about Freedom in Christ Ministries USA and the discipleship resources we offer: www.ficm.org. For those outside the United States: www.freedominchrist.org.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedominchrist_usa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freedominchrist.usa

Our guest this week is Jonathan VerSchneider. He’s a college student at Villanova University, studying chemical engineering.

Jonathan grew up surrounded by Christianity—his parents were Christians, he attended church regularly, and he went to a Christian school. On the outside, he looked like a Christian, but inside he felt empty. This emptiness led him to try and find satisfaction in other things like fantasy, video games, and pornography. At the same time, he pushed everything good away from him, including friendships. The cycle continued, and before long, his life become solely for the purpose of escaping.

Then came the COVID 19 pandemic and online school. This brought Jonathan to a depth of despair he’d never experienced before. After he got caught cheating on a test his junior year of high school, he broke down to his parents and told them everything that had been going on. During that conversation, Jonathan surrendered his life to Jesus for the first time.

Soon after, he went through the Freedom in Christ course and learned about his new identity in Christ. This helped him overcome old habits of escape and gave him the tools to stop living out of fear and engage with life again. Today, he’s living confident in Christ and building lasting friendships. In many ways, he’s a brand-new person!

EPISODE LINKS:

To sign up for the online Freedom in Christ Course starting in September: https://www.ficm.org/ficm-courses/freedom-in-christ-course-fall-2022/

Subscribe to Stories of Freedom on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts so that you never miss an episode!

Learn more about Freedom in Christ Ministries USA and the discipleship resources we offer: www.ficm.org. For those outside the United States: www.freedominchrist.org.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedominchrist_usa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freedominchrist.usa

Our guest this week is Sarah Davidar. She’s a wife, mom, and a leader at her church. Sarah grew up in a Christian home in India and made a personal decision to follow Christ in middle school. From a young age, she loved to share about Jesus with other people, but her faith soon became wrapped up in what she was doing for God. She put tremendous pressure on herself and came to believe that she had to work hard for God to be pleased with her.

Sarah continued to struggle with finding her identity in her performance and seeking other people’s approval into her adult life. But then someone gave her and her husband a devotional written by our founder, Neil Anderson. As Sarah read this book, and a few others by Dr. Anderson, she learned about her identity in Christ and that God’s acceptance of her was not based on her performance. These Biblical truths had such a huge impact on her life that she’s been sharing them with others ever since. If you’ve struggled with seeking people’s approval or any kind of performance mindset in your relationship with Jesus, we believe Sarah’s story will speak to you.

EPISODE LINKS:

To sign up for the online Freedom in Christ Course starting in September: https://www.ficm.org/ficm-courses/freedom-in-christ-course-fall-2022/

Subscribe to Stories of Freedom on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts so that you never miss an episode!

Learn more about Freedom in Christ Ministries USA and the discipleship resources we offer: www.ficm.org. For those outside the United States: www.freedominchrist.org.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedominchrist_usa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freedominchrist.usa

Britni Boyce is an author, speaker, and recovery coach, who runs Level Up Recovery, a faith-based program for those coming out of substance abuse.

Britni grew up attending church on the weekends, but didn’t actually put her faith in Jesus until sixth grade. Sadly, it was actually at church a few years later where she met someone who introduced her to smoking weed. From there, she started experimenting with different types of drugs, and before long, her life started to spin out of control. For the next ten years, she remained in bondage to drug addiction. Although she tried to stop, she just couldn’t get over the addiction on her own.

After a scary experience with a bad batch of heroin, God finally got Britni’s attention. She checked herself into rehab, got sober, and then went on to get her Master’s degree in social work. But even though she was living sober, she was not living free… until an encounter with God while going through The Steps to Freedom in Christ changed that and gave her a passion to help other addicts experience the same freedom—a freedom in Christ that’s better than just being sober.

On this episode, Britni shares her story of transformation—from a drug addiction that threatened to destroy her life to leading a coaching program for people who are “sober and stuck” as she was. You’ll also hear her talk about how anyone can take hold of the abundant life in Christ through surrendering everything to God, forgiving those who’ve hurt you, and living out of your authority and identity in Christ.

EPISODE LINKS:

For more information about TRANSFORM, our 8-month program for leaders: https://www.ficm.org/leaders/transform-2022/.

Subscribe to Stories of Freedom on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts so that you never miss an episode!

Learn more about Freedom in Christ Ministries USA and the discipleship resources we offer: www.ficm.org. For those outside the United States: www.freedominchrist.org.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedominchrist_usa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freedominchrist.usa

Arlene Boyter is a wife, mom and grandma with a love for worship and sharing God’s truth with others. Arlene grew up in a very legalistic church environment. From a young age, her perception of God was skewed, and she felt like she had to be perfect to be accepted by God. After suffering abuse from her first husband, she married her childhood sweetheart. But the wounds she received from her childhood lingered, and she ended up having an affair while her husband was away. She asked for a divorce, but he forgave her, and they reconciled their marriage.

Arlene started attending another church and began a relationship with God. But her faith continued to be performance based, and she struggled to grasp God’s love for her. She eventually hit a breaking point and reached out for help. She was tired of going through the motions.

Last year, she signed up for Transform, an 8-month Freedom in Christ program designed to ground you in the Bibilical principles of identity, freedom and transformation. Through Transform, she found freedom from the legalism, rejection and shame of her past and embraced her identity in Christ. Today, she loves telling her story of how God has transformed her life.

EPISODE LINKS:

For more information about TRANSFORM, our 8-month program for leaders: https://www.ficm.org/leaders/transform-2022/.

Subscribe to Stories of Freedom on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts so that you never miss an episode!

Learn more about Freedom in Christ Ministries USA and the discipleship resources we offer: www.ficm.org. For those outside the United States: www.freedominchrist.org.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedominchrist_usa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freedominchrist.usa

On today’s episode, you’re going to hear from Jayson Larson. He’s currently the editor of a Christian magazine, but prior to that served as a pastor. He’s been married to his wife, Brandi, for 22 years and they have two grown children. Jayson started attending church in junior high, but it wasn’t until he went through a season of depression and struggle that he really surrendered his life to Christ. Eventually, he left his job as a journalist to become a pastor.

Being a pastor didn’t come without challenges. A few years in, Jayson was burnt out, depressed, and ready to quit. But then a friend introduced Jayson to Freedom in Christ material, and it made him re-examine what he really believed. Through that process, God began lifting Jayson’s depression and changed both his approach to ministry and his own relationship with Jesus.

On this episode, you’ll hear Jayson share his story of learning to overcome negative thought patterns and distorted beliefs about God, himself, and ministry work—which he says “will always be a continual process for me.” If you’ve dealt with depression, or worked in any kind of ministry setting, we believe Jayson’s story will be an encouragement to you.

EPISODE LINKS:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.

To sign up for the Freed to Lead Online Class starting in August: https://www.ficm.org/ficm-courses/freed-to-lead-fall-2022/

To purchase the Freed to Lead book: https://freedominchrist.com/freedtolead.aspx

Subscribe to Stories of Freedom on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts so that you never miss an episode!

Learn more about Freedom in Christ Ministries USA and the discipleship resources we offer: www.ficm.org. For those outside the United States: www.freedominchrist.org.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedominchrist_usa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freedominchrist.usa

Daryl Fitzgerald is a husband, father and proud new grandfather. He’s worked as a pastor, life coach, and speaker. He and his wife Stephanie currently do discipleship training around the country. As a kid growing up in a small town in Virginia, Daryl experienced racism on a regular basis. He developed an inferiority complex, believing that he was worthless and that being white was better than being black. This led him to try to find security and significance in things like girls, partying, and basketball.

Even though Daryl grew up “in” church all his life, it was until college, when he heard a clear presentation of the Gospel, that he gave his life to Christ. A few years into being married, he and his wife started having problems they couldn’t fix. Simply being a Christian didn’t erase the pain they had both experienced growing up. Freedom came through learning about his identity in Christ, the reality of the spiritual battle, and how to truly repent and forgive.

On this episode, you’ll hear how embracing these truths changed Daryl’s life and marriage, and gave him a passion to help others experience their own freedom in Christ. You’ll also hear him talk about writing their first book, From Slavery to Freedom, which came out earlier this month.

EPISODE LINKS:

To purchase From Slavery to Freedom: https://freedominchrist.com/fromslaverytofreedom.aspx.

Subscribe to Stories of Freedom on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts so that you never miss an episode!

Learn more about Freedom in Christ Ministries USA and the discipleship resources we offer: www.ficm.org. For those outside the United States: www.freedominchrist.org.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedominchrist_usa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freedominchrist.usa