Kendra Fletcher is a speaker, author, steadfast mother of eight children, and a fellow podcaster too. Today on the She Walks In Truth podcast she talks about her new book "Leaving Legalism" and how this writing project came about. Listeners will be challenged, empowered, and encouraged to seek the Lord in everything they do through Kendra and Carrie's conversation today.
Introduction to Kendra (2:00)
Kendra's passion is to see people set free from really bad religion. She was raised as a California gal in a Christian home, and had 8 children early in her marriage. Kendra and her husband had a heart to raise their children in the faith and through a series of events they decided to home school, which they were told at the time, home schooling would “save their kids”.
Emergency (6:00)
Early on as a mother, Kendra’s baby went into a comma. This was a life changing day for her as she found out her son had caught a deadly virus with liver, kidney, heart, and brain damage. Kendra shares that she believes the traumatizing event was the start of God communicating her and her husband that their focus was on the wrong things.
An Unknown Future (7:45)
Thankfully Kendra’s child was okay and survived the deadly virus, however she did not know what the future would hold. One day driving her kids in the giant van one of her daughters jumped out and was accidentally ran over. Thankfully, the daughter was okay and after some trouble at the hospital, she and her kids still made it home. Kendra shares this was another huge marker in the journey out of legalism.
Where is Your Hope Found (10:00)
Our hope is meant to be found through and only through Jesus. Whether it’s finding worth in the way you mother, what church one goes to, or a method of education, it will all fall short of the hope found in Christ alone.
A Close Call (12:00)
Kendra shares how after a time of all 10 family members having the flu, one of her children became more sick and come to find out had a ruptured appendix, in which they had nearly lost her. This was another eventful mark in her walk with the Lord.
Walking Away (13:00)
Through all these trying events, Kendra and her husband made a decision to walk away from an abusive church situation. Making this decision was better for the health of their faith journey in the long run. Carrie elaborates on how she is blown away by the resilient spirit within Kendra for all the trauma, emotions, challenges, and trials she faced throughout the years.
Be Aware (14:30)
It is extremely important to take notice of how leadership within a church treats you and holds their place. No one is ever meant to take the place of the Holy Spirit, this is something we as believers need to be aware of. If there are rules that seem to micromanage and produce shameful mentalities, or if you feel that your freedom is being stripped, take caution.
Who We Are (18:00)
God constantly tells us who He is and who we are because of that. God is a good father and in return, we are extravagantly loved. Carrie elaborates on her experiences within an unhealthy church and how it made her feel. The struggle is real when there is unhealthiness in a church environment.
Justified and Redeemed (20:00)
If we are justified, redeemed, and restored people God does not look at us with a lens of brokenness and our mistakes, he sees the lens of Jesus in our place. As church bodies, leadership needs to remind us who we are in Jesus more and more. We are created to focus on who we are justified in Christ.
Undoing (22:00)
We are always going to be in this constant process of undoing things that were taught by man. As believers, we’re made to embrace every single thought God has of us, and let all other opinions be laid down. Carrie reminds listeners that God’s kingdom is filled with joy and peace, may we live into this truth with wide open hearts to receive!
A Really Good Legalist (23:30)
It seems to be that as believers often times we are really good at trashing ourselves living into a sinners worth mentality. Kendra challenges listeners to embrace the fact we are already redeemed by God and can live into that mentality. Church bodies don’t need more people telling people what to do, what people need most is people teaching us what Jesus has done for us.
Walk in Confidence (24:00)
If you find yourself in an unhealthy church environment and sense a call to leave, walk out with confidence. Knowing that you’re seeking the Lord is enough to walk away from a group of men and woman telling you what you need to do to be right with God.
Leaving Legalism Book (24:45)
Kendra shares a bit about her Leaving Legalism book and how she provides practical questions for readers to reflect on in effort to help process, heal, and move forward from legalistic mentalities. Click HERE to purchase the Leaving Legalism book.
Pride and Fear (27:00)
Jesus plus this and that is not the way to live! We should never add things to the gospel, therefore it’s important to remind ourselves of the simple gospel on a daily basis. Jesus is enough, and that is all we need for true hope in this life!
His Kindness Leads to Repentance (30:00)
God's Kindness leads us to repentance. Carrie shares about her experiences in realizing what God’s heart for repentance was, which is love. We are not on the losing side of God when we repent. God desires for us to repent because He only has the best intentions in mind.
He is Everything (32:00)
God's kindness wants to remind us that he is everything for you and I. He is everything where our hope comes from. The heart of his kindness that says "let me remind you who I am, and who you are because of that."
Encouragement From Kendra (34:00)
If you have found yourself letting religion take the place of God for you, Kendra encourages listeners to start by praying to the Lord and asking him to help let you believe in Him more, to help you believe who God is better, and to help you believe that you are who God says you are. God is good, He’s better than we think!
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