So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36
Often, to receive Freedom in Christ, I had personal encounters with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit Himself. Which always ended in knowing the truth of God's Word. That is where Freedom comes from. The Word of God made flesh, which is Jesus. He is Truth and He has revealed Himself to me to set me free.
How does that practically look like? Well, different ways, but I will list some.
Since I have been going through a lot of abuse and neglect in my childhood, Jesus took me step by step back into some of those experiences and literally was present. Giving me the "Truth" side, His side of the story/moment. And that changed my heart and mind. Because He reveals the truth about where He was when these unspeakable things are happened and who I was despite of them still, makes the difference.
I was able to change my mind, as Paul says.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
Jesus removed my unbelief and doubt by speaking the truth on what He thinks toward me and by shedding His blood for me on the cross. I was then able to accept the truth and speak out of a renewed mind.
Sometimes it took the prayers of others who have been there and have already been free in the areas I still struggled. That is one major reason why we need to be in fellowship with other believers. To support and pray for one another.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16
Other times, I was reading scripture and it became alive, on the page., jumping right at me. When God speaks to us, He speaks to directly to our spirit and our heart follows eventually.
Either way, we know that we are free indeed. We know that Jesus died for our sins and we know it when temptation has no longer the upper hand. God says that He makes a way out for us from every temptation.
After being free, it is crucial to testify. That is another way of victory obtained, by speaking to others about what God has done in our lives. This in connection with the blood of Jesus is overcoming and gaining ground.
God never took more than one layer of struggle at the time from me, but those layers can have sublayers. I am mentioning this to caution. Sometimes, I thought I was free from something big, when in fact it had been a sublayer (symptom) not the root. Only by removing the roots of doubt, unbelief, shame, fear, anger etc. can we can live a peaceful, free live in Christ.
The great thing is though that God doesn't wait for us to be all cleaned up, nice and tidy. He uses us on the level of freedom which we have already obtained. So go out there and help others to become free, snatch them from the claws of the enemy and rejoice with them when Freedom in Christ is manifested in their lives. He has already paid the price for our Freedom, now we just walk it out. Step by Step!!
Freedom does not come apart from Christ, He is Freedom.
My prayer today: Father, grant us total, complete Freedom in Christ. You know how and we know to follow. Give us the courage to examine ourselves in your truth and allow ourselves to be free.
So long until next time.
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