Category Archives: Freedom

Bible, Freedom, Grace, Law, Scripture

ONLY IF

GALATIANS 3:21

“Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? Far from it! For if a law had been given that was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.”

There’s a saying, “Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” You can get close and still have a point or cause an impact. But in everything else, you need to hit it right on the dot. It does no good to say, “If only I had scored more points” or “If only I had studied more.” Do you get my meaning?

In today’s verse, Paul is saying if only the law had been able to save us. He knew the limitations of the law because he had tried to live by it. He knew from first had experience the frailty of the Law. The Law did point to Christ, but only the ones who placed their faith in Jesus are able to see it.

APPLICATION

Most of us Gentiles have never been burdened in keeping the Law of Moses. We have never thought about eating kosher or following all the restrictions. Only when we come to Christ do we see how the Law points to Him. But we put ourselves under so many other Laws like going to church every time the doors are open or giving our tithe each week. I’ve even been told you can’t fish or hunt on Sunday.

No law is able to redeem us back into the relationship with Jesus that we need. I think of Matthew 11:28-30. “28‘Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30  For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.’” The yoke of Jesus is not burdensome. Why? Because He is yoked along with us. He shows us how to live holy.

So, how will you live today – under Law or under grace? What does living under grace mean to you? You need to live each day as if He is going to appear any moment. Live to please the Master. Live to honor Him in everything you do. Will you do that?

Lord God, You gave us the Law to point toward Jesus. Thank You for His saving grace.

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Belief, Bible, Captivity, Escape, Freedom, God's Will, Redemption, Scripture, Witnessing

PURCHASED

GALATIANS 3:13

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: ‘CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE’—”

Over 150 years ago here in the U.S., slavery was a part of the economic system. Slaves were purchased off the slave block as they arrived on ships. Most of these slaves came from Africa, but not all. Where they came from was not important. Where they were now was. The horrors of slavery have been told over and over. We should never forget it. The freedom for those slaves was purchased by acts of brave men who saw it as evil. These abolitionists even bought slaves in order to free them.

The word used in today’s verse for “redeemed” is exagorazó. It is not the usual word used for “redeem.” It is more general in nature. Albert Barnes explains the word this way. “It occurs in the New Testament only in this place, and in Galatians 4:5, Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5. It properly means, to purchase, to buy up; and then to purchase anyone, to redeem, to set free. Here it means, that Christ had purchased, or set us free from the curse of the Law, by his being made a curse for us.” One man for many!

APPLICATION

You and I do not have to do that today. We do not purchase people out of slavery. But we do have the privilege to show them a Savior who can set them free from all their sins. Acts 1:8 still has application for us today. “‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’” Do you believe that? I do.

How about 1 Peter 3:15? “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” You see, we still have a mandate from God to help execute this “purchase.” He is still using people like us to provide this ransom for their souls.

Will you commit to being part of this team? God wants to use us to see lost souls come to Jesus. Yes, God could part the skies and proclaim, “Repent now in Jesus’ name.” He could send every single person on earth a personal message. He can do anything. But He has chosen to use us in these last days to deliver the message. Let’s do this!

I am thankful You purchased me off the slave block of sin where I was doomed to an evil master.

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Accountability, Appeasement, Bible, Boundaries, Choices, Commands, Consequences, Freedom, Peace, Scripture

ABSOLUTELY NOT

GALATIANS 3:12

“However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, ‘THE PERSON WHO PERFORMS THEM WILL LIVE BY THEM.’”

Do you remember those times as a child or teen when you asked your parents permission to do something and the answer you got was “Absolutely Not!”? What did that mean? What right did they have to say that to you? What harm could it do to jump off the roof into a pile of leaves you had raked up? Right? Come on, mom and dad. Give me some room to explore life.

Paul uses a little Greek word for “not” here that has a stronger meaning than the English implies. Ouk is stronger than me, which is another Greek word for “not.” Don’t let me lose you here. Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, used ouk because he wanted to show that there was absolutely no way the Law could produce faith. He quotes Leviticus 18:5, which would have been familiar to his audience. This was God speaking to Moses right before He gave him some of the laws He expected them to follow.

APPLICATION

Following laws may seem easy, but it’s not. For instance, how many of you follow the law of driving the speed limit? The law is clear. It’s posted on road signs, for goodness to sake. In case you forget what the speed limit is, it’s going to show up again down the road. But as hard as you try, you will never keep that law exactly. The second you go over it, you have broken the law. You may not see immediate consequences, but you have broken the law.

Paul is trying to show the Galatians the futility of trying to keep the Law. In the same way, the second you break one of the commands listed in the Law, you have become guilty of breaking the whole Law. You may not see the consequences immediately, but they are coming one day.

In contrast, faith in Jesus removes all the consequences of our failures. When we come to Him and confess our sins and accept Him as Lord and Savior, we are freed from any and all consequences of sin. We are made righteous in His eyes. Paul says it another way over in Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Now, that is shouting ground, people! Give God praise!

When I could not fulfill the requirements of the Law, You gave me Jesus Who could and did fulfill it all and gave me life.

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Bible, Freedom, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Scripture

DEAD TO IT

GALATIANS 2:19

“For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live for God.”

What freedom we have when we finally get victory over something that has controlled us! Amen? It wasn’t until I understood the freedom that I have in Christ that I was able to escape the self-imposed shackles of religion. I believed I had to do certain things to gain God’s love. I thought I had to also not do other things.

Paul was very aware of this mindset. His training as a Pharisee had taught him to follow the Law. But now he understands that the Law could never lead him to righteousness. Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers says this about this verse, “The road to freedom from the Law lay through the Law.” Paul wanted to make sure Peter and the other Jewish believers in Antioch was reminded of that freedom.

APPLICATION

You can’t say it much simpler than Jesus did in John 8:36. “‘So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.’” Jesus is saying this in the midst of a conversation with the religious leaders. They equated freedom with release from enslavement. They did not even realize they were enslaved to their laws and guidelines. They did not understand the freedom Jesus was referring to.

In 2 Corinthians 3:17 we read, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” That is the key to our freedom. We have the Spirit of the Lord dwelling within us as believers. The Spirit reminds us of this freedom day after day. He tells us we do not have to be tied to the Law or man-made guidelines anymore.

I am so thankful for my freedom in Christ. I am thankful I am dead to all those old ideas I had about what it meant to be spiritual. Living dead to them and alive to Christ makes everyday a day worth living. It brings new excitement, not drudgery. Isn’t that how you want to live?

Father, I thank You for my freedom I have in Jesus and for the life I can live through Him.

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Abiding, Accountability, Appeasement, Bible, Choices, Commands, Deliverance, Freedom, Gospel, Law, Scripture

YOU CAN’T GO BACK

GALATIANS 2:18

“For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a wrongdoer.”

Millions of people make the fatal mistake of returning to past sins or past ways of living. For example, meth addicts are extremely precluded to do this. They can be in jail for a year, clean from the use of this substance, and the very day they get released they return to it. It’s like a magnet drawing them. Sadly, there are many who also come to Christ but get drawn back into old habits or sins.

In today’s verse, Paul is still addressing Peter and the Jewish believers who are there in Antioch. He is saying that once they had come to Christ, the Law no longer held any sway over them. The sacrifices were no longer required. Circumcision was no longer needed. Kosher eating had been abolished. They were free in Christ. But they were returning or still trying to observe these guidelines in the Law. Paul said that would make them a “wrongdoer.”

APPLICATION

In Romans 14, Paul addresses at length this issue of our freedom in Christ. Take a minute or two and read that whole chapter. But let me share a couple of verses as an example. Verse 2-3 say, “2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but the one who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.”

I have a responsibility to myself and to others to be true to Christ, not some man-made, imposed tradition or rule. I only answer to Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17 comes to mind. Do you know that verse? You should. It says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Oh, the freedom we have in Christ. I live each day to please Him. I know if I am pleasing my Master, He will take care of the rest. Others may not like my freedom in Christ. That’s okay. He does. That’s all that matters. Are you free? Have you laid down all those old laws that bound you? Or have you returned to them, thinking that by doing them you are pleasing Him? Lay them down. Live in Him.

Thank You, Lord, for freeing me from the shackles of sin and the Law.

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Bible, Freedom, Passion, Scripture, Zealous

ZEALOUS FOR THE WRONG STUFF

GALATIANS 1:14

“and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.”

Okay, I have to admit it – I’m an avid Georgia Bulldog fan. I went to school at the University of Georgia, so it’s my school. I am especially a football fan. I have enjoyed the past few seasons with the success the team has had. But I know it is only a sport and that life does not hang in the balance with each win or loss. There are some fans, however, who are truly fanatics. They live and die with each ballgame. Zealous for the wrong reason!

Paul admits in verse 14 that he, too, was zealous for the wrong reasons. The Greek word for “zealous” comes from the root word zeo which mans to be hot enough to boil. Paul was, indeed, a zealot for the Jewish faith, even chasing down the early believers, throwing them in jail and even approving of their death. Remember, he was present when Stephen was stoned to death. He was zealous but for the wrong thing.

APPLICATION

In Luke 6:15, we find one of Jesus’ apostles was called a zealot. “…and Simon who was called the Zealot;” Simon was a zealot over fighting for freedom from the Romans. When Jesus called him to be one of his chosen twelve, his zeal was changed from seeking freedom militarily to seeking freedom spiritually. Paul was no exception. Instead of seeking to arrest early Christians, he was arrested by God on that Damascus road and finally set free. Now, he was extremely zealous for Christ. He was even willing to risk his own life spreading the good news of the Gospel.

1 Corinthians 14:12 speaks to us all regarding the correct zeal we should pursue. “So you too, since you are eager to possess spiritual gifts, strive to excel for the edification of the church.” Instead of trying to obtain spiritual supremacy, we should be zealous to build up the body of Christ, the church. God has given each of us gifts for the body. Those are the things we should seek, not for ourselves, but for others.

The older I get, the less attention or praise I seek. I had rather serve behind the scenes and quietly watch others get blessed than seek my own accolades. When I do receive recognition, I want to be quick to give it all back to Him. I want to be zealous for Jesus, nothing else. Only He really matters. I want to boil over for Him. How about you?

I praise You, Lord, for giving me the zeal I need each day. Boil me over in passion for You.

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Accused, Bible, Blood, Conviction, Freedom, Redemption, Salvation, Scripture

SET FREE

ZECHARIAH 9:11

“As for you also, because of the blood of My covenant with you, I have set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.”

I have never been in jail or prison. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have my freedom of movement taken away. I cannot imagine being locked in a cell for months or years. I have visited a lot of prisons in my ministry. I have seen the loss of life in the eyes of the inmates. I went to bring hope to them in Christ. Some received – others didn’t. We all have that choice.

The Lord continues His discourse and in today’s verse proclaims freedom for the captives. He says, “I have set your prisoners free.” But notice how that is done. In the phrase right before that He says, “because of the blood of My covenant with you.” Only the blood could set them free. This truth continues to us today.

APPLICATION

How long were you enslaved before you were set free? Well Carl, I was never a slave to anything. I haven’t been put in jail or prison. Oh, that is not true. We are told we are either slaves to sin or slaves to obedience. We have been told that sin enslaves us. We are most definitely slaves to sin before salvation. We are doomed with an eternal sentence with no hope of parole.

But thanks be to God, He sent His Son to break those chains of bondage. Isaiah 61:1 says it most clearly. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD anointed me to bring good news to the humble; He has sent me to bind up the broken- hearted, to proclaim release to captives and freedom to prisoners;” This has been described as Jesus’ job description.

The chains that once bound me to the yoke of slavery have been snapped by the blood of Christ. The moment I said “yes” to Him, the chains fell off. I have power over sin. Sin does not control me. As long as I continue to abide in Him, His Spirit will lead me away from the lure of sin and into His warm embrace. Are you free today? I pray you are. If you aren’t, come to Him today.

The power of Your Son’s blood has set me free, Lord. Thank You for loving me so much.

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Bible, Captivity, Freedom, Running, Scripture

YOU HAD BETTER RUN TO GOD

ZECHARIAH 2:6

“‘You there! Flee from the land of the north,’ declares the LORD, ‘because I have spread you out like the four winds of the heavens,’ declares the LORD.”

Have you ever been told, “Run and run hard”? When I was a little boy my brother and I used to love to go to my Grandma Carter’s farm because we could roam that place and find all sorts of things to do. We loved to climb over in the pasture with the cows (that was a no-no, but we did it anyway). We would get as close to them as we could and then we would throw rocks at them. All is well until…you hit the bull. He didn’t like that. We would get chased by him and have to dive under the fence to escape. I can still hear my brother Tim yelling, “Run, Carl, Run!!”

The Lord God is delivering His message through the angel to Zechariah, but it is meant for all those still in Babylon. He says, “Run! Get back home! I’ve got a place for you here where you can spread out and be safe.” In fact, the sentence begins with a double yell. He cries out “Hoy, Hoy” just to get their attention. In other words, “Hey you there, you better listen up.”

APPLICATION

Isaiah tells the people a very similar message in Isaiah 48:20. “Go out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare with the sound of joyful shouting, proclaim this, send it out to the end of the earth; Say, ‘The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob.’” You have to understand something. For some of the captives, all they had ever known was Babylon. The thought of leaving, even a captivity, was frightening. It took some urging.

Is that you? You know you are being held captive by your sins. You know you need to leave what you are doing, but you are afraid to step out. Listen! Hoy! The God who is calling you is waiting for you. He has a better place for you. He would not call you out of the sin you are in to place you in a worse place. He is all about drawing us near to Him.

That reminds me of James 4:8. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Do that today. Cleanse and purify. That is done by coming to Him. He is the One who cleanses. He is the One who purifies.

I run to You, O God. I know You are standing with open arms.

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Battles, Bible, Freedom, Praise, Scripture, Sin, Surrender, Testimony

SHACKLES

NAHUM 1:13

“‘So now, I will break his yoke from upon you, and I will tear your shackles to pieces.’”

The first thing that I thought of when I read this verse was the song by Mary Mary called “Shackles.” The chorus says,

“Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just want to praise you
I just want to praise you
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I’m gonna praise you
I’m gonna praise you.”

Nahum is telling the Israelites that God is breaking their shackles of captivity put on them by the Assyrians (Nineveh). He is setting them free. I bet they felt just like Mary Mary. They just wanted to praise Him. Their shackles were real, though. They felt the weight of the chains. They knew how it felt when they fell off.

APPLICATION

What has you shackled right now? It could be a sin that you have not been able to shake off. You pray and pray but return to the cesspool of sin. That stronghold has you shackled with seemingly no escape. You may not have real chains, but it sure feels like it at times.

I have good news for you. God is still in the shackle breaking business. Lift your hands to Him in prayer, shackles and all, and ask Him to break them. Lay out your feet, shackles and all, and watch them fall off as you yield to Him and give Him everything. Until you do that, those shackles will continue to bind you.

Walking without shackles is a lot better than walking with them. You lose that “shackle shuffle” that is so obvious. When people see you walking free, they will ask what happened. That is when you can tell them you story. You can join with Mary Mary in singing,

“Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just want to praise you
I just want to praise you
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I’m gonna praise you
I’m gonna praise you.”

I love You, Lord, and I lift my hands to worship You. O my soul rejoice!

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Accused, Bible, Consequences, Enslavement, Freedom, Rescue, Scripture

JAIL BREAK

MICAH 2:13

“The one who breaks through goes up before them; they break through, pass through the gate, and go out by it. So their king passes on before them, and the LORD at their head.”

There have been so many movies about prisoners breaking out of prison. I think of The Bird Man of Alcatraz. I have seen James Cagney make prison breaks. And who can forget all the Westerns that included breaking out of the Sheriff’s jail? All these have one thing in common – getting free from confinement.

Micah, in today’s verse, is portraying the people of Israel breaking free from their imprisonment. “The one who breaks through” is a reference, according to some scholars, of Christ, Who sets us free from our enslavement to sin. But the last phrase tells it all – “and the Lord at their head.” He is the one responsible for their freedom.

APPLICATION

Are you enslaved today? Romans 6:16 says, “Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” You see, we are slaves to something.  

I have never been in jail (at least not yet, lol), but I can imagine how I would feel to be confined somewhere that I could not leave. When you are enslaved to sin, there is no escape. You cannot get out of this enslavement by yourself. You do not have the power to break the yoke of sin. But thanks be to God, He sent His Son to set us free.

I love Isaiah 61:1. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD anointed me to bring good news to the humble; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to captives and freedom to prisoners;” We have a mission to proclaim the good news. We can help point others to the One Who breaks through.

Thank You, Father, for breaking through the walls of sin as I call upon Your name.

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