Freedom in Christ: A Clarification

COMMENTS

Well, I mentally scratched the “Freedom in Christ” topic off my list and returned to 2 Peter.  I read the same passage for three days, but God didn’t speak.  At that point, I started to wonder if I was supposed to be doing something other than 2 Peter!  Then last night, He spoke.  We’re not yet finished with Freedom in Christ, after all.

NOTES

The Bible teaches us that when we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We are then God’s possession.  Therefore, with the Holy Spirit indwelling us, Satan can’t possess us because we belong to God.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 God talks about what happens when we come to Christ:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

I love the exclamation point at the end of that promise ;-).  When we accept Christ and receive the Holy Spirit, we are no longer who we were before.  We’re new!  I witnessed that in an extraordinary way when my husband became a Christian at the age of 62.  He changed so dramatically that all of us who had known him for years were stunned.  A man doesn’t change that much that quickly unless God has touched his life.

I tell you that in order to make a point.  Sometimes, God works quickly; and a sin we have dealt with is just no longer a temptation to us.  God just removes it, with little or no struggle on our part.  It’s wonderful when God works that way.  However, in His divine wisdom, sometimes He allows us to fight a battle.  Maybe we need the confidence and strength that is developed only in combat with the enemy.  Maybe God has another purpose.  But I suspect that if we each take a close look at our lives, we’ll see that some victories come easily; and some are difficult.

If the battles you fight are just skirmishes, the Spirit has probably overcome your issues relatively easily.  However, sometimes we give Satan a “hold” on us in certain areas of our lives.  This is NOT Satanic possession, but it IS an area of particular weakness—a stronghold and a battleground.  When we face these situations, stronger action must be taken in order to obtain the victory.  This is when we pull out the “tools”, the weapons that we discussed in recent posts.

The important thing to remember is that our victory, whether won easily or with great struggle, is always in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He deserves all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise.  It is through Him and in Him that we are truly free.

Freedom in Christ: The Victory!

COMMENTS

Victory.  That was the final word in my last posting.  I didn’t plan it that way; but apparently, the Lord did ;-).  Victory is our goal, and it’s the title God gave me for the last posting of our current topic.  Lord, we want to hear what you have to say….

NOTES

The dictionary defines “victory” as “a successful ending of a struggle or contest”.  That’s what I want:  a successful ending of my struggle against my own sinful nature and against Satan.  Fortunately, that’s what God wants for me, as well.  He provided a way for that victory in the death and resurrection of Jesus.  He speaks to me, and He longs for me to hear, obey, and walk triumphantly through this life and into Glory.

Two things interfere with my hearing God’s voice:  (1) me and (2) Satan.  Sometimes, when God speaks, my sinful nature gets in the way.  It’s as if I have my fingers in my ears and am saying “la, la, la, la, la” like a child who doesn’t want to hear his parent’s words.  Other times, Satan is the interference.  In that case, it’s more like Satan’s holding a sound barrier between me and God, making it difficult for me to hear God’s voice while, at the same time, Satan is yelling in my ears.  God is always there, always telling me how much He loves me and offering godly wisdom to help me walk in the elusive victory we’ve been talking about.  God is always speaking—I’m the one who’s not hearing.

One quick disclaimer:  Submitting to God and resisting Satan is not a guarantee of a worry-free life.  God has allowed Satan power in this world for a limited time.  Even if I am able to live a perfect life (which I’m not), wholly submitted to God and completely resisting Satan and my sinful nature, the other people who live here are making their own decisions; and those decisions affect me and my loved ones and my property, etc., etc.  And then there’s nature.  Remember, the tornado that hit us a month ago?  That tornado didn’t happen because one of my neighbors made a bad choice.  It happened because I live in a fallen world.  Bottom line:  Heaven is perfect, but this world isn’t.  That imperfection sometimes brings pain and suffering into my life, no matter how godly my life is.

So, as much as I am able with God’s help, I will submit to God and battle Satan.  God’s message to each of us is that we DON’T have to be beat up and defeated.  God has provided the path and the map for that “successful ending”. 

Finally, resisting is active.  It’s offense not defense.  I don’t have a naturally aggressive personality, so I’ve had to learn how to confidently assert the authority God has given me over the evil one.

Our God loves us completely and unconditionally.  He wants us to live lives that honor Him; and if we’re truly His, we want that, too.  Living in bondage doesn’t honor Him, but living in freedom does.  Fight the fight!  Accept the freedom He offers!  Live in Victory!