set free Archives - Daily Thoughts about God

Freedom is something we all love, but do we really know what it is?

Some people think it’s being able to choose or act with few if any restraints, limits, or accountabilities. But that is what God calls rebellion because it’s a rejection of authority, as each one does as he sees fit (1 Samuel 12:14-15). True freedom is being released from bondage to sin, and that is only possible through Jesus Christ.

The first step to freedom is recognizing areas where we are imprisoned. People who have not received Christ as Savior are in bondage to sin and unbelief. They can neither believe God nor trust the promises of Scripture because sin has blinded their eyes to the truth that they need a Savior.

Even followers of Christ can find themselves in bondage to particular sins despite repeated attempts to change. But for some of us, the struggle is with more subtle kinds of enslavement. Habitual feelings of inferiority, insecurity, rejection, or worthlessness can cloud our responses to life’s challenges by altering our ability to think or act while undermining our trust and obedience to God.

The Lord wants us walking in freedom, and Jesus describes the pathway. He says that if we’ll continue in God’s Word, we will know the truth, and it will set us free (John 8:31-32). First of all, we are liberated from sin and its condemnation through faith in Christ. Then, as we continue reading and meditating on Scripture, our mind, will, and emotions will be changed. The sins that once enticed us will become repugnant, and the emotional prisons will be opened as we discover our position in Christ.

By Dr. Charles Stanley
Used by Permission
http://www.intouch.org/

Bitterness is its own prison.

The sides are slippery with resentment. A floor of muddy anger stills the feet.
The stench of betrayal fills the air and stings the eyes. A cloud of self-pity blocks
the view of the tiny exit above.

Step in and look at the prisoners. Victims are chained to the walls. Victims of
betrayal. Victims of abuse.

The dungeon, deep and dark, is beckoning you to enter . . . You can, you know.
You’ve experienced enough hurt . . . Or you can choose, like many, to chain yourself
to your hurt . . . Or you can choose, like some to put away your hurts before they
become hates. . .

How does God deal with your bitter heart? He reminds you that what you have is
more important than what you don’t have. You still have your relationship with God.

No one can take that!

By Max Lucado
From: He Still Moves Stones