Freedom in Christ

Freedom. It's a word we use frequently in this beautiful country of ours. It took faith, courage and sacrifice for our forefathers to set out on an adventure to start a new life in the wild, unsettled young America. It was dangerous. It was costly. But it was worth it.

Even after all of that, I wonder if we know what being free truly means. We live in a fallen, decaying and broken world and there will always be forces working to destroy the pure and beautiful. The same is true in my own personal walk with Christ. My spirit is from heaven but my body is in the same condition of this world-broken and sinful. The struggle between flesh and spirit, darkness and light, is perfectly stated in Romans 7:15,18-19: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do...For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing."

With such a grim sentence we're living through here on earth, trapped in these bodies that "wage war against the law of God", it almost seems hopeless. And trying to keep the law is hopeless...without Jesus and the Holy Spirit living in us. In fact, it's impossible. Our sinful condition is a terminal disease, never improving by our own efforts. Without the antidote of the salvation of the blood of Jesus, we are not only lost, but will eventually be strangled by our perfectionism and legalism.

The verse that got me thinking about all of this in the first place is II Corinthians 3:17: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM (emphasis mine)." Previously in the same chapter Paul talks about the "hope" we have in the glory of the ministry of the Spirit. The Mosaic Law had its place and its own glory, but Paul is making the point that the ministry of the Spirit is that much more powerful. It's grace vs. law, righteousness through Christ is it taken away. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."
Christ vs. condemnation: "But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only

Jesus himself spoke about being slaves to sin in John 8:34-36: "Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.'" In my own life I often miss this. These are "red letter" words, spoken out of the mouth of Jesus Christ, and still I don't let them become truth to me. They are a promise, a promise for freedom from addiction, from "self", from anger, pride, bitterness, fear...and all the pressure that comes with trying to earn grace or be "good enough."

So what does this all mean? Our relationship with God requires the same steps of faith and courage that our forefathers took to obtain freedom, but the sacrifice has already been provided by our Lord Jesus Christ. His death and the power of His blood paid the ultimate price for our freedom from sin and death. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of coming back to the same old chains, deliberately putting them on and sitting in a prison cell that's already been broken open. I'm free to go; I’m no longer in bondage, and no longer subject to a yoke of slavery! There is no power that exists that can keep me from the love of God and the lengths He has already gone to set me free. All I have to do is take a step into the Light.

Letter from God

My darling daughter,

I know you’re hurting right now but I can’t understand why you aren’t coming to me and talking to me about it. Each day I wait expectantly for your face to lift to me, for your knees to bend, but instead you choose to let the black cloud that surrounds your mind have the last word. I am waiting just outside of it.

It saddens me to know that you don’t have any idea how much I love you. That you taking the time to talk with me brings me the joy only a daughter speaking to her Father can bring. I long to hear what you have to say about things: how your day went, what emotions you’re feeling, your thoughts on life, your joys, your hurts, your prayers, your requests and your praises.

I crave your companionship and long to give you the desires of your heart, yet above all I want you to want only Me. I want to be first in your heart, for you to feel the pull of My love, for you to hear My whispers despite the noise from the ever-failing earth you live in. I am Real. I am Truth. I am Love. And I am all you can or will ever need. I am the only One that can give you true rest and true freedom.

Please give Me a chance to show you. Open your heart to Me; let Me in. I already know every fiber of your being-what makes you laugh and cry, how many hairs you have on your head-and since I am already living inside you, it should be an natural thing to do. I think about you more than you think about yourself…and My thoughts of you number more than the grains of sand on all the seashores of the world. I want to bring you freedom where there is bondage, to be the healing salve on the wounds you’ve endured from this world. I want to lead you towards my will: to shape you, change you, and mold you into the design I had in mind from the beginning, before you were ever a project on my workman’s table. I loved you so much that I died for you. I wanted you to see that I couldn’t bear the thought of being away from you for eternity, and that the only way you could be with Me is for My blood to be shed on a cross, defeating sin and death in one single blow. I bore all the shame, guilt, disease, and darkness of your sin for you.

My grace hangs heavy and full above you, ready to be poured out, waiting on your upturned face and heart. All you have to do is accept it. Let its sweetness drip down into the blackest recesses of your heart, lighting it up with gold, the thick richness of it smothering the weeds of fear, insecurity and lies as it goes. I want it to fill all of you so that you can truly know what it is to take My yolk upon you. All I ask of you is that you walk with Me and let Me lead you. I have such amazing things in store for you. Please trust Me. Please accept all of the gifts I want to give you. Let Me take the fear, anger, rage, bitterness, hurt, betrayal, perfectionism and all that you struggle with off of your shoulders. You were never meant to bear that kind of load, and I’ve already paid the ultimate price for it. You are My daughter and My princess, an heir to My kingdom. And I am your ever-loving, everlasting Father who adores you.

GOD