Living in Freedom: God’s Will for Us

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

John 8:36 | “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Galatians 5:13 | “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

The Apostle Paul explains freedom boldly in Galatians 5:1: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” This verse is Paul’s gospel claim within the sphere of public debate. It could be printed on posters and mounted prominently in every church. It is easy, however, to pervert Paul’s message if we do not take time to understand what he means by freedom. We especially do so when we bring to Paul our own prevailing understanding of freedom.

What does freedom mean to most people today? When I hear people talk about freedom, I get the sense that what freedom means for them is license to do whatever they please. No external compulsive power can tell us what to do or how to live. How do we negotiate our way in such a context of freedom? Usually by two options. One is competition. All free individuals are in competition with one another. In competition, conflict is resolved when one party wins and all others lose. It tends to be a zero-sum game. If I win, you lose. If you win, I lose. It was the fundamental assumption of ancient Greek society, the society in which Paul’s readers and listeners had grown up. Greek city states presumed that strife (eris) – strife between states, between social classes, between individuals–was the natural condition of life.

Paul recognizes the perils of this understanding of freedom when he warns his readers: “If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another .” (Galatians 5:15).

That was abundantly fulfilled in the history of ancient Greece. All the rival city states fought each other incessantly, as each individual state sought to achieve hegemony within the Greek world. In the process they weakened each other so much that when Macedonian imperial power invaded Greece, no city state could successfully resist such integrated power.

Paul’s Concept of Freedom

In Galatians 5:13-14, Paul says ‘For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”’

Freedom for Paul is the experience of being liberated or released from our dominating ego-centrism. It removes all the obstacles that keep us from being the people God created us to be, from living the life that God calls us to live. That life embraces two important tasks:

1. To recognize, develop, and use our God-given gifts, talents, and skills for God’s glory and for service to others, and

2. To give ourselves in love to others and to receive their love and service in return without impediment. Paradoxically when we live into such love and service to others, we find ourselves becoming most fully the individuals that God created each of us to be uniquely. Our own personal fulfillment is the unexpected by-product of this paradoxical freedom.

Freedom in Christ is not merely the liberty to act as we please, but the empowerment to act as we should. It is crucial to understand that freedom does not equate to unrestrained autonomy. Whether in the physical realm or the spiritual domain, there exist laws, regulations, and principles that govern our conduct. The concepts of right and wrong persist regardless. In the absence of Christ, we are ensnared by sin, incapable of adhering to righteousness. Through His sacrifice on the Cross, Christ liberated us from the dominion and consequences of sin. True freedom is essentially liberation from various constraints: freedom from sin, from afflictions, from erroneous beliefs, from uncertainty, from anxiety, from poverty, and so forth. In Christ, freedom signifies liberation from the bondage of sin. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17) endows us with the strength to resist sinful impulses. Instead of succumbing to sin and its repercussions, we are now empowered to choose life (Romans 6:22). Freedom in Christ denotes liberation from the compulsion to gratify our sinful inclinations.

What hinders our Freedom?

Before we move on to look at how we can effectively move in Freedom in Christ, let’s stop and look at some of the obstacles and hindrances that prevent us from walking in freedom or in complete freedom.

• Compromise & Complacency

The Lord has been really speaking to me about compromise this past week- how many in the body of Christ are still walking in compromise- some knowingly and others unknowingly. Life is filled with decisions, and every choice we make at every crossroads of life will determine who we will become. We can either make compromises and go with the flow, or we can stand our ground and live for the Lord. There must be no compromise in how we dress, live, speak, do business, our activities, nor the type of places we go to, and so on. We must not fit the Lord into our schedule; but rather work everything in your life around HIM.  We must watch out not to be lukewarm.

Revelation 3:15-16, NLT | “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!"

In the book of Daniel, Daniel and his friends and the people of God, were living in a foreign country full of idolaters, full of idols, full of worshipers of other gods, and they were given into another environment where they are prone to compromise with their values, with their belief system, with all that they have been taught in Jerusalem by their parents, by the laws of the Bible. We see how Daniel resolves and purposes in his heart, that although he's living in a world that is against the values of God, he stands firm, and in the book you will see how God prospers him, how God makes him successful, and how God honors him, as Daniel honors God.

As citizens of God's Kingdom, we are called to accurately represent Him wherever we go. To do that, we must know His Word and listen to the Holy Spirit--our Governor. We represent His Kingdom without compromise. I used to hear the phrase, "If God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!". Yes, that is true!

When it comes to our human relationships--marriage, friendships, family, work, etc--they require compromise to survive and thrive. But those compromises come out of our soul--that is our mind, will and emotions. Those compromises usually come down to being unselfish and preferring what the other person wants over your own wants and desires. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4 NKJV )

​But as Kingdom citizens, we must never compromise God's Word, His principles and standards. We do not compromise our spirit and our relationship with our Lord and King for anyone! If we do, it grieves the Holy Spirit--our Governor. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30 NKJV)

God's Constitution never changes, even though our culture, our world, does. One of the responsibilities of a citizen of God's Kingdom is to be a standard, raised high everywhere we go, representing our Lord and His Kingdom. "Raising a standard" refers to a physical symbol of something that represented their values and their principles; a flag, emblematic figure, or other object raised on a pole to indicate the rallying point of an army. Raising a standard gives people a focus point to follow and not get lost or off track. That is why it is so important that we do not compromise on God's Word directing our lives and behavior. People are watching. They need to see us living what we speak about! They need to see that God's Word is Truth--His laws, principles and blessings.  You are that standard in your circle! You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:14-16

Refusing to compromise on God's Word does not come easy. It may bring on threats and even danger. But trust the Lord God to bring you through! Read the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and their unwillingness to compromise and bow to King Nebuchadnezzar's idol in Daniel 3.  Know that when you refuse to compromise His Word and standards, He will take care of you! So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! Daniel 3:26b-27

Compromise is a slippery slope. Spiritual compromises makes room for doubt. The more you do it, the easier it gets. Before long, you will have drifted far from His Presence. We have seen stories in the news about pastors leaving their calling, some saying they don't even believe in God or, tragically, committing suicide. It started with a small spiritual compromise.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12 NKJV

Some say that there can be many interpretations to the word of God and that it is based on the individual’s own experience- however, the word of God says in 2 Peter 1:20-21 “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit said exactly and precisely what God wanted said, He left nothing for interpretation.  There is one thing we must keep in mind, the Bible was written to Jews.  This leaves no excuse to misunderstand what the Lord is saying to all men.  We have enough translations of the Bible that we can readily understand what the Lord is saying to His church.

John 16:13 When the Holy Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak of Himself but whatsoever He hears, that shall He speak.

There is only ONE source of truth: John 14:6 ‘Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’

We have to understand that even our experiences in the Lord has to be based on the word of God- on truth- if not, all it becomes is just an experience which may lack spiritual truths and not be aligned with the word of God.

If you do a study of God’s ten commandments, you will conclude that they were given to cause men to walk in love.  Jesus said: If you love Me, keep My commandments.  When we walk in love we put ourselves in a place where God can give us maximum blessings.  Men have a tendency to modify His commandments so that in their mind they can “legally” compromise the Word of God.  The most commonly played trump card of religion is this: God is love.  If God is love, that means He wants me to be happy and I know what makes me happy!  Only a fool would interpret the Bible for the purpose of fulfilling his lusts.

Maybe there are compromises that you have made yesterday, the day before, years ago, and it's still creeping up on you and you have no peace and you're just feeling guilty over and over again, I want to tell you something. The Bible says there is no condemnation to those who are in our Lord Jesus Christ. You are free, God save you from the penalty of sin but at the same time, God has saved you from the power of sin. Now, you have the power to say no because you have the Holy Spirit in you, empowering you to live a victorious Christian life, because of all that Christ had done for us in our life. When we say no to something, we're saying yes to Jesus. This cycle repeats in life, repent, believe, obey; repent, believe, obey. I repent of my sins because I want to turn to Christ. I believe that God still loves me and God wants to use me and I turn to Him. And not just that, I choose to obey him over and over and over again. No compromise. Compromise only brings BONDAGE. Many people believe that as a Christian, you can’t be in bondage. However, let’s look at what the word of God has to say:

The Bible says: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1, NIV, emphasis added). The fact that Paul wrote this warning not to the world but to the church (see Gal. 1:2) and that he used the phrase “burdened again” indicates that he knew it was possible for believers to become bound. I paraphrase Galatians 5:1 this way: “Don’t you realize that Christ gave up everything so you could be free? The cross purchased your liberty from every yoke and replaced it with Christ Himself [see Matt. 11:28-30]. Nothing can hold you captive now without your permission. “Don’t go back to slavery! He did not set you free to live the rest of your life in self-inflicted bondage. Learn to live in Christ’s glorious liberty; then stay on the alert so you don’t return to captivity.”

The other hindrance to freedom is complacency- self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies- you’re happy with where you’re at and you think you’re fine- this is dangerous.

• Reasoning/Intellectualizing/Doubt/Unbelief

We need to come with childlike faith:  Matthew 18:2-4 “He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Don’t debate and try to reason everything- you will limit yourself and you will be stuck. The opposite if faith is reason, doubt and unbelief. The word of God says without faith we cannot please God. The New Testament shows unbelief to be a very big problem in the lives of many Christians. "Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief" (Matthew 13:58 NKJV). Doubt and unbelief create a barrier to faith in our lives.

Strong's definition of unbelief is: "1. Lacking confidence in the performer, unfaithfulness, faithless. 2. Want of faith, unbelief. 3. Weakness of faith." So then, we need to understand firstly, what faith is. Faith is not the means by how we get God to work in our lives; faith is how we enter God's will for our lives. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV). So how do we increase our faith? Jesus appears to say we either have faith or no faith to start with. If one does have faith, it will grow as we put it into practice (as we serve God our faith will increase as He comes closer to us through living a life of service to him). For those of us who are weak (or have little faith) we can take comfort from the fact that even Jesus' own disciples had 'no' or 'little' faith but their faith did grow over time. Their biggest problem was the doubt and unbelief that hindered the potential of their faith. If we can just overcome the unbelief, a mustard-seed amount of faith will be sufficient for our problems.

• Sin/Unconfessed Sin/Disobedience/Lack of Obedience

He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy (Proverbs 28:13 NKJV). We have all sinned. God needs us to confess our sins so He can help us. It is for our own good. It's not for God's information - He already knows. No matter how terrible the sin might be, God has promised He will forgive us, in His faithfulness and His justice and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 NKJV).

Once you have repented to God for your sin(s), He will erase them and will not hold them against you ever again. If you cannot remember your sins, you can ask God through His Holy Spirit to reveal any sins to you that you have forgotten about, or maybe even repressed due to shame, guilt, trauma or otherwise.  Remember, our God is gentle and can reveal things only when you are ready to handle it. This may take days, months or even years, but He sees your heart and knows your intentions.

• Pride

Verses like Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” and Proverbs 18:12 “Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor” send a crystal clear message of how God views pridefulness and humility. He will always scorn individuals who are full of pride and uplift those who are genuinely humble. If we think we know it all- we are not teachable- and not open to learning new things.

• Chaos/Lack of Order/Lodebar

Some people’s lives are full of chaos and lacks order and as a result their individual lives and households are chaotic- their mental space is chaotic- they are always late, always rushed, not able to finish tasks entrusted to them on time, are unreliable and inefficient.

These people also usually find it hard to follow rules and regulations- they lack governance in their lives and in fact dislike governance. Does Freedom in Christ Mean I Can Do Whatever I Want? Do not be mistaken. Freedom is not full, unhindered autonomy. Whether it's earthly freedom or spiritual freedom, there are always going to be laws, rules, and guidelines we have to follow. There will always be right and wrong. Freedom in Christ means we no longer have to satisfy our sinful desires.

The Lord spoke to me Lodebar last night: Lo-debar, lo-de'-bär (Heb.)-- without order; disorderly; no leader; not governed; rebellious; no shepherd; without pasture; no issue; barren; without speech; dumb; not the word or oracle; false; untrue. A city of Gilead to the east of the Jordan; it was the home of Machir the son of Ammiel. 2 Samuel 9: 4,5. Do not open yourselves to a spirit of Lodebar- there is a spiritual root here and that door needs to be closed.

• Unforgiveness

Unforgiveness is a sin and it is probably the biggest barrier of all to freedom. It even prevents God from forgiving us of other sins... "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6 14-15, NKJV). Simply put, if you cannot forgive others, including yourself and God, then you cannot expect freedom. Unforgiveness, bitterness and resentment is a poison. If you have unforgiveness or hateful thoughts toward somebody, you will know the torture it causes while it 'eats you up' inside. So how do we forgive? You need to decide you want to forgive. Don't wait until you feel like it - unforgiveness is one of satan's biggest weapons; the longer you hold on to it the more he will poison your mind with bitter thoughts. Make the decision to forgive and God will heal your wounded emotions in good time. The first step is to make the confession that you forgive.  Even if at that point you don't truly mean it, the power of confession can either bring life or death. Choosing to forgive releases life. It will begin the healing process.

Without the Holy Spirit it's probably too hard to forgive someone on your own. If you are truly willing then God will help you, if you humble yourself and ask Him for His help. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained (John 20:21-23, KJV). Ask God to breathe the Holy Spirit on you to help you forgive. Pray for those who abuse or misuse you, your enemies, those who have hurt you. Pray for their happiness and welfare. Bless them, do not curse them. “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you" (Luke 6:27-28, NKJV). Once you have prayed for them God can reveal to them any deception. They may not even be aware of what has happened, or of any hurt they have caused, or they may not even care.

• Inability to see/perceive.

When the heart is blocked and can’t see- and it’s the heart that perceives- there is a need for inner healing and deliverance which brings freedom. Proverbs 4:23: Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.

• Curses (including generational)

Curses are very real and impact many of us to some degree each day. This can be through the power of the tongue.  We curse ourselves and each other with this dangerous weapon. Another form is the generational curse-line.  Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever"   (Deuteronomy 28:45-46, NKJV). Many people’s lives are hindered by curses on their health, their families, their finances, and their personal and spiritual well-being. There is no one immune to the effects of curses except for those who have been delivered through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some common signs a curse maybe in operation in your life or your families:

• Repeated or chronic sickness (especially if hereditary)

• Continual financial poverty (especially when you make enough money)

• Family history of divorce or relationship problems

• Mental and emotional breakdowns

• Family members dying young or from unnatural causes including suicide
  

• Being accident prone

• Repeated miscarriages or female problems

If you recognise any of these, remember that we deal with generational curses at inner healing sessions.

How to walk in Freedom in Christ

One of the key points from this is that we need the Holy Spirit, and His desires in us if we are to be free. In fact, there is no freedom without the desires of the Holy Spirit being in us. When we submit ourselves to the desires of God as expressed in His Word, and through His Spirit in us, we will walk in holiness and we will not complete the desires of the flesh. But when we see strife, dissension, drunkenness, sexual immorality, etc, we can be sure that the desires of the flesh are being followed. So, I want to urge you to understand the desires that the Lord has by studying and understanding His Word, and then yielding to His desires which, if you belong to Christ, are present within you.

You see, you need to WALK in freedom- you need to walk out your deliverance- it is not passive- you have a part to play. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26 ESV

Once you have chosen to follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit floods your heart and your mind. You don’t have to fall into the temptations of sin any longer. Yes, you will be tempted, but thanks to the Holy Spirit, you now have victory over sin. All you need to do is keep your eyes fixed on God.

Look to Jesus as your example of what to do when you are tempted. After fasting for 40 days in the wilderness, the devil came to Jesus and tempted Him three times, and all three times, Jesus did not stumble into sin (Matthew 4:1-11). Instead, He turned to the Word of God and worshiped His Father.

Jesus called the Word of God our “daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). Just as we all need to eat every day to nourish and fuel our bodies, we also need to daily consume God's Word to guard our hearts and minds from the enemy and from the temptation of sin (Ephesians 6:10-17). Though it may seem like a book of rules, the Bible, God’s Word, actually provides guidance on how to live as free as possible. When Jesus freed us, it says He took “captivity captive” (Ephesians 4:8 NIV). We didn’t go from being slaves of sin just to be enslaved to rules and expectations that are impossible to follow. However, that’s what the enemy wants you to think. He wants to deceive you into believing that choosing to follow Jesus means your life is over.

When you read God’s Word and pray regularly, and then temptation comes your way, you will be ready to recognize it for what it is and to run from it before it has a chance to take up residence in your life.

Galatians 5:16, NLT | “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

The fruits of freedom in Christ

Freedom is always meant to be enjoyed. Freedom is meant to give you a new life, a fresh start, and opportunity to be everything God designed you to be. Once you have been saved, you are a child of God, and a part of His Heavenly Kingdom; and God longs to lavish His children richly with blessings of all kinds.

Here are just a few verses that tell of the blessings we can expect to receive when we walk in the Spirit:

Ephesians 1:3, ESV | “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

2 Corinthians 9:8, ESV | “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”

Proverbs 16:7, ESV | “When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

Colossians 1:11, ESV | “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,”

If you have never experienced the gift of salvation and freedom from sin that is freely offered through Jesus Christ, I urge you to consider taking that step today. I promise, it will be the most important decision you can ever make. Today, you can break free from the chains that bind you and enter into freedom that can only be found in Christ Jesus. And the first step of that is to be baptized in the name of Jesus and also baptized in the spirit if you already haven’t….And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. V38 There is power in the name of Jesus that consequently brings FREEDOM.

You see, many people think that it is material possessions that brings freedom- more money, a better job, better house, the best education for my child…etc. but if you dig deep- people can have all these things yet still feel empty inside, still not be at peace, still be battling recurring problematic patterns in their life, still be having problems in their marriage. You see, JESUS is the only answer to freedom. And obeying His word is the only way to freedom. There are no shortcuts. There is no other way.

Prayer

Lord, we want to obey you, we want to love you because we are redeemed people, we are forgiven people, we are adopted by your son. We now have a new identity, and we are a new creation because of Christ. God, help us not to live in the way of the world. Help us not to live the way of our own life because now you have given us a new life, a new purpose, a new desire to love you, to honor you. God, forgive us as individuals, forgive us as a church that we have compromised in so many ways and in so many times. God, we ask for your forgiveness, we ask that you give us a revival in our hearts that we will run away from sin and run to our Lord Jesus Christ.

God, will you help us all. God, we want to pray for those that are not saved in our midst. God, will you work in their hearts, stir their hearts to know that there is only one true God just like Daniel and the three friends who knew that there is one true God and they worshipped and bowed down to the only one true God, Jehovah God. God, we want to pray for your people that they will stand firm, even when the world asks us to cave in, when the world’s pleasures and the pressures of the world come into our hearts, that you will allow us to stand firm, anchored on the cross, unto our salvation, that we will lean to the Spirit's leading and not lean to our own flesh. God help us all. We are all prone to wander but we know that you have the power to give us a victorious Christian life. Thank you. We love you. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.