There has been a lot of talking and shouting about freedom lately, especially as it relates to the mandates and restrictions imposed by our government over the past 5 months. A lot of people are very angry that they're being told what to do. A lot of people are very thankful for the restrictions that help protect them and their loved ones. No matter which group you fall into, I'd like to paraphrase what my Pastor said about it. He said that the Bible is clear that we're to do what our government asks us to do, as long as it isn't asking us to sin. I'm not going to look up the text, because that's a whole different study from where I'm going with this.
Because there's been so much talk about freedom, I decided to search "what does freedom mean in the bible?" And that's what I would like for us to pray on this week. I found this great piece from Billy Graham who explained it really well:
"The core message of the Christian faith—the Gospel—is that Jesus Christ rescues us from the slavery of sin and offers true freedom in this life and beyond." ...
"The Good News—the best news ever—is that faith in Jesus frees us from the death we deserve for sinning against God. It frees us from the punishment that would be inflicted upon us at the end of our lives for the evil things we’ve thought and done.
While Christ followers still battle with sin, they are no longer slaves to it. Through the power of Christ, His people can be set free from the bondage of greed, vanity, pride, pornography, addiction, abusive behavior, gluttony, selfishness—and any other sin under the sun."
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Galatians 5:13 ESV*********
Please join me this week in praising our Father in Heaven for this freedom He has given us in Christ Jesus so that we are no longer slaves to our sin. Pray that He gives us the opportunity and encouragement (and words) to share this great news with everyone we meet. Let's also pray that those who do not have this freedom come to know Christ and that those who do profess to know Christ not abuse this freedom as a means to sin. Finally, let's pray that we focus on all of the worldly freedoms we have that others all over the globe can't even imagine.
We should give thanks daily for being born in this time and this place where we can worship and praise our Father without fear of persecution. The restrictions we do face because of the pandemic are no different than the restrictions that people all over the world have dealt with or are dealing with, and these inconveniences are temporary. If the worst thing in our lives right now is having to concede to a few mandates, then we should consider ourselves extremely blessed. Praise the Lord for the countless blessings He bestows on us every single day.
I'll post daily reminders on:
#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #freedom #liberty
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