You Are Free: Be Who You Already Are

Description

Have you bought the lie? Many of us do. We measure our worth by what others think of us. We compare and strive, existing mostly for the approval of others. Pressure rises, anxiety creeps in and we hustle to keep up. Jesus whispers, I gave my life to set you free. I gave you purpose. I called you to live in freedom in that purpose. Yet we still hobble through life, afraid to confess all the ways we push against this truth, because we can't even believe it. We continue to grasp for the approval of anyone that will offer it: whether strangers, friends, or community. Christ doesn't say you can be or may be or will be free. He says you are free. Dare you believe it? In You Are Free, Rebekah invites you to: * Overcome the exhaustion of trying to meet the expectations of others and rest in the joy God's freedom brings. * Release stress, anxiety and worry, to uncover the peace that comes from abiding in His presence. * Find permission to grieve past experiences, confess areas of brokenness, and receive strength in your journey towards healing. * Throw off self-condemnation, burn superficial masks and step boldly into what our good God has for you. * Discover the courage to begin again and use your newfound freedom to set others free. Freedom is for everyone who wants it-the lost, the wounded, and those weary from all of the striving. It's for those who gave up trying years ago. It's for those angry and hurt, brilliant and burnt by the Christian song and dance. You are the church, the people of God. You were meant to be free.

Rebekah Lyons is a national speaker and bestselling author of You Are Free: Be Who You Already Are and Freefall to Fly: A Breathtaking Journey Toward a Life of Meaning. An old soul with a contemporary, honest voice, Rebekah reveals her own battles to overcome anxiety and depression-and invites others to discover and boldly pursue their God-given purpose. Alongside her husband, Gabe, Rebekah finds joy in raising four children, two of whom have Down syndrome. She wears her heart on her sleeve, a benefit to friends and readers alike. Her work has been featured on Good Morning America, CNN, Huffington Post, The Tennessean, Publisher's Weekly, and more.

Rebekah and I have been friends for years. I've always been impressed with both the clarity of her message and the vulnerability and courage with which she delivers it. This book is no exception. It's not the story of her life, it's about what she's learned watching Jesus invade her life. She doesn't tell you what to do; she talks about who to trust. * BOB GOFF, author of Love Does * We consider Rebekah and Gabe to be a Godsend in our lives. Many times after sharing a warm-hearted meal, we leave inspired to take yet another step and deeper stride into our own stories of freedom. In reading Rebekah's gracious and honest words, you will be inspired to take your own steps with him in freedom. May you find the sweet space where he tends to your heart, bringing life to places you can't currently fathom. May he surprise you with each turn of the page. * CHRIS AND LAUREN TOMLIN, songwriter and worship leader * You Are Free sent me to my knees pleading with God to show me where I have missed the freedom he intended for me. It opened my eyes to places I was holding on to self, to doubt, to worry, and sent me in search of more intimacy and a deeper, fuller trust in him. Rebekah tells the truth about her journey as a child of God; a wife, mother, daughter, and friend. She invites us to a place where full reliance on him is the only way to truly be free. * KORIE ROBERTSON, Duck Dynasty * When we first met Rebekah, we felt known and loved immediately. That's what reading You Are Free is like. Rebekah invites you to peek into her journey as she finds freedom in Christ and invites us to do the same. This book is an anthem for healing, freedom, and hope in your life. * JEFF AND ALYSSA BETHKE, authors of Jesus > Religion and Spoken For * Rebekah is a sister who fights for the freedom of others. We talked in the early stages of her dreaming about this message and I told her, "You have to write this." The anthem of freedom isn't for a distant future, but for here and now. This book declares, as long as there is a beat in our heart, we are called to be free. * CHRISTINE CAINE, founder of Propel Women & A21 * The first time I met Rebekah, I left feeling nearer to Jesus, because I knew her intimacy with him could not be staged or put on. This book won't leave you with a to-do list or an ache in your soul to improve, but simply an invitation from someone who lives free. You'll be drawn to the foot of the cross, to worship outside the empty grave, and to embrace your freedom and the freedom of others. * JESS CONNOLLY, founder of the Influence Network and Amen Paper Company and author of Wild and Free * I wasn't but a few pages in and wanted to shout for joy because of the power of this message. Rebekah opens up her life with refreshing authenticity and a deep commitment to Scripture. She brilliantly points out that true freedom is found when God is enough in our lives and when he has become our all. You Are Free is a call for every believer to experience the strength of God in our weakness, the beauty of God in our ashes, and the confidence of God in our insecurities. * BANNING LIEBSCHER, Jesus Culture founder and pastor * My favorite teachers teach from the trenches. Rebekah has done the work and fought for her own freedom and now is fighting for ours. I have seen my friend cry tears for your freedom. Prepare to enjoy being fought for by God through these words. * JENNIE ALLEN, founder and visionary, IF:Gathering and author of Nothing to Prove * The freedom to be exactly who God created is something we all search for. With hope, beauty, and the expertise of a skillful guide, Rebekah takes us on a journey back to living each day in the joy of being our truest self. A truly remarkable book! * MIKE FOSTER, author of People of the Second Chance: A Guide to Bringing Life-Saving Love to the World * Scripture boldly declares, 'It is for freedom that Christ has set us free,' and yet many of us cannot hear clearly, let alone enter into this truth amid the clutter of our distractions, anxieties, sorrows, fatigue, regrets, loneliness, shame, and other freedom-inhibiting realities. After reading this book in a single sitting, I felt more known, more forgiven, more loved, and more hopeful in Jesus. * SCOTT SAULS, pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and author of Jesus Outside the Lines and Befriend. * Rebekah displays freedom with candor, vulnerability, and truth; laying her heart bare on the page. If followers of Christ learned to speak, teach, live, and exude this freedom, I believe heaven would bend to earth in a way that we have yet to see. * ADAM AND DAWNTOYA THOMASON, historian and cultural anthropologists * You Are Free is an extraordinary book, a wonderful mix of heart, vulnerability, practical advice, and personal stories. Rebekah leaves you feeling like a friend who sat at the same table, asked the same questions, and found permission to truly be free. * HAVILAH CUNNINGTON, director of Moral Revolution and founder of Truth to Table *