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Freedom Begins
As you may have noticed when you landed on this corner of the Internet, my attempt at a catchy tagline to capture what I’d like to share through these posts is “Faith and Freedom”.
For true freedom to exist, there first has to be faith. Faith empowers and enables freedom, whether it’s in the mundane, trivial things of the world, or in spiritual giants you may be facing. And when it comes to freedom in living the abundant, overflowing, purpose-filled life that God has for you, you have to have faith – faith that what God has said in His Word is true and is true no matter what you feel or think.
Freedom for me.
Although I’ve been a Christian my whole life, walking in the true freedom and holiness that Jesus has purchased us to through His sacrifice on the cross has always been something that I could never “figure out”. Growing up, and even into recent years, I’d watch other Christians who were such vibrant, “good” examples of what it meant to walk freely with God and wonder what I was doing wrong that my walk felt stagnant, and at times, fake.
Ever since I was little, I’ve always struggled with a lack of self-confidence and just a general hatred for myself, my personality, how I thought, my looks, basically anything that was a part of me was just utterly and completely wrong to me. This mental stronghold subconsciously bled into my spiritual life at a young age, resulting in a disconnect between my soul and my spirit. Thankfully, within the last few years, I’ve heard repeated sermons and teachings that stress the importance of not relying on your own thoughts and emotions as a base for your relationship with God, or a way to gauge where you stand with Him.
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
Our thoughts are not our own and Satan, our enemy and the father of lies (John 8:44), can fill our heads with all sorts of wrong thoughts, half-truths, and completely false beliefs, including lies about yourself and how God sees you. Wrong thinking is a common weapon in Satan’s arsenal that he uses to wage war against God’s children. And as we probably have already figured out, emotions are an unstable roller coaster, and they certainly should not be used as a reliable indicator of where we stand with God. God and His Word are the only reliable sources on which to base our lives.
So, I’ve been taking all of my doubts and insecurities about myself and how I’ve believed God views me and holding them up to the truth of God’s Word in order to find freedom from the negative thoughts I’ve lived under. I’m still learning and growing, but I’ve realized it takes faith to truly walk in freedom. No matter how strongly I feel about myself in a negative way or how wrongly convinced I am that God must not love me because I believe “I’m awful”, I have to have faith that God’s Word is in fact true and that it’s true for ME.
When God says He died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8), that He first loved us before we loved Him (1 John 4:19), He is also saying that about me. His words that we’re good creations made in His image (Genesis 1:26-28), that we’re His workmanship and He created us for a purpose to fulfill good plans (Ephesians 2:10), He’s saying that about ME. To walk in the freedom of what it means to be the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), the bedrock of the road we’re walking on has to be complete faith that God is right, all-knowing, that He cannot lie, and that His kind, loving, and purposeful words apply to me.
And, they apply to YOU.
Freedom for you.
I know that I’m not alone in this experience, and there are so many Christians out there living under Satan’s deceptions and their own mental strongholds he’s created in their lives. This blog is a way to share the journey with those going through the same trials and to encourage believers to enter into and continue to live more freely in God.
The mind is the battlefield (check out this Joyce Meyer book for more on this), and although the battles are tough, we have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit working in us to fight fiercely against the devil and his tactics and enter fully into the freedom that is available to us as children of God.
In order to be truly free, you have to base your life on Truth. The truth that Jesus Christ died for you in order for you to be right with God and have a relationship with Him (John 3:16). The truth that without Him, you are a complete mess and cannot enter into the peace and rest that only He can give (Romans 7:18, John 14:27). The truth that you are God’s child, He loves you, and He has a plan and purpose for you.
Living life based on your changing thoughts, emotions, and feelings, what you think of yourself, or even what the world tells you you are will leave you empty, defeated, and hopeless. Start walking in freedom with the faith to believe that what God says in His Word about you, about how much He loves you, and how you are to live is true, regardless of how you feel or how others perceive you.
Freedom for the nations.
Not only do you and I need faith to be the ground we stand on throughout our journey of understanding the freedom God has provided for us, but freedom for the oppressed and the persecuted around the world also starts with faith. Faith that God’s morals are the global standard to be followed by every nation and people, and faith that all humans are created in the image of God and should be cared for as His children.
We also need faith that God will provide a way and resources for individuals and groups working to bring justice to those suffering in different parts of the world. And we desperately need faith that day after day we are living for a greater cause, to go and make disciples of all nations and bring His kingdom to earth (Mathew 28:19-20).
Freedom for the nations is a two-fold mission. Not only are there people fighting for spiritual freedom, but many are equally fighting for physical freedom within their country. Lack of basic human rights, injustices, and humanitarian crises around the globe presents a great challenge for many in establishing a palpable, earthly freedom, and even more so limits the working of those trying to advance the Kingdom of God who attempt to bring the news of spiritual freedom to those who desperately need to hear.
But let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Amos 5:24
I invite you to personally press into great faith that leads to walking in true freedom in your life and to join me in praying for the nations that are facing battles for freedom in their spiritual lives and their present physical reality.
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