Seeking Freedom…Still!

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being free, free indeed, freedom, freedom for all, freedom in Christ, freedom in Jesus, how to keep the chains off for good, how to live in freedom, how to live without fear, keeping the chains off, living chain free, my chains are gone, no fear, no fear in Christ, no longer a slave to fear, no more chains

On Sunday, I had the privilege of singing No Longer a Slave to Fear with my congregation. It is such a beautiful proclamation, one that makes me lift my hands in praise every time. As I was singing though, I had to ask if what I was singing was true. Fear is such an issue with me. There are seasons in my life when I have allowed God to truly break me from it, and other seasons when it is a struggle. It is so frustrating to know that victory is possible, but to somehow have ended back in defeat. It reminded me of a blog I had written several years back, so I thought I’d share it once again. Enjoy!

So, there I was Sunday morning singing, “My chains are gone. I’ve been set free. My God my Savior has ransomed me…” You all know the song and chances are you are singing along by now. I must confess though, I’m a little tired of it. It’s been around for years now and at one convention when it was the new and upcoming worship song, I bet my husband and I sat through five renditions of it…no joke. Sometimes you can only take so much of a good thing.

On this particular Sunday though, I was sitting by my oldest who usual attends college in another part of the state. He was harmonizing so beautifully, and it really made me hear it again in a fresh way. Tears came to my eyes as I realized that my chains really were gone. I knew without a doubt that I was free in Christ! I knew that He paid the price for my chains to be gone completely, and I felt as light as a bird. I was free!

 But, did you see me Sunday night? Did you see me skulking in the corner putting my chains back on? Throughout the day I must have decided that I liked the heaviness of them. Somehow, I must have come to the conclusion that my fetters had not chafed my skin enough.

Between the two Sunday services, I re-shackled myself! I snuck away and decided to put the chains of unforgiveness back on. They were as heavy and as cumbersome as ever. I guess I decided I liked the weight.

I also fastened back the grip of arrogance. You know, sitting and deciding what others should be doing.

Oh, and did you see that I took that old habit of complaining and decided to wear it like a cloak once again? The heaviness of it almost broke me, but it was familiar. I must really like the familiar.

What in the world?! Am I free, or not? Are my chains really gone, or was it a delusion? Where is the sustaining power of freedom? Where are these shackles coming from? The apostle Paul proclaims in I Corinthians 10:1, “Am I not free?!” and I find myself asking the same.

The Word tells us in Galatians 5:1, “Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” This verse tells me that I’m not the only one who has put their chains back on after finding freedom. The people of Galatia apparently had the same issue.

Once again though, I must ask myself the question, “How do I stop?” Scripture tells me that Christ wants me to be free, so there must be a way. In John 8:32, I am reminded that the “truth will make you free.” So, what is the truth about freedom?

Leviticus 26:13 says, “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to live in freedom.” I love where it says that God “enabled us to live in freedom.” The truth is that living in freedom is possible through the enabling of Christ. After all, “all things are possible through Him”, right? So, we discover God enables us to live in freedom. It’s so encouraging to know He understands we cannot do this without Him!

Isaiah 61:1 says, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners;” This Scripture is talking about Jesus. It says clearly that Jesus came to “proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners.” The truth is that Christ did not come to shackle us with expectations and burdens. He came to set us free from those expectations and burdens. Why do we keep forgetting what Jesus says in Matthew, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light”? Jesus came for freedom, not burdens!

Jeremiah 34:17 says, “Therefore, this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed Me by proclaiming freedom, each man for his brother and for his neighbor. I hereby proclaim freedom for you”—⌊this is⌋ the LORD’s declaration—“to the sword, to plague, and to famine…”

Wow! This Scripture tells us that the Lord Himself proclaims freedom over us because we wouldn’t do it for ourselves. He has given us freedom over the sword, plague and the famine. I don’t know about you, but I need freedom from a famine right now. I have been in a desert for some time simply going from “strength to strength” (Psalm 84:7). I need the chains of my famine to be gone, and I see that in the book of Jeremiah the truth is the Lord has already proclaimed it!

I now know that God has given me freedom and declared liberty over every part of my life, but how do I enjoy that freedom? What must happen?

II Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

So, the truth is we must be where His Spirit is to enjoy freedom. When we have trusted Christ as Savior, His Spirit is inside of us already, so we must be ever-listening, ever-conscious and ever-submitting to His presence. That’s true freedom. No worries about others; He has it handled. No concerns over daily strife; He has that as well. No frustrations, because He is not surprised. That’s peace. That’s freedom. Life in general often causes us to forget this, but we can rest assured that when we are where we are supposed to be, (in God’s presence), there is freedom. The truth is, if we are not free, we are not in the right place.

We also need to be aware that Galatians 2:4 gives us a clear warning. It says, “This issue arose because of false brothers smuggled in, who came in secretly to spy on the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.” The truth is I have an enemy who wants my freedom. He hates that I am free. He will use whatever means necessary (including other people) to steal my freedom. So, I must remember that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12). The truth is I need to be so focused on Christ that others around me do not have the ability to steal my freedom.

II Peter 2:19 is another great reminder. It says, “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them.”

I must remember the truth that I am only enslaved to whatever defeats me. Nothing is worth that. Nothing is worth re-shackling myself in those chains, no matter how familiar it may feel. If I am being defeated, I am not free.

Now it’s our choice. We know that our freedom depends on allowing God to enable us to live in the liberty that He has given to us. We know that we are indeed free in Christ because God Himself has proclaimed it and we also know that “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” May we truly live in that freedom. May we also remember that our enemy is after our freedom, and when we are defeated by anything, we are chained to it, just like a prisoner.

Prayerfully, the next time we sing “My chains are gone, I’ve been set free…” may it be a reminder of what God has already done in our lives. May it remind us of what used to be, and not what still needs to happen. May the freedom of Christ encompass our lives in such a way that the weight and scars of old chains are long forgotten.

The truth is God has proclaimed our freedom. Let’s live it!

Seeking Hearts Ministries

*photo from Clipart collection

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Forgiveness During the Holidays – Part Two

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being free, dealing with unforgiveness, forgiveness, forgiving, forgiving others, how to be free of unforgiveness, how to forgive, how to have peace, trusting God, trusting God with your anguish

This week’s blog is part 2 on the subject of forgiving and how to come to a place of forgiveness. If you missed part 1, be sure to click the following link (Part 1) because we are jumping off the deep end into point number three today.

Step Three in how to get to a place of forgiveness is that you know God is going to get ‘em. (I warned you we were jumping off the deep end.)

This is something that we all feel funny thinking, but you need to know that forgiveness is not about letting people off the hook. Forgiveness is actually placing people who have wronged you into the hands of a mighty, powerful God who is crazy about you and wants the best for you. He’s a little prejudice when it comes to you and that’s who you want taking care of your situation!

Here are a few examples of what God says about people who have tried to harm you:

Deuteronomy 32:35, “Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay. In time their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”

Vengeance means – “infliction of punishment in return for a wrong; retribution.” So,God is not saying people haven’t harmed you. He is just telling us that He will take care of the punishment. You can be free and go on living your life while He remembers the wrong and pursues justice for you.

Psalm 18:47-49 says, “God—He gives me vengeance and subdues peoples under me. He frees me from my enemies. You exalt me above my adversaries; You rescue me from violent men. Therefore I will praise You, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing about Your name.”

So, again we see that He frees us and allows us to praise Him daily while He is handling those who have wronged us.

Just a quick side note here – Does God expect us to keep our mouths shut and not be able to be heard?

This has almost killed me in some of the circumstances we have been in lately…knowing that God wanted me to be quiet and not “speak my mind”… not because He didn’t want me to be heard, but in order to protect me in ways I didn’t understand at the time. The really awesome thing though is we can ALWAYS pour our heart out to Him even when He is telling us not to “speak our mind”. He is always with us wanting us to tell Him how we feel and what we are struggling with. There is such an amazing release when we lay it all out before Him. Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge.” The God of the universe is saying, “I want to hear from you.”

Several months ago I was in my car travelling replaying a situation over and over again in my mind. Instead of a release, I just kept getting madder and madder and madder. It finally dawned on me that I needed to talk to God and not just myself, so I poured it before Him. Instead of replaying it to myself, I spoke it out loud to Him. It was an incredible experience! You wouldn’t think it would help that much, but it does. So, I encourage you to verbally release it all to Him. Tell Him how mad you are and what people have done to you. Name names! It really does help.

Here is a great example in Scripture where David is pouring his heart out to God: “LORD, God of vengeance— God of vengeance, appear.
Rise up, Judge of the earth; repay the proud what they deserve.
LORD, how long will the wicked— how long will the wicked gloat?
They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
LORD, they crush Your people; they afflict Your heritage.
They kill the widow and the foreigner and murder the fatherless. They say, “The LORD doesn’t see it. The God of Jacob doesn’t pay attention.”
Pay attention, you stupid people! Fools, when will you be wise?
Can the One who shaped the ear not hear, the One who formed the eye not see?
The One who instructs nations, the One who teaches man knowledge— does He not discipline?
The LORD knows man’s thoughts; they are meaningless. LORD, happy is the man You discipline and teach from Your law
to give him relief from troubled times until a pit is dug for the wicked.
The LORD will not forsake His people or abandon His heritage,
for justice will again be righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Who stands up for me against the wicked? Who takes a stand for me against evildoers? If the LORD had not been my helper, I would soon rest in the silence ⌊of death⌋.
If I say, “My foot is slipping,” Your faithful love will support me, LORD.
When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy.” – Psalm 94:1-19

David was genuine in his feelings and in his thoughts, and we know from Scripture that God calls him a man after His own heart. We can know from the example of David that not only is it just acceptable to pour out our hearts to God, but He wants that intensity with us. He wants that honesty.

David was also truthful about the fact that his foot was starting to slip in this matter. I take that to mean his mouth was getting the better of him, or his thoughts were running away from him, but he knew that His God was there supporting him with His faithful love and was not only helping David get through the situation, but was also in the process of taking care of the ones who had hurt him.

Okay, so I hope you see that God does want you to be heard. He just wants to be the One doing the listening.

So, back off the rabbit trail and back on to point three which reminds us that God will get those who try to harm us.

Psalm 94:20-23 says, “Can a corrupt throne— one that creates trouble by law— become Your ally? They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the LORD is my refuge; my God is the rock of my protection. He will pay them back for their sins and destroy them for their evil. The LORD our God will destroy them.”

Do I know why God doesn’t punish those who have wronged us when we think they should be punished? No, but I do know that our God is worthy of our trust. We can trust His timing because we know He loves us. The Bible assures us that His thoughts are so much higher than our thoughts and His ways are so much better than our ways (Isaiah 55:9), so we know that His timing and His ways are best because He sees the whole picture.

When you think you have to take care of things yourself, that God doesn’t care, or doesn’t see what’s happening in your life, when the devil has made you forget how much your God woos you like we discussed in Session One of God’s Love (YouTube Session), this is your verse to hang on to:

Isaiah 35:4- “Say to them that are of a fearful heart [that’s why we run out and get into trouble a lot of times…because we’re fearful ; we’re afraid that God isn’t seeing what people are doing to us and saying about us], Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; he will come and save you.”

Isaiah 35:5-6 says, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing; for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.”

Sometimes, unforgiveness makes us so hard hearted that we simply can’t see anything around us but how we were wronged. We can’t hear anything but what they said to us. We can’t think about anything but what we should have said back, or what we will do the next time we have to see them, but forgiveness…leaving the situation in God’s capable hands… opens our eyes and allows us to hear. Isaiah 35 says that we will be able to sing and be refreshed. Forgiving people allows the Spirit to pour Living water over our dry, parched places.

 I’m not saying that God doesn’t use the court system, or other people to right a wrong, but I am saying that it’s up to Him, not us, and not the way we can manipulate things.

Forgiveness is not about letting someone off the hook, it’s about being free.

We are not stupid when we forgive. We are super smart because we are allowing the God of the universe to handle things for us. It’s like He steps in front of us and says, “I’ve got this.”

Micah 7:7 says, “But I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.”

Step Four to forgiveness is knowing that your relationship with God is worth more than whatever you have to forgive. Our beautiful Savior who covers you with His wings every day and night is worth anything.

Psalm 18:16-20 says, “He reached down from heaven and took hold of me; He pulled me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my distress, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out to a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me. The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; He repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.”

Being clean before the Lord is so much better than hanging on to any un-forgiveness. Keeping our Robe of righteousness on (which is Jesus Himself) is so much better than remembering wrongs that seem to be forgotten by everyone but you. Nothing is worth harming our walk with God.

Step Five to forgiveness is trusting our God to be the Judge.

Psalm 75:2 says, “‘When I choose a time, I will judge fairly.’”

Lamentations 3:59-62 says, “LORD, You see the wrong done to me; judge my case. You see all their malice, all their plots against me. LORD, You hear their insults, all their plots against me. The slander and murmuring of my opponents attack me all day long.”

Be assured Your God sees and hears everything! You can rest in His judgment because He already knows all the testimony and all the facts. You don’t have to worry about being heard. He hears you. He wants you to pour your heart out, but not because He doesn’t know what’s going on, it’s because of His love for you. Song of Solomon 2:14 says, “My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crevices of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”

That’s why God wants to hear from you. He just loves the sound of your voice.

Do not think that your God does not know what happened to you. Do not listen to that voice in your head that says God will not repay the person that hurt you. Do not believe that you have to be the one to repay, or punish, but do remember that it is in His hands, in His time and needs to be in His way so that you can be free.

Forgiveness is not about being tricked into letting someone off the hook. It’s about being free.

So, as you are surrounded by people this Holiday Season that you can usually avoid remember that forgiveness is about being free. Forgiveness can only come through the Holy Spirit and He wants us to forgive not to let people off the hook, but to rely on Him and trust Him completely with the outcome knowing that we are loved more than we ever realized. Enjoy this Season knowing that even though forgiveness is not easy it’s always worth it.

Seeking Hearts Ministries

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So Over It…

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being free, being free in Christ, Christ set us free, freedom, getting free, I'm sick of this song, Jesus, living free, no more chains, no more shackles, staying free, still learning, worship

I admit it, when I saw the song list for Sunday I was disappointed. Most of the songs were right on (in my opinion) except the last one…the one I have sung over and over and over again. I remember thinking, “I am so over this song.” I’ve actually even written a blog about this song before. Ironic, huh?

So, what’s the song? Got you curious, haven’t I? Don’t gasp too loudly, but it’s “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)”. I know, it’s a great song. It’s even brought traditional churches to tears, but I’ve just heard it one too many times…or, so I thought.

As I was practicing said song, God reminded me that I may know all the words, but I still wasn’t living chain free. He reminded me that I sometimes still wear shackles that He broke off of me many years ago. He knew I needed the reminder because He knew that I had replaced the freedom that His very Son gave me with panic, fear and dread this very week. He knew I was vulnerable to the Enemy’s attacks and that a few fiery darts had hit their mark. He knew I needed to be reminded that my chains truly are gone.

Galatians 5:1 teaches us that, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

Why did Christ set me free? Was it so I could do good works? Was it because I’m this awesome person who deserves freedom? No. Christ set me free so that I could live in freedom. That’s it. That’s the only reason. His great love, His amazing grace, His mercy that is new every morning, just wants me to be free.

If I received a letter in my mailbox this week that my mortgage was paid off, how many more payments do you think I would make? You guessed it…none. I would be completely free from that debt. Christ is telling us in Galatians that our mortgage, our debt, is gone for all time, yet we find ourselves still making payments.

Spiritually speaking, I still think I need to make a payment to stay free. That’s kind of nuts, isn’t it? But, it’s often how I live. The chains that Christ broke off of me still entice me. My mind thinks it’s better to have a freak out than to rest in Him. My brain thinks watching Netflix will be better to fall asleep to than reading His Word and praying for others as I drift off into oblivion. My body thinks that depending on comfort food instead of drawing on His strength will somehow make things better.

At times, I’m still choosing shackles instead of freedom. I may be sick of the song, but the message still needs to be heard.

…”My chains are gone. I’ve been set free…”

So, as I sing this song that I’ve heard over and over again this Sunday, I pray that it truly is a testimony of my life…not just in that moment, but when I go home as well. I pray that I’m not thinking “When is this going to be over?”, but I will truly give God glory for setting me free. I pray that the next time you see me all you see are wrists that are shackle free, ankles that are unfettered and gratefulness oozing out of every pore for the One who sets us all free.

Seeking Hearts Ministries

** picture by Getty images

 

 

 

 

Being Free ….Finally!

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being clean before God, being focused on freedom, being focused on truth, being free, being healed, being healed in Jesus, condemning ourselves, focus, freedom, God's forgiveness, God's healing touch, how to stop living in fear, living in freedom, living like your healed, lving in fear, no condemnation, true worship, worshipping God

Some time ago God healed me from a debilitating illness that had no end in sight. My doctor diagnosed it after lots of bloodwork, but with that diagnosis came the realization that modern medicine had no answers. It was a scary time, but you read that I’m healed, right?

I realized last Sunday night that I was still living as if I were sick. I wasn’t allowing myself to enjoy certain activities under the guise of I might end up in bed again. I realized that even though I was completely healed, I was living under the fear of an illness long gone. I still have certain health issues I deal with that are totally manageable, but as far as the illness I’m referring to? Completely gone! I was holding back on the enjoyment of life due to past difficulties.

That same Sunday morning, during the early service, I was prompted by God’s Spirit to stand up during the chorus of a song. I knew God wanted me to stand and proclaim that He was enough for me, but I let excuses of “I might be a distraction”, or “I don’t want to freak anybody out”, or “people will think I want the attention” stop me and I chose to let fear keep me from rising and proclaiming that “Christ is enough for me.”

I confessed my sin right there in the pew. I even told God I would stand up the next time He prompted… and guess what? The next chorus came, the next opportunity was right in front of me and there I was…still sitting. I confessed again, but I also placed such a cloud of condemnation over myself. I sat there convincing myself that in the next service, I wasn’t going to be able to worship as I would have been able to if I had obeyed. I was beating myself up mentally, spiritually and emotionally. I felt as if I had ruined the whole day of worship and it was just 9:45 am!!

I was so discouraged, but then so relieved within the space of about three minutes. As I was praying to God and placing all my failure at His feet, (panicking over the ruination of my worship experience for all time…drama queen confession), I felt God remind me through Scripture that He had wiped my sin clean. He no longer remembered me not standing up, so why should I? Did I believe His forgiveness, or not?

God reminded me that “Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” – Romans 8:1-2. I was condemning myself when my Righteous Judge had already said I was free!

He reminded me that “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” – Psalm 103:12.

Galatians 5:1 says, “Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” I was placing a yoke of slavery over myself when Christ had already liberated me through His shed blood.

I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God reminded me that I either believed Him, or I didn’t. He also reminded me that I was totally allowed and encouraged to wear the freedom He had already given me.

He reminded me that He wanted my worship as much as I wanted to worship Him!

If I had not accepted the truth of God’s grace, I would not have been able to worship well in the following service. I would have been living under the fear of condemnation, wearing a yoke of slavery, just like I had been living in the fear and slavery of an illness long gone.

The abundant life Jesus came to give us in John 10:10, calls us to live in freedom, calls us to live in the opportunities laid before us today and calls us to invest in the next generation, not to be shackled by fear and regret.

Romans 8:15 tells us that we “… did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”

Let’s take God at His Word today. Let’s live in the freedom that He has given. Let’s look up in complete faith knowing we are forgiven when we ask and knowing that He has already paid liberty’s price for us.

Let’s live free!

Seeking Hearts Ministries

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