Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1 NKJV)
Do you ever find yourself struggling with the same thing over and over again? Does that cause you to feel defeated, ashamed, and perhaps even hopeless?
Friends, in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia, he gives them some powerful advice. He advises them about breaking free from anything that’s kept them living in that cycle, so that they can finally live in freedom.
What causes you to feel defeated or held back from living in God’s best for you? Perhaps an addiction, memories of a past abuse or injustice, a life circumstance which seems too big to overcome, the feelings of insecurity or of being unloved and unwanted?
In today’s Scripture, we are reminded to stand fast in liberty/freedom. So, how do we do that when there’s so much temptation to go back to our old ways of thinking and living?
The first thing we need to realize is that our freedom from anything that keeps us oppressed is solely through Jesus Christ. When he gave His life for us on Calvary’s Cross, He made it possible for us to be released from anything that was keeping us from being all that God the Father created us to be.
Then, we should remember that God’s Word says, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)
God’s truth is sometimes different than the facts (or our perception of them) about any situation that we can see in our human vision.
In “Our Father: A Personal Journey of Discovery into the Lord’s Prayer,” I wrote about my own personal experience of being set free, by learning the truth of what God says about me in His Word. My perception of myself was largely based on what others had said about me, but, those words differed greatly from God’s opinion of me. As I dedicated myself to reading the Bible more…and really believing it, I became different.
I became stronger, and better prepared to accept the tasks that God was placing before me. My faith was strong and it was enabling me to “spread my wings” more than in the past.
Then, things got tough. I became surrounded by circumstances that left me feeling like a failure AGAIN, and a few people who helped to reinforce that feeling in me.
That went on for a season, and I figured that I’d failed God and everyone who had believed in me.
Without realizing it, I had gone back to the same way of thinking that I had before. I didn’t feel strong anymore. I thought I had gotten past being held back by my low self-esteem. Yet, I had gone back to the same insecurities that I thought I’d overcome.
I couldn’t help but think…Where’s my freedom gone?
The fact is that it wasn’t gone anywhere. John 8:36 confirms, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Through Jesus Christ, I AM FREE!!!
Through all this, I got a very important reminder. The enemy of our souls, Satan, will lie to us and do anything he can to keep us down. He wants to prevent us from living in the victory that Jesus gave us through His Death and Resurrection.
Jesus Christ paid for our freedom with his shed blood. Are there any areas in your life where you need Jesus to set you free? Let’s honor Him today, by standing fast in the freedom and victory that he made possible for us.
My prayer today, “Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus. I confess that it’s easy to fall back into the same traps that Satan has set for me in the past. Please help me to see those traps, and any new ones he has set. I need Your help to safely avoid them. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
