In Christ We Are: Free

Part 7-

Free to Abide with God:
1 Corinthians 7:21-24 "Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in The LORD, being a servant, is The LORD'S freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God."

 Wherever we are living when we turn our backs on sin and become God's servant, we are free from the cunning voice of sin that had kept us bound for so long. The voice of sin tells us to disobey our parents, steal from the company, cheat in relationships, kill one another; hate and/or fear each other. The voice of sin lies to us. It tells us the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. It tell us that more of anything will make us happy, so we go into debt and cannot dig our way out of the hole we have dug ourselves into. The voice of sin is loud.The voice of sin seeks our destruction, our annihilation, whether at our own hand or another's.
But the voice of obedience to God calls us to love one another, to love God above all, and to love each other the way God loves us. Unconditionally, without strings attached. The voice of God is soft and whispers to us. He is not pushy, but waits for us to open the doors of our hearts to let Him in (Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man (or woman or boy or girl) hear My Voice,and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.")


Free Through The Son:
John 8:32-36 "Jesus answered them, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but The Son abideth ever. If The Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."

Living in sin is serving sin, whether that sin is speaking sin, doing sin. A servant of sin cannot serve God. But once the servant of sin believes on The LORD Jesus Christ, that person no longer is a servant of sin; no longer wants to be a sinful person. We can determine in our hearts that we will not sin, but without the power of The Holy Spirit on us, we cannot overcome sin's temptations.

Having lived in sin for so long, the things we did when  we were children of disobedience, call out to us to come and play, come and drink, come back to the darkness of sin's dwelling-place. And many times we will return to what we were doing before we believed. But having the knowledge of saving grace now in us, we know where we need to be and it isn't in the taverns, it isn't in the crack house or on the street corners, and it isn't anywhere God is not. We turn our backs on the sin that calls us to turn our backs on God and say, 'No, I want more of Jesus. I want to be free from a life of sin; I want to be holy so God will be please. Because that's what I want now: I want to please God; I want to do what makes God happy. I want to be the apple of God's eye.'

Free From Sin:
Romans 6:18;22 "Being then, made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity (one act of sin after another); even so now yield your members (our eyes our hands, our feet) servants to righteousness unto holiness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."

1 Peter 2:16 "As free and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God."

The infirmity of the flesh is to give into the voice of temptation and return to what we were doing before we believed. We need God's Holy Spirit dwelling in us, and upon us, to guide us in the way in which we should be going; and that way is forward, not backward.
Not everyone will hear the same voice of temptation. Some hear the voice of gambling. Some hear the voice of sexual misconduct. Some hear the voice of inebriation. Some hear the voice of greed, of pride, of gluttony. But when we hear the voice of God calling us to Himself, we yearn to be there with Him, and so we turn our backs to sin, and give our ears to God, that we might hear Him clearly, surrendering our bodies to His service and not to sin.

Free By Faith in Christ:
Galatians 3:22; 27-29  "But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." ---For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise."

Galatians 5:1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

Standing Fast in liberty through Christ is to remain steadfast in The Word on which we have believed by believing in Jesus Christ for our salvation. We need to read our Bibles everyday. And we need to pray to God that He will send His Holy Spirit to reveal what His Word is speaking to our hearts. Just believing the surface of The Word is like wading our feet on the shallow parts of the beach, where the waves lap our toes. We need to go deeper into The Word of God, closer and closer to His heart.  We are free in the liberty of our faith to cling fast and hold onto with everything within us to The Word of God and never let go. 

Questions God Asks

Who Told You?

Genesis 3:11 "And He said, Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree, whereof I commanded you not to?"

Genesis 3:12 Adam's response to God's questions was to blame Eve for the actions which caused God's first question. He totally sidestepped the current questions and refused to take accountability for his own actions.

The Declaration of Independence states that we are 'all created equal'. It's not true, you know. Some are given more talents than others. Some are given many gifts, some only one. But all are created for one purpose and that purpose is to glorify God. But Adam and Eve's actions caused all future generations of mankind to be born into sin.

They ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. So, in one sense, we may say, Yes, we are created equal: we are all born with the knowledge of good and the knowledge of evil. The knowledge of good is to do what is right, while the the knowledge of evil is to do what is wrong. This knowledge is not in the brain, but in the heart. For it is from the heart that all decisions are made. Our thought process begins in the heart, the seat of our emotions, our will, our attitude.

When Momma tells us not to touch the stove because it is hot and we could get hurt, do we listen? No. We must test her words to see if what she says is true. And we learn.  Or how about this question we hear from our parents, when we tell them that "all our friends are doing it"? You know the answer as well as I do. "If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?" I was pretty stupid when I was younger, so I may have done that if my friends had done it. Why? At the core of any honest answer, and we must be honest, is the truth.  Why do we want to to the bad things our friends are doing? We don't want to lose them. We don't want to be separated from their company.

Adam didn't want to lose Eve, either. So, he bit into the fruit from the forbidden tree. But immediately he knew he was in trouble. They both were. The decision to disobey God's Word came from his heart, because he loved Eve and didn't want to lose her. But on the other end of that rationale, he did lose something more precious than his beloved companion: Adam lost his other Beloved Companion. He lost his relationship with his God.

When sin rules our hearts and our minds, we are far from a relationship with God. Our sinfulness separates us from God's nearness. It is as if a great chasm kept us from reaching Him. So, God made a way for us to reach Him. John 3:16 tells us that because of God's great love for us, He GAVE His only begotten Son. John 3:17 tells us that God SENT His Son to be our Savior. And we needed saving by God for we cannot save ourselves. And the bridge we cross is Belief. John 3:18 "He that believes is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed on The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God."

Belief. Faith. Trust. Faith is believing God. Not just faith in what He can do, but in Who He Is. That His Word is "Faithful And True" ( Revelation 19:11).

There are times in life when we make a decision to live a righteous life, to do that which is good, to be obedient to God according to the Scriptures. And we miserably fail: every single time. Why? Because we are trying to live righteous lives without The Word living in us, nor seeking God's Word for every decision. On the surface we are good citizens of our communities; but our hearts are darkened with hidden sins. We must surrender fully to God's Word: a 180-degree turn from unrighteous, unholy living, repenting of our wicked ways and submitting 100% of ourselves to God's purposes and God's will for our lives. It is only then that we are freed from the chains of sin that have wrapped themselves around our hearts.

But to get there we need to be obedient to The Holy Spirit when He nudges us. We need to read our Holy Bibles, The Holy Scriptures, wherein we learn that we need this Holy Spirit of Whom God speaks. Who tells the unbeliever, the one who is still lost in sin, that he or she needs a Savior, when no witness is near to share testimony of the gospel of salvation? (Isaiah 65:1; Joel 2:28) God's Holy Spirit will reach out in dreams, visions and God's Word will confirm the meaning of these visitations from The Holy Spirit.

Who told you that you were a sinner? Whose hand came upon your heart and convicted your spirit? God's Word tells us we are sinners: Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:10 "There are none righteous, no, not one." God's Word also tells us how to avoid the penalty of sin. Romans 10:9-13 tells us plainly that regardless of who we are, where we live, all we have to do is believe on The LORD Jesus Christ for our salvation. And when we believe, we are born again into the kingdom of God, into God's family. Now are we sons and daughters of The God Most High, YHWH.

Questions God Asks

"Where Are You?" 

Genesis 3:9 "And The LORD God called unto Adam, saying 'Where are you?' 

Why do you think God asked Adam where he was? Hadn't he just been walking and talking with him just yesterday? He could see Adam then. 

Adam was hiding from God. Why? He did not want God to see him because he had disobeyed God and was trying to avoid being found out. But as soon as he bit into that fruit from the forbidden tree, sin was not only on him, but in him. God could see that Adam's heart was not right. 

Why did God want to find Adam? He missed him. They were friends, companions; they spoke daily with each other and wanted to be in each other's company. But now? Now, everything was different. Sin separated Adam from God and they could not do the things they used to do. No more walks in the garden. No more interesting conversations. No more enjoying God's presence. 

Because of one stupid thing that kept Adam from God's face. Because he disobeyed a direct command, "Don't eat that". His thoughtless, reckless actions prevented Adam from living a God-filled life like he had lived since his creation. But could he get back to God? Such a loss was devastating to Adam. And to Eve. Their actions changed not only their relationship with God, but with each other. 

Do not be judging Adam and Eve's actions. Direct that pointing finger and self-righteous attitude towards the mirror of God's Word and see ourselves revealed as we are. Our unrighteousness, our disobedience to God speaking the same to us. "Where are you?" What have we done that God cannot see us? 

We have, like Adam and Eve, put our own selfish desires above what God commands. And, instead of repenting and turning away from those desires, those temptations, we have tried to hide ourselves and failed. God can see our hearts and know that we are not right with Him. He calls to us, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith The LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land: But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of The LORD has spoken it." Isaiah 1:18, 19. 

How do we answer God, that we may get back into His presence, and have a relationship with Him the way He desires to be with us? Such love that He is patient and waits for our return. Acts 16:30-31 "...Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they spoke to unto him The Word of The LORD, and to all that were in his house." Paul and Silas had been imprisoned for preaching salvation through Jesus Christ; though the prison doors had been opened, they did not escape. Because of their actions, the jailor and his family believed and were baptized, which is a public confession of the faith they now had. 

Is this salvation, this path of decision, for everyone? Yes. Romans 10:13 "For whosoever (anyone and everyone) shall call upon The Name of The LORD shall be saved." Joel 2:32 "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon The Name of The LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as The LORD has said, and in the remnant whom  The LORD shall call." 

Now is the time to turn, to return back to God. Delay only makes it harder on us. Now is the time to put God first; to seek His face and have a close relationship with Him. Today is the day we get on our knees, and with humble hearts, confess our sins to Him, ask His forgiveness and turn from our wicked ways. Today is the day we rejoice in our salvation.

Today is the day we answer God's call on our lives. "Where are you?" 

Armed & Dangerous

JESUS CHRIST IN OUR HEARTS
JESUS CHRIST, OUR CROWN (HELMET) OF SALVATION
JESUS CHRIST, THE WORD OF GOD (SWORD OF THE SPIRIT)
JESUS CHRIST WITH US ALWAYS

The Christian's best, and only, defense is to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ and living a holy (sanctified and set apart) life. We are not here to debate our faith, but to proclaim the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. We are here to pray to Almighty God and intercede on behalf of those who need Jesus Christ.

We are never to be on the offense when it comes to living for Jesus. Yes, people without understanding will be offended by us. And that's okay. In fact, it should be expected. This saving grace that we have obtained for ourselves through our belief on the name of The LORD Jesus Christ didn't happen perchance: Somebody prayed for us. Somebody interceded on our behalf. Somebody sacrificed their time and energies to get us into heaven, into the eternal presence of God. Somebody loved us enough to do that for us. Are we loving the ones we are praying for enough to give up whatever we fill our time with?

Are we the somebody of our generation, seeking the lost, feeding Christ's sheep, shining the Light of God's Love into our homes, our workplaces, our friendships? 

Are we applying ourselves to studying The Word of God at least a portion of everyday? I do not devour my Bible as often as I used to, nor as often as I would like to. But a great deal of it is in my heart, and I am still learning to apply The Word to my everyday living. Someday, I'm going to hear those words every believer longs to hear: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant".

A Christian warrior is a servant. Not at all what you may expect to hear is it? I am a servant of Jesus Christ, His handmaid who waits upon her LORD. I take my battles to Him and He does all the fighting for me and for they for whom I pray. I bring Him an offering of praise and He receives it. And I becomes we. We. For wherever 2 or 3 are gathered together in His Name, there is He in the midst of them, as The Word tells us. We are His servants, His sheep, His people.

We are armed with The Word of God upon us, in us and beside us. We are dangerous to God's enemy, for when God's Light, Jesus Christ, shines into the darkness of a person's heart, the battle for that heart becomes intense. The Light reveals sin, and a person must acknowledge that sin for what it is, disobedience to God) in order to have The Light living in their heart. We who believe have all made that decision at one time or another. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

But God. John 3:16 But God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." I am a whosoever. I believe.

I study The Word. I pray The Word. I live The Word. I am Armed & Dangerous.