Freedom

2 Thessalonians 3:1-4, “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:  ²And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. ³But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. ⁴And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. (KJV)

Freedom is a word that brings special thoughts and emotions to my mind as we move toward the remembrance of 9-11-01. The church in which I serve is located in a military community with a strong connection to Fort Knox. We presently have three families which attend our local congregation whose companions are deployed to Afghanistan. The word "freedom" and the actions that are connected with that word have taken on a fresh and new meaning to me since this ministry effort began four years ago. My desire to remember and celebrate the freedoms that we have as citizens of America is very much a part of my daily process of offering thanksgiving to God for His many blessings. I encourage and implore you to never take for granted the grand opportunities that we have in this country and never forget those brave men and women who serve our nation so that we might participate in those freedoms. I will write more about that a later date and time but at this moment I want to turn my attention to what is stirring in my heart.

God has stirred my heart concerning the power and authority of His Word over the past few weeks. I have been sharing that stirring with the New River congregation. The Spirit has urged me to remind the congregation of the importance of the Word of God. The Word of God is not just another book that we carry to church or another book to exhibit in our library. It is a book of life, hope, strength and numerous other revelations of the character and ministry of Jesus Christ. I sincerely believe that I am reading the Bible through a new set of "spiritual eyes." I can see and sense that God is calling us into a deeper and more intimate revelation of His nature. He desires that we truly "know" Him and that in knowing Him we can realize that He is fighting for us and not against us.

Let me share an excerpt from a recent sermon at New River. "The Gospel is the message with which we are sent.   It is the message of the Gospel that needs to be declared in freedom, authority, unction, anointing and power.  The literal translation of the words "have free course" could be translated "might run". Satan and his emissaries do all they can to hinder the progress of it.   God can remove all obstructions and impediments and when He is at work there is NO power that can hinder what God can do in the lives of individuals.   Paul had a strong and burning desire to see the  Word of  God running free among the people (so it is in the original), so that the Word of God can gain ground in our lives.   Spiritual Freedom opens the door for the declaration and revelation of Christ in the world."

Will you take the time and pray for your Pastor to have the freedom to preach the Word of God as the Spirit places it not only ON his heart but IN his heart?