If you have been in a church for any length time you have probably heard some of these sayings in reference to “being free”: (If you haven’t, I might suggest looking into a new church but I’ll save that for another blog post.)
“The truth will set you free!”
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.”
“If the son has set you free you are free indeed!”
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!”
These sayings/phrases come up in sermons and in worship songs so often that I wonder if some even realize they are straight of out Scripture? We use them in conversations… sometimes to only fill the silence. While we mean well… these words are powerful. We should be careful to recognize the power in these words and speak them with the authority God has given us thru Jesus Christ, His death on the cross, and resurrection from the grave!
“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine: and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” John 8:32
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
“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.” Galatians 5:1
I want you to notice that 2 Corinthians 3:17 and John 8:36 deal with the supernatural side of freedom. It is a guarantee…a done deal…when the Lord, the Holy Spirit, or the Son sets us free. It is up to us to remain free! In order to remain free we must “continue” in His word according to John 8:31. We must also “stand firm” and not “let” ourselves “be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” as listed in Galatians 5:1.
“Slavery” (bondage, oppression, depression, shame, fear, ETC) is not just for the unbeliever. Note the word “again” in Galatians 5:1. We have been set free in Christ but that doesn’t mean the devil lowers his weapons and stops attacking us.
In order to remain free in Christ we must learn to use the Sword of The Spirit (His Word) against the devil.
Tweet This(I put that twice on purpose… it is THAT important!)
The next thing we must do is “stand firm” and not “let” ourselves “be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” as listed in Galatians 5:1. How do we stand firm? The Bible tells us to “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground” and to “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.”
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
How do we not “let” ourselves “be burdened again by a yoke of slavery”? I don’t know about you but it helps me to know that I am not alone and that people are praying for me like it says in verse 18! This is why it is a priority in my life to go to a ladies Bible study every week. It is also something my husband makes a priority because he sees how much it helps our marriage as well. Is it always easy? No! Is it always worth it? YES!
If I am carrying a burden my Sisters in Christ are quick to help me carry it.
They are also quick to help me stand my ground by literally standing with me in prayer. Each week we stand together and put the devil back under our feet where he belongs! After all, it is only by our permission that he ever got above our ankles!