Alexis Patterson, GFC Van Dyke
Independent of the world but fully dependent on God = FREEDOM
Happy 4th of July!
In Christ we have freedom! 2 Corinthians 3:17 reads “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
We have the freedom to choose to follow God and lead in love. We’re free from sin, condemnation, shame and any strongholds the enemy places on our lives.
Think about a time or maybe even in this present moment where you need(ed) freedom from something or someone. I remember mine vividly. About four years ago, I found myself feeling so frustrated at the complacency in my life. I was working in a career where I didn't see any growth, my relationship with my husband seemed mediocre, and my way of living was to let life happen to me. There was no real direction or guidance in my path but I knew I needed to be free from my current life's circumstances. I wanted to be independent of a job I wasn't passionate about and I wanted so much more for my marriage and life overall. I turned to God and asked Him to take the lead in my life. I hadn’t ever done that before. I knew Him, I loved Him, but I was out of true relationship with Him.
This led me to go deeper, seeking God for answers and purpose. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was seeking God for freedom. Freedom to live for Him, to align with Him, and to allow Him to lead my life. I was searching for purpose and meaning to all aspects of my current existence. The very moment I asked Him, He began to work. It was this metaphoric picture of a child raising her hands up to her father to be lifted up into his arms and the father reaching down to pick her up. He literally
lifted me. Once He got me into His arms, He never let me go and that’s when real life began for me.
Freedom begins in knowing who our Heavenly Father is and who we are to Him. It’s knowing that He’s such a good Father and He withholds nothing good from His children. The experience of freedom comes in knowing that you are fully independent of the world, to be totally dependent on God. That is true freedom. As we go into America’s Independence Day we should absolutely reflect on what it means to be free in America. But let us not forget what it means to be free in the Spirit of the Lord. For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Prayer:
Father, Thank You for choosing me. I am so grateful because I know that in Your pursuit of my heart, You have granted me freedom. I have freedom to accept the call You’ve placed on my life, freedom to know You intimately and freedom to live boldly for You. Today, I pray against any of the enemy’s strongholds that try to prevent me from truly living free. I acknowledge that the enemy exists but he has no authority over me because You have chosen me and set me free. I humbly submit my life to You for real uninhibited freedom. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.