The Freedom Most Christians Never Use: Break Bondage, Renew Identity, Walk in Power
This July 4th, America celebrated its 250th anniversary as a country, and the one word that comes to most people's minds when they think of America is FREEDOM. America is known as the land of the free and the home of the brave, and we get to experience personal freedom unlike any other nation in history.
But here is the truth we all know….. Freedom is never free. It always, always, always comes at an incredibly high price and with great sacrifice. The freedom we are privileged to have living in this great nation was bought and continues to be bought at a staggering price.
This is a price most of us cannot comprehend and one we should never take for granted, but, honestly, and unfortunately, it’s easy to overlook it because we get caught up in our daily lives and lose focus.
It is so important to honor the fallen, as well as the former and current members of our armed forces and their families.
But here is something to think about…. How often do we neglect our freedom and take it for granted?
Taking it even one step further, how often do we neglect or misunderstand the freedom that Christ gave us when he shed his blood on the cross?
We can go all out for Easter and Christmas, as we should, but in our day-to-day walk we can find ourselves stuck and not understanding, utilizing, or walking out our freedom in Christ.
The blood of Jesus paid for our salvation and freedom from the eternal punishment of sin and separation from God in hell so that when our race is done on earth, we can spend eternity with him.
But this eternal freedom is only one aspect of freedom that Jesus bought with his blood. The sacrifice of Jesus also paid for our freedom here on earth. Through the blood of Christ and the power of Holy Spirit, we have been set free from the bondage of sin and the works of darkness.
Temptations will always come, but Christ gives us the ability to overcome our flesh and the works of darkness in our lives. Paul spoke through the inspiration of Holy Spirit and said, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV
We will never be perfect, and sin will always be a component of life on earth, but we were never meant to walk in a lifetime of bondage battling the same things over and over again. Jesus himself said that “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:32-36 ESV
We will always be a work in progress with the Lord. He continually shapes our character, strengthens our maturity, and empowers us to break free from the clutches of sin in our lives, whether battling our own flesh or demonic affliction. We are told in Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV that “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus paid for our eternal freedom as well as freedom from the clutches of darkness. The devil does his best to prevent us from truly believing Christ came to set us free. He wants us bound, beaten down, drowning in shame over our sin, white-knuckling our way through life in our own strength, to the point that we give up and say, “What's the point in trying anymore?”
You may have heard this story before; it’s not grounded in history and is really more of a parable, but it's a good illustration of how the devil works to keep us believing we are helpless and that true freedom is impossible.
The story is about circus workers training baby elephants to accept their captivity before they grow into massive, strong adult elephants. When the elephants were young, the workers would chain them to a stake in the ground. The young elephants would try over and over to escape, but they couldn’t because they weren’t strong enough to pull up the stake. The young elephants would then believe that it was impossible to escape because they had tried so many times and failed. Once these young elephants developed into adults, their strength and mindset did not. These adult elephants could now rip that stake out of the ground with no problem, but their minds remained like those of young elephants, believing it was impossible. Because they did not realize the reality they were in, they never experienced the freedom that awaited them by taking that extra step that would pull the small stake from the ground.
This is the twisted mind games the devil and demons play with us. Before Christ came into our lives, we were the baby elephant trying to break free in our own strength, but just like the baby elephant, we found freedom impossible because the strength needed did not exist.
BUT, Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice and has set us free and will empower us to break free from the bondage of sin in our lives. Once Christ comes into our lives, we are like a full-grown elephant with access to the strength needed for freedom. But, just like the story of the elephant, true freedom cannot be experienced unless we:
Believe God’s word when it says the price has been paid, and know that we have been empowered by the strength of Christ to break free.
Take steps forward to gain and walk out that freedom.
If belief or action is missing, we are like the full-grown elephant who is still chained, even though everything needed for freedom is right there. If we don’t believe something is possible, it absolutely will not happen. And if we believe something is possible but do not take any action on our end, it absolutely will not happen.
We cannot state this strongly enough, but we have to approach our purchased freedom through Christ with belief and action. Scripture is clear that Jesus paid the price for our eternal freedom as well as freedom from the ongoing bondage of sin on earth.
Please hear me, this doesn’t mean it is always easy. Freedom is never easy. We must always, always, always lean on Jesus and give everything to him, but freedom still requires action from us beyond belief alone. There are sacrifices to make, wars to fight, and prices to pay, but true freedom is always worth it.
So what does it look like to take action and walk in the true freedom Christ purchased for us? It could look like several or all of the following:
Acknowledging, renouncing, truly repenting, and asking the Lord for forgiveness.
Confessing sins to those you can trust and asking for prayer and accountability.
Consistently meditating on God’s word and renewing our mind to the truth that is in Scripture.
Prioritizing spending time with God in his word, prayer, and through fasting.
Deeply searching your heart and identifying hurts, wounds, or ungodly beliefs that are keeping you bound in sin and taking those to the Lord for healing.
Engaging in spiritual warfare through prayer, fasting, breaking off generational curses and iniquity, and commanding demonic presence to leave in the name of Jesus.
Adjusting your life and removing things or people that are keeping you bound in sin or hindering you from taking the next step God has called you to.
Obeying God when it doesn’t make sense or doesn’t line up with what your flesh is desiring
Only you can know what Holy Spirit is speaking to you and asking you to do.
Key Point: Freedom from bondage is available, but it isn't easy. It requires true belief and action to back that belief up.
Prayer: Father God, we come to you right now and thank you for the freedom that those of us in America get to experience every single day. We thank you for all of the brave men and women in our armed forces as well as their families. May we never take them or our freedom for granted, but more importantly, may we never take for granted the eternal and here-and-now freedom we have through the ultimate price paid by your son Jesus. Father, forgive us for walking in unbelief about the true freedom Jesus paid for. This life will be filled with temptation, but we know that your will is for us not to be bound for a lifetime by the same sins over and over again. We ask you to speak to each of us today and reveal which areas of our lives we have not believed we can be free in. We repent and ask for forgiveness for this ungodly belief. We choose to believe in your word and the power of the blood of Jesus. Please also show us the actions we need to take to walk out and take hold of the freedom you have for us. Thank you for your love and thank you for freedom. We pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Praying for you all!
Ryan and Julie
