2 Corinthians 3:17 The Lord is Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty!
Each year Americans celebrate a holiday that is very dear to us; Independence Day. We gather together with family and friends to enjoy things like hot dogs, watermelon, and fireworks. But in the midst of all of our celebrations, I pray that we will not forget the true liberty that Jesus died to bring to us.
In The Enhanced Strong's Lexicon it says that "true liberty is living as we should not as we please." That is the heart of what our forefathers sought when they came to America. They were not seeking a place for individuals to do as they as please but instead were seeking a place to serve God and live by His precepts and ways. We certainly have come a long, long way from that in the past 200 years!
What people fail to understand and realize is that God's ways are for our good, not for our harm. The enemy has distorted and perverted God's way of freedom and blinded people into believing that they are missing something if they choose to follow God. Of course, this is the very same thing that Lucifer tempted Eve within the garden and mankind has been lured into believing his lies ever since.
To experience the Liberty that God truly wants us to have means that we must surrender our lives to the One who gave His life for us. We have to be willing to turn from our wicked, sinful, independent ways, and turn back to God. When we fully trust in Him with all our hearts, He will make our paths straight. When we choose to do things His way and seek His Kingdom first, He will make sure that all of our needs are met. But we do have to choose because the mixture that we try to live in only causes us to sink deeper into the miry clay that Jesus died to set us free from.
So this year as we celebrate Independence Day, I pray that there will be an awakening in your spirit to know the freedom that Jesus died to give you. I pray that you will know the length, the breadth, the height, and the depth of His love for you. And I pray that as you come to know His love you will experience true freedom to follow the Lord and trust Him fully with your life. He is the way, the truth, and the life and His truth sets and makes you free. And when the Son sets you free, you are really and truly free indeed!
Happy Independence Day!
More Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14; Galatians 5:1-13; John 8:32; Proverbs 3:3-8; Matthew 6:33
Photo credit: Unsplash/Aaron Burden
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