" 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."

-Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Many of us might have watched the fireworks, attended a picnic with friends or family, or went on an adventure in our garage to find that grill that we bought ages ago and still hadn't used. And we did these things with the 4th of July holiday in mind. Many of us acknowledged what the day was and understood what the day meant. But let's think about independence and freedom as entities in and of itself. How many of us can say with a strong and firm belief that we feel like we all are truly free? How many of us firmly believe that there really is independence for all? Regardless of what your personal beliefs are, and whether you feel that we all do or don't have freedom, for all those that still feel bound, there is an answer, and we call him CHRIST! 

 

The things of the world have a way of making many of us feel underprivileged, devalued, ostracized, stigmatized, targeted, singled out, labeled, and stereotyped. Therefore, no matter how much any of us celebrate Independence Day, there are far too many of us who internally, DON'T FEEL FREE! There are many of us who deal with guilt, shame, disappointment, resentment, unforgiveness, depression, remorse, and so many other thoughts, feelings, and emotions that keeps us bound. There are
many of us who although we might celebrate our independence, we are bound by our bad decisions, wrong turns, sins, temptations, and need to please our overactive, 'Give me what I want FLESH'! And even in spite of all of these things... The ANSWER IS STILL CHRIST! Let's Explore!

  Holidays Are For ??? ...                     

Regardless of what the holiday is, we all go right into the holiday, celebrating the festivities of it, and often times not really taking the time to reflect on the true significance of that day or what it means to us personally. In all honesty, many of us are not trying to spend the holidays in self-reflection or anything else that is going to remind us of our troubles and our struggles. If truth be told, many of us look forward to the holidays not simply as a means of celebrating the holiday itself, but we look forward to the holidays because it means goodbye work, bye-bye school, hello vacation, and a time to escape from the daily woes that we have to deal with in our everyday lives. And for those who maybe can't escape having to be at work or school, whether it is looking forward to the food that we will eat or the bonus and holiday pay, we still find a way to find some type of pleasure in or gratification from the holiday.

 

Many of us don't reflect on the holiday itself because we are not trying to add to all the other questions in our heads that we don't have the answers to. However, CHRIST IS STILL THE ANSWER!

 

We all deserve a break. The things of life can downright bombard us and wear us out. We all need those moments in which we don't have to think about anything and just enjoy the moment, letting everything be what it is, until it's not! But what would it mean for us and what would we discover if we really allowed ourselves to reflect on what we are celebrating and how it relates to our own lives? The fight for freedom has always been ever so present regardless of what any of us might have been fighting for, regardless of what side of the line that we might have been fighting on, and regardless of the era that we were fighting in.

Let's define freedom and explore independence.

 

Freedom is defined as:

• the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous (trouble or burdensome),

• the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action,

• the condition or right of being able or allowed to do, say, think, etc. whatever you want to, without being controlled or limited,

• the power or right to do or say what you want without anyone stopping you,

• the state of being free; liberty; self-determination,  

• the state of being entirely free.

 

Now if we think about independence, it is defined as:

• freedom from control by an external power,

• the state of being free of the control of some other person, country or entity,

• the ability to live your life without being helped or influenced by other people.

These definitions are multi-faceted. If you were to base whether or not you were free, on these definitions alone, would you consider yourself free? If not, then what is it that is keeping you from true freedom? If you were to explore the definitions of independence, based on these definitions alone, do you live an independent life? If not, what is hindering your independence? What would true freedom and independence feel like to you? What would it look like? How do you personally define freedom and independence for yourself? 

 

If we think about it, based on the definitions and in the context of our daily living and interactions within society, none of us can say that we are completely free nor do we have complete independence. There are rules and guidelines that are put in place as a means of both controlling and guiding our behaviors and actions. There are rules, guidelines, policies, laws, and procedures that are put in place to protect us. There are some rules and laws that are put in place to control us for the purposes of self-appeasement, power, ego, and control. If we think about work, school, church, athletic, professional, and academic teams, clubs and organizations, none of us are free in the sense of being able to do what we want, in the way that we want to do it. We cannot do or say anything that we want to. In some of these entities we cannot even dress how we want to. We in many cases, don't create our own schedules as to when we will attend the meetings, classes, games, or activities that we are involved in as members of these institutions and organizations. In most cases, we don't choose our pay grades, our salaries, nor our benefits. Even if we can choose majors or areas of study, there are still requirements as to specific courses that are mandatory, and at times we might even be given an order and timeframe in which we have to complete them. Within these entities in which rules are established, there might also be some type of penalty, punishment, fine, or consequence for doing the opposite of what is allowed. 

 

Because of the history of slavery, when many of us think of freedom, we think of it in the context of race and culture. We think of it in the context of sex as it concerns the inequality of men and women in society. But besides being a slave due to our race and culture, and besides the inequality of men and women, and besides classism, are there other things that keep us enslaved? Are there other forces that keep us bound, hindering us from obtaining both our freedom and our independence?

 

In "Freedom: JESUS COULD NOT BE BOUND!", we discussed how many of us allow ourselves to be bound by sin. We also discussed how we at times allow ourselves to be bound by the opinions of others. But how often do we allow ourselves to be bound by our own thoughts? How often are we bound by our own opinions of who we are, what we can do, and who we can become? How often are we bound because we don't see ourselves in the way that God sees us? How often are we bound because we refuse to give our troubles to God? How often are we bound because we refuse to trust God therefore putting all the pressure on ourselves to 'make it happen'? How often are we bound because we refuse to LET GOD IN?

 

In Part 3 of "The Art of Supplication", we discussed the story of Hannah. Hannah was distressed because she was unable to conceive. Hannah felt deprived. She was sorrowful. And what made Hannah's troubles even worse is that her husband, Elkanah, had another wife Peninnah, who would taunt her. Because Peninnah had children with Elkanah, and was aware that Hannah could not conceive, she would do all that she could to irritate Hannah, even provoking her to the point of tears. Hannah allowed Peninnah's deliberate mocking to keep her bound in her pain, her sorrows, and her tears, until Hannah made a decision to free herself. Hannah didn't free herself by taking a note from Sarah (Abraham's wife) and requesting that Elkanah send Peninnah and both her sons away. Hannah does not try to bring harm on Peninnah. She does not take a note from Hagar (Sarah's slave) and run away. Hannah decides to take her woes and release them in supplication to God. Hannah poured her heart out to God, freeing herself from the burden of what SHE COULD NOT CONTROL or MAKE HAPPEN FOR HERSELF! And in doing so, GOD ANSWERED HANNAH'S PRAYERS! Consider all the years of Hannah being bound by her own thoughts of feeling deprived and inferior. Think of all of the years of Hannah allowing Peninnah to control her emotions by reacting to Peninnah's taunting of her just like Peninnah wanted her to. Think of all the weight that Hannah carried, when her INdependence was rooted in her ability to pray and believe, meaning that she could have freed herself at any time simply by taking it to God and trusting Him with it like she finally did.

 

In Part 2 of "The Art of Supplication", we examined the power of Jabez's prayer. Jabez might have been bound by the label that was placed upon him due to the name that his mother had given him, because she "gave birth to him in pain". Because of his name, Jabez might have been labeled, judged, and stereotyped. However, Jabez understood what it meant to gain his INdependence. Jabez took his concerns to God saying, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand 
be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain" (1 Chronicles 4:10, NIV). And immediately following his plea to God, scripture reads, "And God granted his request" (v.10, NIV). We don't know what was at the core of Jabez's plea to God. We don't know his woes. We only know what God saw fit to tell us. However, what we do know, and what God made very clear, is that He granted what it was that Jabez had requested of Him. Jabez did not allow himself to be confined by what he was named or labeled as, but he took it to God and was 'SET FREE FROM PAIN'! God also prospered Jabez by blessing him and enlarging his territory. We don't know the details of how, but we know that God responded and gave him what he had asked Him for.

 

And then there's Daniel. Daniel was falsely accused and thrown into the lions' den. And if we were to really dissect these scriptures, there is something of profound interest. This story is no stranger to our blog, but let's expound on Daniel 6:4-9, which reads:

 

               At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of                                   government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was

               trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges

               against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.' So these administrators and satraps                     went as a group to the king and said: 'May King Darius live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps,                             advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone

               who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into

               the lions’ den. Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance                       with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.' So King Darius put the decree in writing (NIV).

 

Because Daniel's haters could find no wrong in him, the only way that they knew that they could for sure find him guilty of anything, was if it was something pertaining to the laws of God. They knew that Daniel wholeheartedly praised, worshipped, and had faith in God. Therefore, they thought that the only way to destroy Daniel was to put a law in place that would challenge Daniel's allegiance to God because they knew that Daniel would oppose any law that would force him to oppose God.

 

Daniel 6:12-16, reads as follows:

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               So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: 'Did you not publish a decree that during the

               next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into

               the lions’ den?' The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians,                         which cannot be repealed.' Then they said to the king, 'Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention                   to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.' When the king heard this,

               he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.

               Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, 'Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law

               of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.' So the king gave the order, and                   they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, 'May your God, whom you serve                             continually, rescue you!' (NIV).

 

And before we dissect this, let's examine Daniel 6:24, which reads in part, "At the king’s command, the men who had FALSELY ACCUSED Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children..." (NIV).

 

Now what is truly funny about this is that it is clear that the administrators and satraps obviously might have known who Daniel was, but they clearly did not understand the first thing about Daniel's God. Let's really think about what they did. They tried to in essence take the Word of God, Daniel's faith in God, Daniel's obedience to God, and use it against him. They were trying to place something in Daniel's path that would put him in a position in which he had to choose between going the opposite of God's way versus going God's way. They tried to place something in Daniel's path that would put him in a position in which he would have to choose between saving himself or remaining loyal to God. They knew that Daniel would ALWAYS CHOOSE GOD!

In their naivety, they really thought that using God against Daniel knowing that Daniel was going to choose God, was going to cause Daniel to be destroyed. What they did not recognize is that the minute that they tried to use God as a means of destroying God's chosen one, IT WAS NEVER GOING TO WORK! If anything, what they were really doing was pushing Daniel into safety. Daniel relentlessly dwelled in God. Now if we reflect on Psalm 91:1 which states, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadows of the Almighty" (NKJV), them putting Daniel in a position that was going to force him into prayer, praise, and worship, was not going to put him in the path of destruction. It was only going to place him into his safety zone. And what speaks even more so to the awe and faithfulness of God is the fact that verse 24 states that, "the men who FALSELY ACCUSED Daniel" were put into the lions' den. 

 

Let's focus on the words, "FALSELY ACCUSED". King Darius was not aware of the intents of the administrators and satraps when they convinced him to make this decree nor was he aware that it would affect Daniel. Now if we really think about it, according to the earthly law that the administrators and satraps had King Darius to put in place, Daniel according to the decree, had broken the law. But because of who God is, Daniel was seen by the king as being "falsely accused". King Darius signed the decree, therefore he was aware that according to the decree, Daniel was wrong.  However, he recognized and acknowledged that Daniel was just. Furthermore, GOD DID NOT ALLOW THE EARTHLY LAW TO WORK AGAINST DANIEL because GOD KNEW THAT DANIEL HAD DONE NO WRONG! God has sovereignty that earthly law nor man can challenge. According to the law and the intents of Daniel's haters, Daniel never should have made it out of the lions' den. But according to God, Daniel was coming out, and he was coming out with promotion. 

 

Because God remains in control of all things regardless of who has earthly authority, He vindicated Daniel proving him to be innocent regardless of what earthly law stood in place that considered him guilty. Because Daniel understood where his INdependence lied, when faced with having to choose between being free and defying God or being bound by man and remaining loyal to God, Daniel was able to choose wisely. And because Daniel chose not to make himself a slave to the laws of man that would cause him to go against his God, GOD SET HIM FREE! And if we really think about it, Daniel was always free amidst the whole situation. It was his haters who were bound. How so? Because even in changing the law as a means of trying to turn things in their favor so that they could destroy Daniel, they could not turn Daniel's heart away from God. They could not turn the king's feelings of respect and honor away from Daniel. Most importantly, they could not turn God's faithfulness away from Daniel. Daniel's haters were bound because God allowed them to carry out their attack, BUT HE WOULD NOT ALLOW IT TO PROSPER, which is why God bound the lions by SHUTTING THEIR MOUTHS! The administrators and satraps could only do as much as God allowed them to do. While Daniel's haters considered and were very much aware that Daniel would not choose saving himself above honoring God, THEY NEVER CONSIDERED THE FACT THAT GOD WOULD SAVE DANIEL!

 

For those who love God and live their lives accordingly, for those who honor and reverence Him, please understand that people will try to use God against you. People will try to put you in a position to see just how much you serve the God that you proclaim that you serve. People will plot, plan, and strategize to try to tie you up in lies, slander, corruption, deception, and anything that will dirty your name and the name of the God that you serve. BUT YOU MUST STAND FIRM! When you dwell in God, and you wholeheartedly submit to Him and trust Him regardless of what comes against or stands before you, the verdict will always be "NOT GUILTY". The headline will always be, "FALSELY ACCUSED". And the command will always be, "I ORDER YOU TO SET THEM FREE", because GOD WILL ALWAYS BE IN CONTROL! 

 

WE MUST REMEMBER WHO HAS TRUE AND FULL JURISDICTION. Regardless of what it looks like in the natural, TRUST GOD and await your "King Darius Moment" to come in which it will be inquired of you, "Servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you?". And just as Daniel did, proclaim unto them, "My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him" (Daniel 6:22, NIV). 

 

Know that someone is always watching. For those who know the God that you serve and recognize your relentless trust and belief in Him, they will be watching to see what the outcome will be. Know that there will be times in which people may be connected to the thing that was meant to destroy you by way of their position, acquaintanceship, or kinship. However, that does not always mean that they agree with what is being done to you. There at times might be people who want to help you, but their hands are tied. We often don't understand this facet and may find ourselves upset at everybody involved with or connected to the thing that tried to destroy us. We might find ourselves thinking, "They could have helped if they really wanted to! After all, they have the power to do so!". We must recognize that at times God will tie the hands of people who might not want to see us destroyed or even tie the hands of those who could care less whether we are destroyed or not, because (1) He is trying to get us to place our full dependence on Him, (2) He is trying to teach us to trust Him and Him alone, (3) He is working the situation so that His power can be shown and His name glorified, and because (4) He is working things in a way in which our haters can be singled out, have their wickedness exposed, and be punished accordingly. Sometimes God does things in a way in which both we and all those involved will be shown who really has the ultimate power both in and over our lives. It is not man, BUT IT IS GOD WHO IS OMNIPOTENT!

 

It is very hard not to get upset or feel resentment when we know that people can turn things in our favor, but they instead choose to remain neutral, go along with what is being done to us, or choose not to get involved at all. However, in these moments, take a step back and recognize that God may have allowed it to be as such due to His own intents, plans and purposes. God might just be sending you to the lions' den as a means of heightening the appetite of the lions because He knows that once He brings you out, He is sending your haters in. MAN CANNOT TAMPER WITH GOD'S CHILDREN WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE, neither can man STOP GOD FROM PROSPERING THOSE WHO PLACE THEIR TRUST IN HIM! Don't worry when man chooses not to turn things in your favor, TRUST GOD TO DO IT, because He knows what He's doing. God is the only

TRUE REMEDY!

 

Enslaving Ourselves: The Comforts of Being Bound           
 
While there are those like Hannah, Jabez, and Daniel, who understood where their INdependence lied and were therefore set free, there are always those who struggle to become unbound.

 

"Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment."

-Exodus 6:6 (NIV) 

 

Much like many of us, the Israelites did not see nor understand the problem in their being bound, which is part of the reason why they struggled with allowing God to set them free. God chose to deliver the Israelites from bondage and made them His chosen people. Yet, because they had become accustomed to being enslaved, and in a sense, had found comfort and contentment in it, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, when it should have only taken them 11 days. God brought them out of bondage only for them to choose to become enslaved to their own selfish desires and love of serving other gods. God gave them food that they did not have to work for yet all they could reflect on was how they missed the food that they had to earn by the sweat of their brow. They failed to understand what independence meant because they depended on and placed their trust in any and everything that gratified their flesh. They held everything else in higher regard than God. They loved God when it was convenient for them to do so. They loved the privilege of being chosen but hated the obedience that was attached to it. THEY FAILED TO TRUST GOD LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE.

 

How many of you have ever found yourselves in a bad relationship, a hostile work environment, or at an unorganized academic institution who did little to help students succeed? How many of you have ever found yourselves a part of a non-profit or charitable organization who were more about profit and popularity than truly helping people? How many of you ever found yourselves on a sports team with poor leadership and sportsmanship? And in being in these relationships, or a part of these institutions, teams, or organizations, after much turmoil, stress, and prayers, God finally brought you from out of these environments, only for you to flock right back to the very people and places you constantly cried and complained to God to free you from?

 

God set you free from being bound by these things, yet you went right back to the relationship because you were lonely. You went right back to the same work environment because the pay was good. You went back to the academic institution because the courses were easy and the tuition was cheaper. You went back to the non-profit or charity because it put you in the lime-light and gave you status. And you went right back to the team because on that team, you were the one to watch. God freed you from these things that had you bound, but for reasons of self-indulgence, self-appeasement, and what you thought was self-survival, you walked right back into the very things that God freed you from. And why? You simply did not depend on God to see you through the, 'What Now?!'.

 

When God brought you out of these things, instead of trusting God, you panicked upon realizing that without these things your finances were not as good, you weren't making as much money, you weren't gaining the right contacts, you weren't getting the same networking opportunities, and you weren't being put in the game as much. Therefore, instead of trusting and depending on the same God that brought you out of being enslaved to these people and places, to carry you through the next phase of where He was leading you, you depended on the comforts and satisfactions of where you once were. YOU COULD NOT WAIT FOR GOD TO MAKE A WAY!

 

We must understand that when things have us bound, and God frees us from those things that bind us, WE MUST TRUST THAT HE WILL SUSTAIN US AND PROVIDE US WITH WHATEVER WE NEED TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD! The same way that we depended on God to bring us out, is the same way that we must trust Him to carry us through. WE CANNOT KEEP LOOKING BACK AT THE COMFORTS OF WHAT WAS OUR BONDAGE!

 

Enslaved by Disobedience                            

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"And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said,

“I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him."

-Judges 16:20 (NIV)

 

We must understand that when we do what God is instructing of us and we obey His commands, man cannot bind us despite how hard they might try. However, when we turn away from God and place our trust in man, we walk right into captivity. We won't go into the full story and background of Samson, but there are many lessons to be learned from Samson's story as it concerns the power of obedience and the consequences of disobedience, amongst many other facets. Please take the time to explore Judges 13-16, for the full narrative of Samson.

 

Samson was a Nazirite who was dedicated to God from the womb. Samson's mother was childless and an angel had appeared to her saying, "You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines" (Judges 13:5, NIV). Samson's mother obeyed all the instructions that had been given to her. As Samson grew older, God 
blessed him and was with him. 

 

The Philistines hated Samson because no matter how hard they tried to defeat or bind him, THEY WERE NEVER SUCCESSFUL! No matter how hard they strategized or how hard they fought, they could not subdue him. The Philistines were so desperate to defeat Samson that they threatened his wife telling her that they would burn her and her father's household if she did not persuade Samson to give her the answer to a riddle that he had challenged them with, so that she could in turn give it to them so that they could outwit Samson. Samson's wife betrays him and persuades him to give her the answer to the riddle which she then gives to the Philistines, causing Samson to have follow through with what he had promised the Philistines he would do if they solved the riddle. 

 

At some point after Samson's first wife is killed, he meets a woman by the name of Delilah whom he falls in love with. The Philistines are so obsessed with trying to figure out how to subdue Samson that they go to Delilah for help. They don't threaten her as they did with Samson's ex-wife. They instead offer to pay her to persuade Samson to confess what the secret source of his strength was. Because Samson was dedicated a Nazirite from the womb, his head had never been shaved. If his hair was 
ever to be shaved, he would lose his strength because his hair is what consecrated him. While it is often portrayed that the strength was simply in Samson's hair, it was not as simple as that. Yes, the secret of Samson's strength was his hair but his hair is what consecrated him. It is not that Samson's hair was powerful, but his hair having never been shaved is part of what kept him in consecration with God therefore allowing him to have the strength that he had. His not shaving his head was much like his vow to God. The power rested in God which is why upon Samson disobeying God and his hair being shaved off, when God left him, so did Samson's strength.

 

Although Samson could never be bound by the Philistines, when he disobeyed God and revealed to Delilah the secret of his strength, that all changed. While Samson was asleep, Delilah had someone to shave his head, and immediately, his strength left him. Samson disobeyed God and suddenly found himself bound by what could never defeat him in the past. The Philistines bound Samson and placed him in captivity. 

 

How often do we allow our disobedience to set us back? How often have we found ourselves doing everything that we were supposed to be doing, overcoming those battles, trusting God to see us through those challenges, and one moment of disobedience caused everything that we had overcome to suddenly hold us captive? As we have spent time in our past few posts discussing how imperative it is that we dwell in God at all times, we have expounded on how our dwelling in God, living our lives accordingly, and obeying what He instructs of us, keeps us under His covering. The minute we stop dwelling in Him, the minute we fall into sin and temptation, the minute we choose to not do what He tells us to do, WE STEP OUT OF SAFETY! Was Samson perfect? NOT AT ALL! There were other things that Samson did, but God had mercy on him, and He used those mistakes for His own intent and purposes, not holding it against Samson. However, when Samson knowingly disobeyed God, IT WAS BYE-BYE STRENGTH! When we disobey God, and we are no longer under His covering, there goes the burden of our trials once again weighing on us because we no longer have the gift of His strength, nor do we have Him to carry our burdens for us. 

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Samson's was not just disobedient, but he placed his trust in the wrong person. He did not protect the sanctity of his consecration to God. Just as one decision to take their problems to God set Hannah, Jabez, and Daniel free, one decision to disobey and place our trust in the wrong person can bind us.

Freedom in Christ                                  

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Within Galatians 5:1, it tells us that "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free". Under the old covenant (the Laws of Moses), people were bound by the law. There were also too many trying to enslave others by use of the law. There were the Pharisees, the elders, and the chief priests who were trying to not just bind people by the law but were trying to enslave them to traditions and rituals of their own. And even more so, because the people were flawed, as none of us are perfect, they were not capable of withholding the law. For this reason, God sent us Jesus, to free us from the bondage of the law and man. And to our greater benefit, from the bondage of our sins. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus states, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them"(NIV). Because Jesus PERFECTLY FULFILLED THE LAW ON OUR BEHALF, being the PERFECT ONCE AND FOR ALL SACRIFICE, we no longer have the burden of being bound by the law because we have been given freedom through (1) our belief in Jesus as the Son of God who was born, crucified, and resurrected, along with (2) the repentance of our sins. Through Jesus, we are graced under the new covenant. God sent Jesus to free us from the condemnation of our sins.

 

At the point of the cross and in the resurrection of Jesus, no man should have been slave to any other man from that time forth. However, knowing the Word and doing it are not the same. There were those who proclaimed their belief in Christ but yet and still sought to enslave others, whether for cruelty or profit. Regardless of Jesus setting us free, there were many who were still bent on and empowered to keep others under their control. And thus, the dilemma still remains. While there will always be those who seek to keep us bound whether due to racism, sexism, classism, false teachings, manmade doctrines, or any other 'ism', we must realize that there is an even greater freedom that we are all entitled to that does not rest in the hands or authority of man, but that rests in the hands and under the grace of God. That freedom can be found in and through SALVATION! And to our benefit, salvation does not discriminate.

 

When we accept Christ into our lives, we become His. And in case you are not aware, GOD IS PROTECTIVE OVER ANY AND ALL THINGS THAT HE CONSIDERS TO BE HIS OWN! The Israelites were under the bondage of man and GOD SET THEM FREE! Joseph, Daniel, The Hebrew Boys, Jeremiah, Paul, Silas, and many others were imprisoned by man, and GOD SET THEM FREE! Moses, David, Gideon, and many others found themselves amidst attack, and GOD FREED THEM FROM THEIR ENEMIES AND GAVE THEM VICTORY IN BATTLE!

 

Hannah was taunted by Peninnah, and God freed her from her feeling deprived. He freed her from her sorrows. He freed her from carrying the burden of what she did not have the power to control or make happen for herself. Naomi, after losing her husband and her sons, was bitter and thought that God had left her empty, but GOD FREED HER FROM HER GRIEF! He freed her from her self-inflicted bondage of thinking that her life was over and that no good would come to her.

 

And if you think that salvation is only for the 'perfect', consider the criminal who hung at the same place as Jesus, who rebuked the other criminal that also hung who had mocked Jesus. If we think about it, this criminal did not just defend Jesus, but if we really dissect the narrative, he was requesting salvation. How so? He confessed of his sins, and he proclaimed his belief in the Son of God. Luke 23:39-42 reads:
   
             One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!' But

             the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don’t you fear God,' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? We are                             punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. 'Then he said,

             'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' (NIV)

 

Confession of his sins?: "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve." (The criminal acknowledged his wrongdoing. He acknowledged himself as being guilty as charged). 

 

Belief in the Son?: "Don’t you fear God...But this man has done nothing wrong...Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (This criminal understood that Jesus had committed no crime. He was fully aware and had a full belief of who Jesus

was. It was the ones who did not belief in Jesus who considered him guilty).

 

This man acknowledged his wrongdoing. He acknowledged his belief in God, and he also acknowledged Jesus for who he was by acknowledging heaven as Jesus' kingdom. AND AS A RESULT...JESUS ANSWERED HIS REQUEST! JESUS ACCEPTED HIM IN! JESUS DID NOT DENY HIM! JESUS FREED HIM, saving him from what would have been his eternal damnation! This man had received the judgment due him and would have been enslaved into an eternal bondage, but he sought Jesus and was saved from the condemnation that had been placed upon him.

​

Salvation gives us freedom not just because it frees us from the bondage and consequences of sin, saving us from the condemnation that would have been rightfully ours, but salvation puts us under God's grace. When we receive salvation, we are also free from all those burdens that we had to carry and try to figure out on our own. We are free from having the weapons inflicted upon us by our enemies to prosper. We are free from lack. We are free from having to worry about obtaining all those things for ourselves that God has promised us He will provide. And thus is the issue...

 

Many of us can accept that salvation frees us from sin, but the problem is that far too many of us receive salvation without the belief that God will provide, protect, vindicate, heal, and do all those things that we both want and need Him to do. And it is for that reason that many of us become free from the condemnation of sin but bound by the worry and woes of our needs and wants, which causes us to do it our way, work in opposition of God, step out of His will, and in many cases, fall right back into the sin that we were set free from.

 

Salvation sets us free, but if we want "INdependence", then there is work to be done! Throughout this post, there was an emphasis placed on the 'IN' in "independence", and this is the reason why...

 

While salvation sets us free, if we want to both remain in our salvation and receive the full benefits of it, THEN WE MUST DWELL! Yep, here we go again with the call for us to "DWELL"! In almost every post written within these past few weeks, our need to dwell in God has been expounded upon.

 

Understand that when we dwell in God, it thus allows us to place our "DEPENDENCE" concerning all things, "IN" God, making us IN dependence on God. When we receive salvation and are set free from the condemnation of sin, in obtaining that freedom, in order to prevent ourselves from becoming enslaved to all those other things such as work, school, friends, and family, in order to prevent ourselves from becoming enslaved by our enemies and man's thoughts and opinions of us, and our thoughts, feelings, and emotions toward ourselves, in order not to become enslaved by material gain, wealth, self-gratification, and all those other things that keep us bound, WE MUST DEPEND ON GOD TO DO IT FOR US! WE MUST DEPEND ON GO TO PROVIDE! WE MUST DEPEND ON GOD TO SEE US THROUGH! WE MUST DEPEND ON GOD TO MAKE A WAY! WE MUST DEPEND ON GOD TO FIGHT OUR BATTLES! NO MATTER WHAT IT IS, WE MUST DEPEND ON GOD TO HANDLE IT! When we depend on God to do it for us, it frees us from stepping out of His will, doing it our way, carrying the load, and making a mess out of things that we know nothing about because WE ARE NOT GOD! Placing our DEPENDENCE IN GOD allows us to step aside and allow God to do what He does, which is WIN AND NEVER FAIL!

Regardless of what is going on around us, TRUE FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE CAN ONLY BE FOUND IN AND THROUGH GOD! The freedom and independence given to us by God, is always accessible. It is always a prayer and confession away. Freedom through Christ is always ours to receive and proclaim, BUT WE MUST REACH FOR AND ACCEPT IT.

 

Regardless of where you find yourself right now, if you want freedom, if you want independence, IT'S NOT TOO LATE and GOD IS NEVER TOO BUSY TO GRANT IT TO YOU! Wherever you are right now, GIVE IT ALL TO GOD! PLACE ALL YOUR BURDENS AT HIS FEET. Confess and repent of any sins that you might have. Confess your belief in Jesus as the Son of God, who was born, crucified, and resurrected so that we might have eternal life. Along with that ask God to forgive you and welcome Him into your heart to lead and guide you. And then trust Him to be your guide and direct your paths!

 

Will it always be easy? NO! But ask God to help you. Ask Him to give you the strength to overcome whatever is challenging you. God is listening. He already knows what you are struggling with, but personally make it known to Him. 

 

If you don't believe, if you don't understand who God is or who His Son is, if you are confused as to what salvation means, ask God to reveal Himself to you. Let Him know that you want to believe but you don't know how. Tell Him the things that you don't understand. GOD WILL ANSWER. DON'T BE AFRAID TO REACH OUT TO HIM! It does not matter what you did, what you used to believe, what you do or don't have, or who or what you are, there are NO CREDENTIALS NEEDED, JUST A WILLING AND HUMBLE HEART!

 

There are so many things going on around us that we want freedom from. It seems like someone or something is constantly out to bind, deceive, and enslave us, trying to hold us captive and strip us of our right to independence. HOWEVER, KNOW THAT CHRIST IS THE ANSWER! And that answer has never changed. IT SOLVES ALL THINGS!