Tag: freedom

Let It Go!

by Ms. Rita's Minute

Hebrews 12:1-2 

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.“

Ever wish you could sit with someone, take their hands, look deeply into their eyes, and say, let it go? You want to encourage them toward a better way. You want to comfort them and inspire them to let go of all the bullying, manipulating, name-calling, belittling, and nagging abuse they’ve received. You understand they want to ignore it or get revenge, but they’re too empathetic to act on their feelings. So, they embrace the perceived right to be angry, grudgeful, hateful, and dismissive, all at once. Yet their heart still aches, and they feel used and taken for granted.

They meditate on all the days, all the words, they should have done this, or they will do that. They’ve taken them on like a coat of honor. They’ve got this, they can handle it. Yet they actually mustn’t take it at all. They must cast it! Jesus wants them to cast their cares and not brood over or worry about them. All that was done to them was not their doing or welcoming. All of that bad belongs to the enemy of their soul, not them.

Wallowing in unforgiveness will kill them if not addressed. God’s word commands that they forgive as He has forgiven them. Furthermore, do they know what belongs to them? God’s forgiveness and grace. They are theirs to take and give. His “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23) are all for them. The Father’s thoughts for their pondering are all that is “true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, and praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8). His plans are to prosper them and not to harm them, plans to give them hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Also, that they would then call on him, go and pray to him, and he will listen to them.

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As those stormy thoughts of sadness and regret begin to drown their mind’s hope and faith in God’s blessing and abundant life for them, they should grab them and throw down every word sent to weigh them down with the heaviness of unforgiveness, and recall and speak God’s promise to give them rest and the desires of their heart as they delight in him. Those cares don’t belong to them as they become worries which hinder a peaceful and sound mind and promote fear and anxiety.

The truth is they are dearly loved by their creator, who, at their very worst, paid a great price for them. They are now the redeemed of the Lord! They should no longer carry the lies and taunts of the evil one. They no longer live in those past spaces, but are now the Body of Christ, and he is the head!

Therefore, what the Lord says is true. Let’s all cast our cares on him, as he is our great caretaker and caregiver. We are called to be free in Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Enjoying Freedom

by Ms. Rita's Minute

John 8:36

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.“

Freedom is a wonderful way to live. According to Galatians 5:13, it’s a true mark of God’s calling: “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

We must remember freedom is not something God frowns upon, but actually provides. He has graciously given us a will to choose who and what we hold dear. He has provided what he deems best while allowing us the choice of what we think best. He won’t bully us to change, but will often send sound Bible teaching and commands, with different inspirations and considerations into our lives to lead us toward his way.

Those of us who believe Jesus to be the Son of God and Lord over our lives, trust His way to be best for our lives. He has provided in the Bible how to accept and live for him as well as how to treat all people: sinners and saints, enemies and friends. He has shown us the way of love and will work with us, as we allow, to be successful in this endeavor.

Jesus has provided ways to help us turn from sin which is destructive to our lives and the righteousness he died to give us. He has shown us how to walk by the Spirit, which is initially foreign to man, and not by our human instincts and worldly desires. He has also made a way for us to live an abundant life here on earth, as it is in heaven.

I thank and praise God for Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Hence, we’re done with slavery if we truly want to be. We can trust that if Jesus makes us “free,” we are free indeed. The word free in John 8:36 means to set at liberty: from the dominion of sin. This is a wonderful thing.

By God’s grace, we don’t have to be enslaved to sin anymore. We have the freedom to choose to sin, but clearly, we don’t have to give in to it. Instead, we choose life given with his gift of righteousness. According to 1 Corinthians 10:13, “…God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Again, he has provided freedom of choice in decision-making. Hence, in our relationships, we should never try to make anyone do anything they don’t want to do. God doesn’t. Yet he wants us to act of our own volition in choosing what he’s revealed to be best for us. I’ve found throughout life he’s committed to steering his believers in the right direction, even when at times we think another way is best. I’ve found him to be truly gentle and humble in heart as stated in Matthew 11:29. His “yoke” on us, brings rest, not turmoil.

Therefore, in our freedom, I’ve concluded that gentleness and humility are key in our relating to others regarding their choices of living. In showing the love of Christ, we must be respectful in how we treat others even when we don’t agree with how they live or they don’t agree with how we live. Nevertheless, we don’t compromise what we hold to be a life of true liberty. We follow confidently, supportively, assertively, and kindly the path God has created for us.

Following Christ wholeheartedly and avoiding excessive carnality will require distancing ourselves from influences that are destructive to our path which clearly is the wisdom of God. However, we never stop showing love for human life, as Christ has taught and demonstrated. At the same time, we refuse to reject the Bible’s teachings regarding to whom we yoke or bind ourselves in agreement. Over a believer’s lifetime, God will be clear in showing each of us those relationships best for our lives.

As for me, I want to live free and stay free in the convictions God has given for my life. I can’t let any person, place, or thing stop that process. We only get one life, and I’ve lived a large portion of mine and want God’s life for me to continue strong. I sometimes think I know better when he might prefer something else, but I don’t feel that way for long. I believe I healthily fear God and if not, he has proven faithful to show me. In all of this, I actually feel freedom. It’s when I am being disobedient and know it, that I feel terribly bothered. For this, I am thankful, too. It signifies God is still working in me.

Throughout my life, as he strips away everything that might hinder the freedom he’s provided, eventually my soul feels increasingly lighter of the worries of this world. Those things that meant so much don’t mean much to me anymore. Yet at the same time, he reveals the beauty and wonder of a new life so unimaginable, that it causes an increasing joy in my heart I can’t explain. With it, peace comes along with a conscience free of worry. The heaviness of sin is no longer desired, and when I err, God corrects and continues to sanctify me. For that, I would not trade anything.

So let’s continue to walk in the freedom God has provided each of us. Don’t risk losing it for anything or anyone. Let’s stay free of the bondage that can weigh us down and keep us from living in God’s peace and abundant life and study what God’s freedom truly is and how to experience it. Whether we are wealthy, poor, or in-between; married or unmarried; healthy or unhealthy; happy or sad; wherever we currently find ourselves, let’s be confident in the fact that if we are sincere followers of Christ, we are free!

Let’s embrace all the blessings God has for us. Let’s not allow anything to keep us from enjoying the freedom Jesus so dearly paid for. Let’s hold fast to my favorite scripture, John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Not to mention: 2 Corinthians 3:17: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

True Freedom

by Ms. Rita's Minute

Freedom. Nothing seems to ring more blessed to one’s ears than this word. It is described by Oxford Languages as “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.” The Bible’s Hebrew word for it is “cherut”, and its Greek word, “eleutheria”. Both denote liberty, “a state of freedom, especially as opposed to political subjection, imprisonment, or slavery” (britannica.com). It is also a state where God has given us the ability to choose right or wrong in our daily decisions.

What makes you feel free? Is it the ability to say whatever you want, whenever you want? The ability to sleep in on a weekday without disturbance? The ability to go on a shopping spree anytime you want? Or, perhaps the ability to take a weekend trip away at any hour you choose?

Those of us who have chosen to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and to give our hearts and lives to Him, understand that “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free…” and that we should stand firm, not letting ourselves be “burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

To do this, we must have knowledge of those things that bind or constrict us; those things that cause us to feel imprisoned, and how to rid ourselves of them. If the Bible tells us that God’s people perish for lack of knowledge, we can expect that we are also hindered by it.

Helpful to the maintenance of our freedom is renewing our mind (Romans 12:2) with the study of His word, the Bible, so as not to be “conformed to this world, but transformed”, so by testing we may discern the will of God. Hence, Psalm 119:45, “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.”

Let’s remember to walk in the freedom Christ has given us. He came to set the captives free from the state of bondage in which we once found ourselves.

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More scriptures to remember on freedom:

Isaiah 61:1
(The Year of the Lord’s Favor)
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

Luke 4:18
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,

Romans 8:21
that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Galatians 2:4
This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.

Ephesians 3:12
In Him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

James 1:25
But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

1 Peter 2:16
Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.

James 2:12
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.