Why Be Free?

Currently, at my church we are in a series called, "God Can." We kicked it off Easter, and it's been powerful! Yesterday, rocked my world, the message was God can set you free from bondage and addiction. It was so convicting, and it still is convicting me, even now. There is so much that I struggle with, and I know the scriptures. I know the truth, it's the applying part, and various other things that I haven't done to make the application easier to apply.
The message started in Luke 4:18-19, where Jesus read a passage from Isaiah 61:1-2 saying that the prophecy was going to be fulfilled through Him.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.
2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,
and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.

I was glad to be assured that it's normal that I am tempted by the things I use to do, Satan wants me back. But I don't want Him back. God doesn't tempt me, Satan does, and to my flesh it looks good. I'm bad about not taking the thought captive and denying it. Instead I think about it till I'm distracted...Squirrel! My pastor gave some good points to go to. They were all Big steps for me, and things I see that I need to really work on. To acknowledge and confess my addictions, and bondage for what it really is...SIN. I'm bad at relabeling it at times, that it's just this or that, and it's not really my fault...blah, blah! I have committed sin against God and God alone. How grieved that should make my heart. In reviewing the notes this morning God planted me in James 1:14-27. James ain't for sissy's!

The second point was to affirm out loud and stand firm in our position, to refuse to be moved off the promises of God. I'm pretty good at standing firm in what I believe. But what I need to remember is that I don't have to give into temptation, I have the power of God living in me. I have power over situations. I believe that day to day I still try to do things in my own strength. I haven't fully learned how to appropriate Christ's power in my life fully. I was glad to know this doesn't mean I'm not unsaved or anything, I just have some learning to do. Learning comes by submitting to the Lord, it is obedience. Not just obedient to what I want to be obedient too, but to what He calls me to be obedient to in His Word. His Word is truth, and a lot of time we need a truth encounter, than we do power. This is true for me too. Satan has a way of slithering into my mind, and whispering all sorts of lies in my ear! Only the truth of God's Word can combat that! Speaking truth can combat even ourselves. Our flesh can lie to ourselves. It can convince us of things that aren't really happening. We must always come back to truth.
This next one cut deep in me. Forgiveness, becoming unbitter towards people and situations. It's really easy to see it in others, and point, but when it is revealed in you by the Holy Spirit...wow! It's not like I've had the opportunity before, God is patient with us, He keeps giving us chances to make it right. What gets me is, even when I do reject to do what I know is right He still loves me. Unforgiveness and bitterness gives Satan a mighty foothold in our lives, and it leads to serious strongholds, which is exactly where I have been. God showed me myself in the mirror of His perfection, and I saw how ugly my sin is. It has to be dealt with to close that window of opportunity I openly advertise to Satan. As long as that happens, Satan is going to have a hold on me, which is bondage essentially. If there is one thing I have learned about freedom it is this, We are as free as we allow ourselves to be.
So why be free? Well, why not?! The Lord revealed it to me this morning. He took me back to Exodus, where the Hebrew people were enslaved. God was going to set them free through Moses who was a type of Christ. The truth of this story, and their freeing is God didn't free the children of Israel so that they could relax poolside and drink sweet tea for the rest of their lives. God set them free so that they could fulfill their mission – to become a "light to the nations" (Isaiah 51:4). Just as Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies about Him, God has written our stories, and there are things we still have yet to fulfill for Him! There is a mission, and many need to hear the gospel truth, we are called to be a light. Be free so God can use you to be a freeing agent in others peoples lives. Moses went through some things, he was in some bondage before going back. Look up his story!
God bless you as you seek Him. May you find yourself free in Him. I'm working toward it too. Don't guilt and shame yourself, been there done that, get stuck there still. Remember to distinguish between flesh, and the new life God has given. You're not horrible, it just shows that you need a Savior...He's there.