Tag Archives: freedom

July 19, 2013 · 8:57 AM

Fighting God for Freedom

Last weekend we took my son’s crib and converted it into a bed for him. He was happy and jumped up and down on it. When we went Into his room the next morning, he was asleep on the floor. We put up a bumper for him, but he still ended up on the floor. As the week went on, taking him to bed became a chore. He didn’t want to sleep in his bed. He cried when we put him in there. So last night, we turned it back into a crib. He wasn’t 100% happy, but bed time was easier.

I think that’s how we are with God sometimes. We ask for more freedom or for walls in our lives to be removed. When He gives us what we want, we jump for joy. We’re excited about the newly found freedom and want to celebrate. It’s not long though before we find ourselves face down on the floor. With freedom comes more responsibility and a greater need for self control.

It isn’t always what we thought it’d be. God has walls up and boundaries in our lives for a reason. They’re for our protection and our own good. We fight against them and try to push the boundaries back. We think we can handle more responsibility and more freedom, but God knows better where the boundaries in our lives need to be. He knows us better than we know ourselves and how we’ll react to changes in our lives. He knows what is best for us, but is still willing to give us what we ask for at times.

It reminds me of the lyrics to an old Rich Mullins’ song “Hold Me, Jesus”. He says, “I’d rather fight you for something I don’t really want than to take what you give that I need.” We spend so much time asking for things rather than taking what He gives us. We think we know what we need better than He does. There is a purpose for the walls He has up in our lives. There is a reason for the boundaries that He sets for us. There is also freedom and protection in them as well.

If we get caught up looking at the boundaries God has set up in our lives, we miss the opportunities of freedom within them. Instead of trying to push them further out, why not do what we can for others within the limits He has set for us? We should spend less time worrying about where the lines are and more time wondering how we can serve Him better with in them. There is freedom, security and peace within the borders God has set up.

What walls and boundaries have you been trying to get God to move? What things has He given you to help others with where you are? How can you use the freedoms you already enjoy to be a blessing to others? We as Christians miss so many opportunities to be blessings to others because we’re fighting over where the lines are. Why not turn around and operate within the ones you know about? Like my son, you’ll find the rest you’re looking for there.

3 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

July 4, 2013 · 9:00 AM

A Prayer of Restoration

While my pastor was dismissing our service this past Sunday, he asked, “How many of you pray for our country and president?” It was rhetorical, but still hit home. It’s easy to sit and talk about what’s wrong with our country and about politicians we don’t like. If we spent the same amount of time and energy as Christians praying for both, our country would be in a much better place. I’m going to use today’s post to pray for both our country and our leaders.

Father,

Thank you for the blessing of living in the land of the free. I recognize there are so many other places in the world who are not afforded the luxuries and freedoms we enjoy here. Help us to not take those things for granted and to be better stewards of what you have blessed us with. Help us to use what you’ve given us to help those who are less fortunate.

Today, we are a nation deeply divided over what we perceive to be right and wrong. I’m reminded of the words Abraham Lincoln said: “My concern is not whether God is on my side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” Help us to be more concerned with being on your side than being “right” in these arguments. Heal the divide that our nation has.

Your Son Jesus said that a nation divided against itself cannot stand. We are fighting against each other rather than working on what you want. We are squandering the blessings you have given to us rather than using them for your glory. Bring revival to our country. Call us out of the darkness we are in. Bring us into your marvelous light. Send your Spirit across this nation calling us to repentance. Restore us to right standing with you.

I lift up our president. I ask that you give Him wisdom in how he handles the affairs of this great nation. Give him understanding of how to govern according to your ways. I ask that you put Christians around him who will give him godly wisdom and help him to make good decisions for our country. Show him what path to take this country down. Give him the courage to make an about face in the areas that are against your will and the strength to continue on the paths that are aligned with your Word.

Protect him and his family from those who seek to do them harm. Guard them with your angels. Keep them in perfect peace. Let his family find their strength and salvation in you alone. Send pastors and teachers to them who will share your Word with them. Give them boldness to speak what you would have them to speak. Open the heart of our president to hear what you have to say. Draw him to your side.

I pray for all of our other politicians in Washington D.C. and across the country. I ask that from the smallest town the largest city those who govern them would seek you and your Word for wisdom. Let them come to know you and find common ground in the Bible. Let them live justly, walk humbly and love mercy. Help our congressmen and our senators to work together to bring us out of this recession using the precepts you have given for getting and staying out of debt. Give them wisdom in how we should be reaching out and helping other nations who are in turmoil right now.

This nation was founded on principles from your Word. Help us to return to those principles that have stood the test of time. We as a nation have sinned and left your path. Forgive us. Wash us white as snow and help us to turn from our wicked ways. Cause us to walk in right standing with you once again. Let us see you as our healer, savior and guide.

I ask that you would turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Restore families in our nation. Not only is our government divided, our families are too. Bring them back together and bring healing in our homes. Help us to raise godly children. Show us how to put your Word in their hearts so that when they’re old, they won’t depart from your paths.

Thank you for hearing this prayer and for answering it quickly. We need your hand of providence to touch us and guide us once again.

In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 19, 2013 · 9:37 AM

Freedom Through Perspective

A co-worker of mine has a drawing on his desk of a bird eating a frog. You can’t see the frog’s head because it’s in the bird’s mouth. With one of his legs that is still outside of the mouth of the bird, the frog grabs the bird by the throat to prevent it from swallowing him. The caption reads, “Never give up!” It’s a funny drawing, but there’s a great message in it too. Most people in that situation would have given up. They can’t see the light of day. They’re being swallowed by their problems. All hope seems lost.

Paul the Apostle was in a similar situation. He was in jail often. His life was always being threatened. He was beat up, stoned, ship wrecked and had to face judges. When things seemed at their worst, he still found a way to praise God. One of my favorite stories of him was when he was in the dungeon of the prison. He was shackled with no hope of getting out. At midnight, he was singing praises to God.

If you’ve never been in a prison before, I can tell you there’s not much reason to be happy. There’s no joy there. Our prisons today have power, sewer, water, air conditioning, TV, food and more. Back then, prison was prison In every sense if the word. There was no hope for anyone that was there. Paul’s hope didn’t rely on his external circumstances though.

He understood that the things that happen to us are only temporary. As he sang, an earthquake shook the prison and the shackles that held him physically released him. His physical body became as free as his spirit. Not only did his shackles come off, but so did those of everyone in the prison. Praise is powerful enough to not only free you, but to free those around you who do not have the strength to praise.

We studied in church this week from the book “Love & Respect” by Dr. Emerson Eggrichs. The chapter we studied was called, “My response is my responsibility”. Even though the book deals with marriage, the principle that was shared applies to all areas of your life. Other people do not control your response. You do. You choose how you respond to situations created by others. They can’t make you do anything. How you react is your responsibility.

Paul’s response to troubles, persecutions, prisons and trials was never one if despair. It was always of hope. In II Corinthians 4:16-18 he says, “So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times.” He understood, as we should, that the thing we are going through right now is temporary even though it doesn’t feel like it.

When you compare the situation you’re in with eternity, it’s small potatoes. When you compare it to your life and what is temporary, it’s huge. God doesn’t want you to compare your struggles to the things of this world. You’ll lose your perspective and ultimately your joy. Keep your eyes on eternity and what is to come. Your perspective will change and your praise will rise to free you from those chains.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 15, 2013 · 7:53 AM

Moving Day

Today is the first day in a new office. There’s first day jitters like I experienced as a kid on the first day of school. All the familiar faces will be here, but it will be in a new environment. Boxes will need to be unpacked. Desks will need to be arranged. You’ll have to find out where everyone sits so you can find them when you need them. There’s a sense of excitement and nervousness at the same time. I can’t wait to go see the new place.

I wonder if that’s what Heaven will be like. It’s the familiar faces we’ve known just in an unfamiliar setting. We’ll get acquainted with how the streets of gold are layer out. Find our bearings around the sea of glass. Walk in awe through the pearly gates as we wonder in amazement at a place that was designed just for us. There’s a home there built with us in mind. Designed specifically to our standards. I can’t wait to go see it.

Jesus said in John 14 that He is preparing a place for us. In verse three, He says, “When everything’s ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me.” Just like at work where we’ve been anticipating this move, we need to be anticipating His return. We don’t know when He’ll come for us or when our life will be over and we go there. The important thing is to be ready at any given moment.

You don’t realize how much stuff you’re holding on to until it’s time to move. I threw away so much stuff last week because I realized I really didn’t need it. I started thinking about how much stuff in my own life that I’ve been holding onto that I need to release. Things like forgiveness for those who’ve wronged me, grudges against others who’ve made me angry, resentment for not being dealt a hand as good as others in life and so many other things we pack into our lives and hold onto.

When we hold onto those things, our hands aren’t free to receive all that God has for us. God has great things in store for each of us, but so many times we haven’t freed ourselves of the things that so easily weigh us down. We haven’t given them over to God and we end up putting ourselves into a yoke of bondage. God’s desire is that we live free of any yokes, especially those that are self imposed.

If you were moving to Heaven today, what would you need to pack and what would you need to throw away in your own life? What have you been holding onto that you don’t need? Why hold onto it any more? Free yourself today from those things that weigh you down. You will find freedom when you release them. God has already offered us freedom. He’s just waiting for us to take off the unnecessary weights and things that hold us down. Walk in freedom today!

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 15, 2012 · 12:38 PM

Freedom of Forgiveness

Have you ever offended someone unknowingly? I have. I’ll never forget when a husband of a friend of mine was helping me out. We were talking about something and then he stopped and looked at me. He said, ” Do you not even realize what you did to us? You’ve invited me over to help you, you’re sitting here talking like nothing’s wrong and you did…. to us.”. I was shocked and hurt at the same time. I hadn’t realized that my actions had offended because they had acted like nothing was wrong for so long.

I think he could tell from my reaction that I was unaware that I had offended them. He wrapped up what he was doing and left. I was sitting their wondering what just happened. I finally realized that I had been wrong and later went to him and her for forgiveness. How we both handled it affected our relationship from then on.

Forgiveness is something we want from others, but have trouble giving to others. None of us are perfect. That means we all mess up and at times offend or hurt someone else. I’ve done it and you’ve done it. How do we handle seeking or giving forgiveness though? Why is one so much harder than the other?

Seeking forgiveness can be difficult too. It requires that you humble yourself, admit that you made a mistake and then go to that person to admit it. It is against human nature to do that. Don’t believe me? Tell a young child to apologize to someone and watch what happens. Most kids 2 years and up have a hard time apologizing. We don’t like to admit we were wrong. Period.

Seeking forgiveness is important though. Many people, like my friend, may never tell you until the damage is irreparable. If you knowingly hurt someone, you need to go to them and ask for forgiveness. Put the ball in their court. Give them the choice to forgive you or not. It’s important that you recognize what you’ve done and that you’re truly sorry. That goes a long way towards receiving forgiveness from others.

What about when someone hurts or offends us? How quickly are we willing to forgive? We typically judge ourselves on our intentions and others on their actions. When someone comes to us for forgiveness, we need to forgive them. I say that as someone who has been cut to the bone by someone else by an unforgivable act. If we choose not to forgive, we allow ourselves to be consumed with bitterness. It affects every area of our lives. Giving forgiveness when it is least deserved offers the greatest freedom.

Forgiving someone when they don’t ask is even harder. Inside, you want them to be sorry for what they did and to have that closure that they know it was a mistake and you forgive them. Just because they don’t come knocking on your door for forgiveness doesn’t mean you don’t have to forgive. Jesus said in Matthew 18:15 that is someone offends you that you should go to them and clear it up. Yes, you should initiate it. If they listen, you have gained them back.

Life is too short to hold grudges against people. There is freedom in forgiveness. Each one of us have sinned against God and He has not held that against us. He offers forgiveness to us no matter how bad we have wronged Him. In fact, Romans 5:8 says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He provided a model for us. Forgive others even when they don’t deserve it. We’d like to be forgiven even when we don’t deserve it. Who do you need to forgive today to get your freedom back?

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

July 4, 2012 · 8:55 AM

Spiritual Independence

Today, the USA celebrates its independence from Britain. All across this country families and friends will gather to cook, pop fireworks and to enjoy the freedom that this country offers. It is a holiday that we all, as Americans, cherish and hold dear as we should.

As Christians, we should also celebrate our independence from sin. Many believers can point to the day where they recognized that Jesus paid the price for their spiritual freedom. Galatians 5:1 says that it was for freedom that Christ set us free. We should celebrate that freedom too.

Here are three things I’m thankful to be free of spiritually.

1. Free from the cost of sin

The cost of sin is high. Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is (spiritual) death. That death is separation from God for all of eternity. We are born into sin and follow after its desires. It is natural for us to do what is wrong because it is innate in us. We are bound by it from birth.

Jesus said that He came to bring (spiritual) life abundantly. His death on the cross paid the penalty (death) for our sins. God’s love for us is so great that He did not spare even His own Son so that we could be with Him and would not have to be separated from Him for eternity. Colossians 1:14 says that He purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

2. The effects of sin

Many people live their lives in regret of what they did while they were sinners. They allow their past to keep them from the future God has for them. There is no one without a past. There is no one, except Jesus, who has not sinned and had to deal with the effects of that sin.

While we are still bound to the physical consequences of our sin, Jesus has freed us from the spiritual effects of it. Hebrews 8:12 tells us that God will forgive our sins and will never remember them again. If he doesn’t remember them, neither should we once we are forgiven. Don’t let regret over forgiven sins hold you down.

3. The chains of sin

Sin wants to bind you up and keep you from living how you were supposed to live. It desires to tie you up and to create strongholds in your life. It wants to make you a slave to its desires and will. Once Christ has freed you, don’t go back to that life again. Galatians 5:1 also says to make sure you stay free and don’t get tied up again.

We have been freed of the chains of sin that bind us. We have the power, through Christ, to not go back into that life that bound us up. Hebrews 12:1 says we are to strip off any unnecessary weight and the sin that so readily clings to us and entangles us. It wouldn’t tell us to get rid of it if we couldn’t do it! We can be free from those chains of sin.

When you think about freedom, don’t just think of your physical freedom. Think about your spiritual freedom. That price wasn’t cheap either and that freedom lasts for eternity. We can be thankful to be free from the price, effects and chains that sin brings. What’s holding you back from walking in that freedom?

This is a prayer provided by Michael Moak to help us walk in that freedom.

Dear Lord,
Today is the day we celebrate our independence in the United States of America. So, today I find myself thinking about the spiritual independence that you have given to us because of Your death on a brutal cross. Thank you for obeying Your heavenly father and placing Yourself in the role as the sacrifice for the sins of all mankind!

I’m so thankful today for your amazing and wonderful love for me and for every person that calls upon Your name! Just as America’s freedom came at a very high price, so did my spiritual freedom! It was bought by Your blood, as it flowed from your broken body, which hung on a cross of pain, suffering and torture. I am so humbled as I think that you not only knew me on that day, but you willingly chose to subject yourself to death by crucifixion because You loved me with an unmeasurable love.

Help me to live my life worthy of the price that you paid for it. And I pray that you would bring America back to the realization that the freedom within its borders is directly attributed to the blessings that You have poured out upon us throughout history because Your favor and grace is so deep and vast. I pray for my heart to fully rely on the incredible faith that comes from You alone. I also ask that you would allow me to leave a proud legacy of spiritual depth and dependence in You so that my children will grow to become men and women of God. For they are the future leaders of the United States of America.

Your love for this great nation has not ceased; therefore, once again, restore America to be the land that honors, glorifies and represents Your name and kingdom with love, obedience, and reverence. I ask all these things in the name of Your almighty and only son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,