Walking in our Freedom

Throughout this week in Taylor, MI we have been declaring that Christ has provided the spiritual freedom that we need in our individual lives. This freedom has been declared through the worship songs, the special music as well as the declaration of the Word. Each night my heart has been stirred as the Spirit has taken us into a deeper revelation of His provision. The enemy does not want the church to be awakened to the understanding that spiritual freedom has been provided for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But many of us are discovering and in some cases re-discovering the great provision that has been made for us at Calvary. WE CAN BE FREE AND WE CAN WALK IN THAT FREEDOM according to the promises of God. We no longer have to be captured in slavery; we have received the declaration of freedom and now our responsibility is to actively and passionately walk in that freedom. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation concerning the abolishment of human slavery during the Civil War of the 1860's. This began the process of putting the ugly chapter of human slavery behind us and opening the door of freedom for everyone. Let me add that as a nation we are still walking in the process of freedom that was set in motion that day. We have taken many steps toward the equal rights for all human beings yet we are still in the process of making sure that all people are treated with equality and recognized as a divine creation of our Eternal God. There were stories recorded of slaves that were so unsure of their freedom and so unsure of their future that they chose to remain with their "slave masters." I am sure that in some of these cases the attitudes of the culture influenced this decision in a very powerful manner. Yet, the story line is still true, they had been granted freedom yet they were unsure of that "freedom walk" that lay in front of them. This posting is not about judging those fellow Americans harshly; each of us may have reacted in the same manner if we had been living in their particular set of circumstances. No, this post is about challenging each of us to walk in the spiritual freedom that has been provided for us. Christ has paid our ransom; we are free in Him, yet many people choose to remain connected with their previous master (sin & satan). They are unsure of the future and they are unsure of their ability to walk in the freedom that has been provided. Let me share two verses with you, John 8:32,36, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free." (NKJV) Our freedom is not based on our feelings about our freedom; our freedom is not based on our ability to survive; neither is our freedom based on our ability to ensure our freedom. No, our hope in freedom is based on the One who signed the proclamation. Jesus signed our release papers through the shedding of His blood on the cross at Calvary. Christ has the power and ability to empty the slave houses of sin and bring us into our spiritual freedom and deliverance. At the conclusion of one of the powerful altar services in Taylor, MI one of the Deacons shared this passage with the congregation; Galatians 5:1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." (NKJV) Take a moment and allow these words to seek deep into your heart; Christ has declared freedom for you, stand firm in that freedom today.