Free Indeed

Let's refer to a simple yet far-reaching verse found in John 8:36. It states, "So if the Son makes you free, then you are unquestionably free"(AMP). If I were to ask you, what does being free mean to you? What might your answer be? Would you say, "I'm saved!" Would you say, "I'm free from my sins." Or might you say, "I'm free from ever having to go to hell." If you read John 8 you will see that Jesus was talking to Jewish believers who were new in the faith. They were spiritual babies. They were weak in their faith at this point, and Jesus begins speaking by telling them and setting a prerequisite, "If you continue in My Word, then you are my disciples indeed." Jesus is saying ... Right now you are new in the faith, but if you continue to hold my teachings and keep on obeying them, THEN you are really one of my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. When Jesus sets us free, it makes a much greater impact on our personal lives in that we are FREE INDEED to live overcoming, productive lives. We are not Christians just barely hanging on! How does the idea of freedom affect us? Do we even know we are free? The idea of being free is so much more than just announcing, "I'm saved!" Look at this quick story I found: At a farmer's market there was a covey of quail walking in circles around a pole. The poor things had strings attached to their legs and continued to walk around the pole hour after hour. A man came into the market and asked, "How much will you take for all of them?" They agreed upon a price and paying the owner, the new owner began to cut the strings off their legs. "What are you doing!" the owner screamed in unbelief. "I'm setting them free," said the new owner. But in spite of the strings being cut giving the quail their freedom, they continued to walk around the pole in the same circle. They didn't even realize they were free and could go in a different direction. Not until the man began shooing them away did they move from this set routine.

Sound familiar? Is there a set routine of sinning you feel you are imprisoned by? God told us, "Whom the Son sets free is free indeed." Unquestionably free I might add! As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we need to realize that we are free from all kinds of things because of His freeing us. We need to go in a different direction. We don't have to accept and continue to march around in circles of guilt and sin and drudgery. WE ARE FREE INDEED! What might that include? Let's look. ONE: Freedom from the guilt of sin. Sometimes we have a cloud of guilt hanging over our heads because we are guilty of sin. Here's an example of something we might have done. You receive an envelope that says, "Enclosed you will find a check for $150.00." But you know you fudged on your tax return. And though you truly believe taxes are too high, the government itself cheats, and who will be hurt by it anyway, you feel guilty and haven't been able to sleep. The Holy Spirit is convicting you. We can do something about true guilt. We go to Jesus and simply say, "I'm guilty. I've sinned. I've blown it again." Scripture tells us in 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Mind you, this freedom we have in Him is not an excuse to keep on sinning simply because we have His promise of forgiveness when we mess up. Have you ever lied on a tax return? Have you ever not paid someone back? These little things are still sins because they do not reflect the character of Christ. Have you ever felt guilty for some small thing you've done and as a result lost your joy? That's the Holy Spirit nudging you to repent and get back on the road of righteousness. It's time to repent and be set free. Today is the day to cut the strings from your feet. You are under new ownership when you come to Jesus!

TWO: We are free indeed from the consequences of sin! WOW! We are free from the final consequences of sin through God's gift of eternal life. We might have to experience the consequences of sins here in the flesh as a result of our actions: damage done in relationships, choices we make in the treatment of others, damage to our bodies from drugs, cigarettes or alcohol, but because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we can have freedom from the final consequences of sin (which we all deserve) because He exonerates us and gets us off the downward spiral, turning us around in a new direction. Because of this New Life, we have freedom from sin's slavery. We must realize that it is SIN - not man himself - that is in control. I remember one summer a friend of mine and I decided to go canoeing down one of the Missouri rivers. We had never done anything like it before and were at least smart enough to choose a "beginners" river, one that was considered easy to navigate with no rushing waters or big rocks to steer around. However, no one bothered to tell us that if it rained the night before a float, which it did, the river can become dangerous and hard to navigate. Because it rained all night long as we slept in our tent, we thought we would have to cancel our trip the next morning. We were wrong. The next morning the sun was up and shining brightly. The waters were peaceful and still at the access point and we had no way of knowing well into the trip the waters would become rough and harrowing. To make this short, as we rounded a tree-lined bend, the waters underneath our canoe began to carry us along without paddling. Faster and faster the canoe went as the waters became rough and agitated. It felt like we were in a wash cycle. All we could do was pray there was no spin cycle ahead! We weren't that lucky. Before we knew it our paddles became useless against the swift current. The waters were so loud you couldn't hear yourself think. Dead ahead was a huge stump in the water and we were headed right for it. If we hit, we would be thrown from the safety of the raft and possibly be seriously injured or die. I began screaming, "Back paddle! Back paddle!!!!" Quickly, and to our surprise, the canoe turned completely backward. The current was so strong it felt like the paddles were going to be snapped in two like a toothpick. We missed that stump by the grace of God and jumped out of the canoe, still holding onto it as it dragged us down river another 25 yards despite the fact we used our feet like brakes, digging into the bottom of the river. Sin is like that. It looks inviting, even fun and enjoyable, but what you cannot see is the real danger ahead and it's very difficult to stop what you're doing once you're in its engulfing grasp. Obviously, we didn't die because I am here. We finally got control of ourselves and the canoe before we were swept past our pick-up point. But I have to tell you, wrestling that canoe toward the shore was like wrangling an Angus bull. That lightweight aluminum canoe felt like it gained 2,000 pounds pulling it against the current. It is the same with sin. No matter how hard we try, sin and evil can plunge us straight ahead into the abyss of ruin and destruction.

When we come to Christ and decide to totally go His way, we can be certain that sin's power is broken. We are no longer under its control...we just think we are but remember what scripture tells us? 1 John 4:4 "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is HE that is in you than he that is in the world." We truly are, unquestionably, no longer under sin's control. Jesus is able to set us from temptation and the downward spiral sin invites. People, including some Christians, don't believe this. You might not believe it. "I can't change," you say. Really it is more like, "I don't want to change though I know I'm in the wrong." As Christians, we know we can change according to the promise of His Word. He gives us freedom from the control of sin WHEN WE GIVE OURSELVES COMPLETELY TO GOD! You can reach a point where you are unresponsive to sin. Really! Sin doesn't appeal to you any longer. What once seemed daring and fun becomes foolish and unattractive (Galatians 5:1) Titus 2: 11-12 tells us "The grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust. It teaches that we should live soberly, and godly in this present age" (AMP). Many people want the promise of heaven when they die, but they want to live like the world around them while they are still here. I don't think that things work that way if we are becoming all that the Lord wants us to be. Are you free today? Do you have a nagging sense of guilt hanging over your head and you can't seem to shake free of it? Jesus can take care of that. Come to Him fully expecting Him to do it. Are you burdened down by the slavery of sin's control? Brother, sister.... you were set free the moment you accepted Jesus. You just don't realize it! John 8:36 "So if the Son makes you free, then you are unquestionably free."
Until next time.
-Pat-

Go Slow. Take Your Time!

I was asked a question this past week because as an "older woman of God" (her words) I might have some wisdom to share regarding a personal walk with God.  Her inquiries included wanting to know how much time I personally spent in prayer and studying the Bible.  She had a concern that she wasn't learning fast enough or picking things up like other believers she knew. She was upset because she thought she should be "catching on faster."  My first words to her were to GO SLOW. TAKE YOUR TIME.  I perceived by her reaction that my answer didn't seem very wise because her  response was, "What??"  My answer was and is based on being an older woman of God, and learning patience through the years. Unfortunately, many times the hard way!  There was a time, especially in my formidable years serving Christ I use to want to know it all, to learn as much as I could as fast as I could.  And though my attempts were honorable, my rushing to cram information and knowledge into my brain did not serve me very well.  More knowledge doesn't earn you a higher rung on the spiritual ladder nor a larger karat of gold lined streets in heaven.  When you are saved, you're saved.  More knowledge doesn't make you any better than a saved Bible scholar.  Knowledge and wisdom are good because they guide your life with their instructions, but there is no set time to learn.  In other words, I have learned a better approach to receiving, understanding, walking in and by what I've learned.

I'm not in a hurry to meet a certain goal, check off a box to prove how many chapters I've read in a week, or trying to break a personal record to see if I can read the entire Bible in a year! No, I decided long ago to take as much time as needed.  If I want to spend a week in one chapter or just study and meditate on a few verses, that's what I do.

Learning is never-ending.  You'll never learn everything about God's Word in this lifetime so why push yourself with goals that make you rush to achieve them and most likely forget them anyway. 1 John 2:27 "But the anointing you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and it is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him."  No matter your pace, above all, it is the Holy Spirit that teaches you.  There are preachers, teachers, ministers, counselors, evangelists, Christian radio, and even those like me who share what they've been learning throughout a lifetime.  None of these sources actually enlighten you. They deliver a message.  It is the Holy Spirit who guides you and from whom you learn.  Without HIM you could never understand the scriptures. Remember to make sure you get the low-hanging fruit! Start slow, go slow, and don't miss the easier more simple verses. We sometimes think we please God by learning more.  So we rush along, we read fast, we check the boxes, and we do it at hyper speed because we are busy. We have other things in life to attend to.  Sometimes we don't even think about what we just read.  If there are verses you don't understand or that seem far from your grasp, SLOW DOWN.  Read them again, and again, and again.  Ask the Holy Spirit to expound His knowledge and wisdom.  God wants nothing more than to reveal Himself to you.

Too, there is no rule that you must be on your knees when you pray.  God isn't going to be mad if you stand when you pray, walk around a lake, sit in your car, or ride a bike.  I use to pray as I mowed my lawn.  It was a perfect time.  I never got interrupted and I had more clarity because of it.  Prayer is communication, simply communication between you and God.  He hears your prayers no matter where you might be.  The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. Take your time praying, reading, studying.

Go slow so that your prayers are meaningful, and that when you read the Bible, the truth sinks in.  I didn't learn what I've learned in a day, month, year, or even in a decade.  Its been four decades and I'm still learning.  God teaches us and shapes us gradually over time, through all the seasons and years of our lives including times of sorrow, opposition, confusion, discouragement, and joy.  Give God time to do His work in you.  He knows what's best and how to make it all come together. 1 Timothy 4: 15, "Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all."  Listen to this verse from Proverbs 2: 1 "My son, if you receive my words and treasure my commandments,  making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understand; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God" (ESV).  Why should we slow down?  Because, we are pursuing transformation, not information! God's purpose in our learning is that we become Christlike (Romans 8:29).

Others might be impressed by how much information we have stored away, but God is concerned with how much we've been transformed into the image of His Son.  If you want to grow, go slow. Real growth takes a long time.

And finally, if you consider creation itself, redemptive history, and our own spiritual growth, we see a God who is not in a hurry.  We see a God whose patience almost exasperates us at times.  If we look carefully, we see that the most important things take a long time to grow and mature. They cannot be rushed and neither can learning God's Word.  From a seed, a tree is not 30 feet tall in a day.  From a seed, a kernel of corn is not a stalk in a day. From a seed, an embryo is not a human adult in a day. So if you feel you aren't learning fast enough, that verses or parables are beyond your understanding, do what I told the lady ... SLOW DOWN, TAKE YOUR TIME.  You are not being graded by a stop-watch.  In fact, if you are a new Christian and have only been reading for a few months, understand a few concepts, little of the parables, and nothing of Revelation, rejoice for your crown will be the same size as mine.  Again, the key is transformation, not information.  The Holy Spirit will do the work in you because He is not only the author of your faith but the finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2).   (Philippians 1:6) "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Until next time.
-Pat-