“God dealt with me so completely.”
Redemption is at work in every stage of our life. Author Liz Curtis Higgs has walked with Jesus for many years – but at a point in her journey, God whispered that He had more for her.
“I was absolutely obsessed with romance novels. Loved to read them all the time, one after another, like chocolate candy. Some were a little bit over the top, some were not so bad but honestly, all of them were rotten at the core. They weren’t about God. They weren’t about redemption. They were just about couples in love, shall we say.”
God urged Liz to trade the muddy water of her romance novels for the glorious redemptive stories of the Word. Her eyes were opened to the truth. At a speaking event, Liz invited the women to come forward for prayer and lay down something they had been carrying. In that moment, God convicted Liz and brought her reading materials to mind.
“The truth is, they do take you away… they don’t take you to a good place.”
In her heart, Liz knew that’s what God was asking her to give up completely. She needed to come to the altar too. She lay down her microphone and joined the other women on the floor.
“I went home from that event where I spoke… and I absolutely packed them all in boxes and got rid of them. Hundreds of books.”
Reading fiction is not sinful by itself; but when it becomes your god, that’s when novels and other habits can become unhealthy. Liz realized she needed to seek freedom in this area of her life.
“It had me. I didn’t have it. And when God cleared that away for me, He absolutely set me free. And I discovered Christian fiction.”
Liz’s step of faith and obedience in getting rid of her romance novels planted a seed in her heart to eventually write redemptive fiction herself. Liz encourages us to drink in the water of the Word of God and keep our souls – and our faith – full of clean, fresh water.
“The Bible is so rich. Will we ever tire of unpacking it? Rich for us today; life-changing for us today. And you don’t have to interpret it and sort through things. It speaks to truth right now. ‘Just open and start reading’ is what I always say to people. The Bible is everything we need. Find that translation that speaks to your heart, and just go.”
Key Scripture: Job 5:17
Featured Songs: Unashamed by Chris August; Impossible by Meredith Andrews; Faithful to the End by Bethel Music
