FREEDOM

Psalm 118:5-6 “In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

I was at the Winter Jam last night in Johnson City, TN. A good few thousand people were in the Freedom Hall. The music was powerful and the preaching was effective but more than that God was there in our presence. We saw 290 people give first time decisions to the Lord. As I looked around there were young and old standing up. Kids and their mothers. What a powerful moment. God is still setting people free. God is still in the "freedom" business. There were men with their arms raised above their heads, there were young ladies praising with all of their hearts. Freedom comes in the power of God.

My son recently got a faux hawk, now I know some of you are thinking OH MY. Well let me tell you what has happened. We were at dinner the first night and I told my son that having a haircut like that would draw attention to himself and that in order to keep the haircut that he had to show a greater display of character and integrity. My son is a good kid, he loses privileges over silly things like forgetting to brush his teeth, not for being disrespectful or getting out of line. I want him to have to freedom to express himself in a way that he is comfortable with. He and I have been talking about stepping out of the box. Stop being like everyone else and be yourself. The Barlow Girls played last night and they have a t-shirt that I love that says, "Be a voice, not an echo". That's what I am trying to teach him. Yes are there others out there with his hairstyle. But it's a little out of the box, it's a stretch for me and my husband and I think that my son can handle it. By the way, its just hair and if it becomes a problem we can cut it off.

It gives him a sense of confidence to be a little on the edge. So get this, my thinking is, that if I can get him comfortable being the center of attention, if I can get him comfortable living just on the edge all the time, that when it comes time for him to live out his calling then he will be prepared. Being a homeschool mom I tend to be a little overprotective. I am finding with him that it's time to give him a little more space, a little more encouragement, teaching him to make sound decisions and helping him through this transition. I couldn't do this with him at 10, but now at way too close to 13 I am enjoying him in a whole new light. I want my son to be sold out for Jesus, I want him to be a radical disciple, I want his gift of evangelism to grow and be what people see when they look at him. Most of all I want him to know the love of Christ and live his life in Freedom. Knowing that Christ died so that he doesn't have to live in shackles of condemnation and guilt. True Freedom that comes from Christ.

So often we let our friends decide how level of passion. Well I am not going to raise my hands because they might think I am weird, I can't jump like that what are the people behind me going to think. SO WHAT?! Are you out to please the people behind you or are you out to please the God of the Universe? I see it with the youth, but not nearly as much as I do in the adult service. We have lost the ability to love God, to really love God with a reckless abandon that you can do as a child or a youth. As we get older we get jaded, we lose hope because we get so focused on reality. The reality of it is, that your reality would be a whole lot easier to deal with if you could find that reckless abandonment to love Christ with all of your being. If we could take our eyes off of our circumstances, our relationships, our checkbooks, our health, our "issues" long enough to look at the throne they would all seem to be so insignificant. I love it when my circumstances seem insignificant. That is what they are talking about when they mention the "peace that passes all understanding". Oh to live in that place everyday, every moment.

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."

I love that verse, Do not let yourselves. As if to remind us, your biggest enemy is yourself. We let our minds keep us captive. When we don't take our thoughts captive, then our thoughts can and will take us captive. It's the process, minute by minute, hour by hour. We are our worst enemy, we look around us to see who Satan is using to torment us in our lives but often the one he uses the most is the one we can only see in the mirror.

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

Are you a daughter of the risen King, have you prayed the prayer of salvation? Do you believe that the wages of sin is death, and that Christ died on the cross for you? Do you have faith in his ability to pay your debt that you can't even tally? Then DO NOT LET YOURSELF be burdened AGAIN with the condemnation. You are FREE in Christ. FREE. Not partially free, not only free on Sunday mornings during corporate worship, 24/7 Free. When we can get that, when we can get that Christ loves us, LOVES us, adores us, calls us precious, anointed, called, set apart, when we can get that, we will lay down everything that we hold so dear and walk in the Freedom that He died for.

Dear Father, this morning I come to you physically tired but spiritually renewed. Lord, I feel so humbled to be reminded that you are still setting people free. Lord, it is my prayer that we all would understand what that means and that we don't live in that yoke of slavery anymore. Precious Jesus, we thank you for your life, your nail scared hands, your blood that set us free. Today we decide to quit living like it was worthless, it is priceless and there is nothing that we can do to separate ourselves from the love that you have for us. Your love is more than we can comprehend, more than we can fathom and I thank you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit for your love. Father I thank you for creating me, Jesus I thank you for saving me, ME, from my penalty of death, from my burden, from my yoke. The price you paid, I am not worthy, but in you I am. Holy Spirit thank you for your teaching and your comfort. Your voice keeps me. You keep me from trouble, and I thank you for your constant guidance. Your hand on my life. The love you have placed in my heart. I am in awe of you this morning. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.