Beloved one, listen to God’s Word for you in Galatians 5:1.

“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.”

Be released into your full freedom in Christ to be entirely whole in your spirit, soul, and body. Receive ministry from your Father until your inner being knows exactly who you are and is strong, as he takes all hindrances and baggage and replaces them with the life of his authority, grace, and freedom in you. You are not meant just to survive. You are meant to thrive and be whole, and free, and complete.

Right where God has placed you, there are things that he has put in you that you don’t know now and fruits in your character that he is building in you in this season and treasures in you that he has not yet revealed. Be released from all yokes of bondage to be the man/woman after God’s own heart that you are. Be blessed to possess your freedom to which he has called you.

Receive the tender correction of your Shepherd. Sometimes he uses his rod and staff to guide you, lest you stray from his care in paths of righteousness, but your soul resists. Welcome your Shepherd’s discipline for your good. He guides you to persevere into full freedom in himself that is your right in him. Persist and stand firm in him. Be blessed with all the liberty of the Lord. It’s yours, because Jesus set you free at the cross, and today he sets you free. Be blessed in his purpose for you to live free in full confidence in him.

Be blessed in the name of your Deliverer (Jeremiah 15:11).

by Sylvia Gunter
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Christ is Risen!

Celebrate Freedom

So Many Freedoms

The post Possess Your Freedom appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Kelly used to be burdened by fear and negative thinking. God had helped her overcome that stronghold in her life and she had been walking in new found hope and joy. She was learning to trust God with each fear that surfaced in her heart and mind.

Yet recently she recognized some of the old patterns creeping in. She found herself with an anxiousness she could not shake. That old feeling of fear was trying to put it’s stranglehold on her heart.

God is so gracious to us as we learn to trust Him. He understands that we are feeble and He sends help. His Word is a strong weapon for us as we seek to maintain the freedom we have found in our lives through trusting Jesus.

If you are struggling today with old patterns that threaten to drag you down take God’s Word to heart. He tells us what to do and He also tells us how to do it.

“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)

What to do: Recognize and acknowledge what is happening in your heart and mind. Determine to stand firm in God’s ways. You have been freed from the old patterns of fear or whatever drags you down. Declare that you will not be burdened again by this slavery.

”…be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2b)

How to do it: Allow your thinking to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask for the very concrete help He has promised in His Word.

Prayer & reflection:

Father God, Thank You that You have provided the freedom I need. Today I take my stand and by the power of Your Holy Spirit I will not be burdened again by this slavery.

Please be my strength where I am weak (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Please give me the power of Your Spirit to be self-controlled in my thinking and in my actions (Galatians 5:22 & 23).

Flood my heart with Your amazing peace (Philippians 4:7).

I praise You for supplying everything I need today to live a godly life for You
(2 Peter 1: 3 & 4).

Thank You that You are transforming me by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I trust You with my life.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

By Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

The post Stay Free appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“A man’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?” Proverbs 20:24

Imagine you’ve signed up for a race, but when the day of the race arrives, you notice that there is no starting line. No map. No indication at all where to run, because the road forks off in many different directions. Before you can ask where you’re supposed to run, the starting gun fires, and people dash in all different directions. What would you think of such a race?

Without God’s guidance, that’s what life is like. Our lives become ones of abject freedom. That is, freedom of a terrible kind. Not godly freedom of being set free to become the kind of people God always meant us to be.

Rather, without God’s guidance, we have freedom in licentious lack of restraint. In other words, anarchy. The laws by which polite society functions are, without God’s guidance, actually just social constructs which can be torn down at any moment by forceful power of convincing personality. Unrestrained freedom is another word for anarchy. Paradoxically, the kind of “freedom” that anarchy provides will result in less real freedom, not more. The freedoms that we cherish, such as being treated fairly, the right to speak and vote, to treasured possessions, to worship our God freely … none of these are guaranteed when society attempts to build its foundations in mid-air, lacking the solid ground of God’s Word.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105

Does God direct your steps? Or do you direct your own? Have you made a conscious decision to follow God’s light, as he lights the way for your steps? Or do you continue to stumble in darkness? Will you be able to honestly say along with the psalmist,

“My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped.” Psalm 17:5

God’s wonderful truth is that it is never too late for anyone to turn and follow Him. Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection embodies enough forgiveness to cover any sin. If we are told to forgive our brothers & sisters “seventy times seven” times when they have wronged us (Matthew 18:22, ESV); essentially an unlimited number of times) how much more will our merciful Father in Heaven forgive us when we repent and ask Him to turn our steps back to His path?

God’s Word is our guide to the race of life. My prayer for you today is that you will be able to say along with the apostle Paul,

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)

Father, forgive us when we ignore the necessary guidance your Word. Help us to gain full understanding of your truth. Guide us so that we will walk your paths and finish the race in simultaneous triumph and humility by the power of Your Spirit at work in us. In Jesus name, amen.

By Darren Hewer
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• When God Interrupts
• The Christian and the Bible – do you believe it is the infallible truth?

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

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“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 (NIV)

Since those first euphoric democratic elections in 1999, citizens of South Africa celebrate Freedom Day every year on April 27. It is a reminder that freedom is truly precious. Jesus’ death on the cross made us free from the burden of sin. Now knowing Him and receiving His gift of salvation makes us truly free. It is a freedom we can celebrate every day of the year and it is a freedom that is magnetic. In “Bread for the Journey” Henri Nouwen writes, “When you are interiorly free you call others to freedom, whether you know it or not. Freedom attracts wherever it appears.”

Reflect:
Are you standing in the freedom that Christ has bought for you?
Is your freedom so attractive to others that they also want to know this Jesus?

Prayer:
Father, thank You for my freedom. I don’t take it for granted. I receive and embrace this freedom that makes me free body, soul and spirit. Help me to live in such a way that I make You attractive to others.

The post Celebrate Freedom appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“So now anyone who is in Christ Jesus is not judged guilty.”  Romans 8:1 (ERV)

I believe condemnation and guilt has been a great discouragement for many in the Body of Christ.  Too many have left the church and their relationship with the Lord, feeling they are no longer worthy of His love.

The Bible is filled with many stories of those that failed greatly.  Let’s take a look at David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11).  David stayed home from war. He saw Bathsheba on the roof bathing and sent for her.  To make a long story short, she became pregnant and he had her husband killed after he refused to lay with his wife.   When you read Psalm 51 and many of David’s Psalms you will find that David knew how to get back into God’s good graces. I believe this is why God referred to him as a man after his own heart. If David can pray and ask for God’s forgiveness after doing what he did, why can’t we?

In Psalm 32:5 David said God instantly forgave him of his guilt. He did not continue carrying it. It did not keep him out of fellowship with the Father.  Many of us, however, feel as though we have no right in His presence. Hebrews 4:16 says we should come boldly before the throne of grace to receive the help we need in our failures. The Lord is the only one that can help us get back on track. David believed God would be gracious to him. If he can believe that and Jesus had not died yet, how much more can we?  His blood shed on the cross left us with NO CHARGES!! We, as born again believers, are NOT GUILTY in the eyes of our Father. Our penalties have been PAID IN FULL by the blood of the Lamb!!! Now that is good news!

My prayer for you today is that you will no longer believe the lies of the enemies. No longer walk in condemnation or guilt. The past is the past.  You are a child of the King and He wants to be in fellowship with you. He loves you dearly. It is time to freely receive His grace in your life and begin to move forward. Forgive yourself, He already has.

By Mary Pinckney
used be permission

Related Reading

Not Guilty – by Max Lucado

Get Rid of Guilt  by Katherine Kehler

Dealing With Guilty Feelings –  by Charles Stanley

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“So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus” Romans 8:1

It was Sunday, a time to reflect on Christ’s suffering and death and to think about the payment for our guilt and sin. As I sat in church, I noticed a couple in the pew in front of me. In the past year, he had been unfaithful to his wife. He had to live with the consequences, but he knew that God’s love and forgiveness were there for him to receive because of Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross. He had repented and God forgave Him.

Next to me sat a man recently separated from his wife and children. His life was a mess. Someone had reported him for exposing himself to a girl at a drive-through restaurant. He had severe problems but he was here in church because he knew Christ had forgiven all his sins – past, present and future. He repented, God forgave him and now he sang the hymns with conviction.

The church is full of sinners. Some sins are well known, others are hidden, but God knows the hearts of each one of us. He longs to show compassion toward us all. Communion reminds us that without Christ’s death and resurrection there would be no personal relationship with God. There would be no forgiveness of sins, no sense of freedom. Because of Christ we can be forgiven. We just have to admit our sin and turn from it. He is waiting with open arms.

Thank You Lord, for the ordinance of communion – a time to reflect on your sacrificial love for us. A time to thank You for forgiving our sins – past, present and future. Amen.

By Katherine Kehler
Used by Permission

If you are looking for a deeply satisfying relationship with God, I encourage you to pray by faith and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has given you His Holy Spirit to help you live life according to His perfect plan. Why not pray this simple prayer and by faith invite Him to fill you with His Spirit:

Dear Father, I need You. I acknowledge that I have sinned against You by directing my own life. I thank You that You have forgiven my sins through Christ’s death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to again take His place on the throne of my life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled, and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith. I pray this in the name of Jesus. As an expression of my faith, I thank You for directing my life and for filling me with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Further Reading

•  Prayer of Forgiveness and Release

• Forgiveness – Yourself and  Others

•   The Power of Forgiveness | by Dr. Henry Brandt

•  Salvation Explained

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This winter, in a far North community, I experienced 24-hour darkness for the first time. A deep respect grew in my heart for the people who live there year-round and simply take it in stride.

I received an e-mail from a friend there yesterday exclaiming, “The sun is back!” The days will lengthen rapidly now, and in four short months, the land that was shrouded in total darkness will experience total light. Children will run and play in the streets at midnight with the sun high in the sky. With the light comes new life to the village. With the light comes a freedom to run and play without the heavy clothes of winter and the fear of polar bears in the shadows.

Light dispels darkness. A Bible verse reminds us about this very thing.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8)

If you have received the forgiveness Jesus holds out to each one of us and have invited Him into your life, you have moved from darkness into light. Are you living today as a child of light?

Have you shed the heavy parka of guilt and shame? Have you kicked off the boots that make your feet feel leaden as you go your own way? Are you still wearing winter mittens that cause your hands to fumble as you try to do what God wants? Does your life feel encumbered by fear that came from the darkness but has no place now in the light?

As a child of the light you are called to freedom; freedom to run and play and dance in the Son. Freedom that comes as you ask daily to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Freedom to be who God created you to be and fulfilled in the very depths of your soul.

Ask Him today to fill you afresh with His Spirit. Ask Him today to help you shed the heavy clothes of winter that drag you down. He can help you break that habit or overcome that discouragement. He can give you wisdom and open new paths for your feet. He can help you rise above the fears you still carry of shadows in the dark. His Holy Spirit can fill you with His power to live life far beyond your own very best efforts. Today, live as a child of the light!

Heavenly Father, Today I invite Your Holy Spirit into my life in a fresh and new way. I ask for Your help in understanding how to shed the heavy winter gear and the fears that linger so I can live in freedom. Fill me today, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, with everything I need for every step I take. Today I want to live as a child of the Light. Thank You that in You, this provision is possible. In the strong name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

by Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  Pressing the RESET button on our lives 

•   Keeping Yourself in God’s Love – even during painful times in your life

•  Salvation Explained

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“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6: 14, 15 (LAB)

I’ve pondered these verses. God’s forgiveness of our sins seems to hinge on how we forgive others. Why is this so important?

Forgiveness is like a coin with two sides: the forgiveness each of us needs from God, and the forgiveness we owe to other human beings. They are inseparable. One coin.

Unless we forgive we let bitterness control us. Bitterness is like a plug between me and God; between me and another person. Unless I pull the plug, His forgiveness and love cannot flow. There is no receiving without giving. As we give, it is given unto us. We just cannot have forgiveness in any other way, because that is the way life works.

“But it’s so unfair,” you say.

Yes, life is unfair, but let God handle the unfairness. He’s a God of justice and He’ll look after the unfairness in due time.

Forgiveness is a decision we make not based on feeling.

“God, I want to forgive. Give me the grace to forgive.”  And then, “I do forgive (name) now.”

During the Second World War, Corrie ten Boom had suffered much in a concentration camp. Her father and sister did not survive the brutal treatment. By some fluke, Corrie was released. She spent the rest of her life proclaiming the message of God’s love and forgiveness.

One day after she’d spoken in a small church in Germany, she was at the door shaking hands. A man came down the aisle who looked strangely familiar. With a jolt, Corrie recognized him: he’d been one of the guards at the concentration camp.

“I can’t shake his hand,” Corrie thought, frantically looking for a way of escape.

“Forgive him as I have forgiven you,” Jesus whispered.

“Jesus. Would you do it through me,” she whispered as she lifted her hand.

And with that act, Corrie was free. Free to be the person God wanted her to be.

Dear Jesus, take over my heart so that I will see people as you see them and forgive them as you forgive them.

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

God is Thinking about You
God’s Mysterious Ways

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

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Take control of your life today!

Refuse to allow bad decisions to dictate your actions any longer. Every day you are awarded new mercies, new opportunities, and a clean slate. Go ahead, pick yourself up and keep moving forward.

No more living by feelings and emotions, they are not reliable. Live by what you know is true, the Word of God. His promises are real. Make an exchange with God and be empowered through your union with Him. If you don’t know Him as Lord and Savior, today is a great day to begin. https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws

Father, as we come to you today to lay down the baggage of fear, doubt, insecurity, shame, etc. we make an exchange with you for the oil of gladness, confidence, boldness, and peace. We thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die on the cross that we may walk in freedom. Today, we say no to every attempt to sway us from your best for our lives. We say no to fear and anxiety playing on our emotions. Today, we choose to walk in stability and forgiveness.

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

•  Stepping Into a Personal Revival
•  We Plan – God Directs

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

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How often at the start of a new week do we wonder what this week will bring? 

We may have had a wonderful, relaxing weekend and yet when we wake and look at another week ahead of us, we worry that there will not be enough hours in the day to complete all the goals we have set for ourselves, and the days seem to stretch out endlessly.  It also seems to be that in today’s world it is all about goals and where we are headed.  The end result seems to be all we think about and we are always working towards that end and miss so many beautiful moments and blessings along the way.

God has given us the freedom to choose how we live our lives and it is up to us to ensure that we choose the path that God is showing us.  Do we take up too much time striving to meet deadlines or accomplish goals?  Are we too impatient trying to see the end results of our striving?  How often do we walk in the sunlight among the flowers or are we always walking in the shadows, stressed and withdrawn.

These days we are told to prioritize, but do we place more priority on our daily work rather than seek God’s guidance and place God as our priority before we attempt anything else?  Whatever we are doing we need to place God first and that means whether we are in paid work, tending to our families, volunteering, in fact, anything that fills the hours in our day.  Let it all be for God’s glory so that the light of Christ can shine through this world.

Colossians 3:23-24
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Loving and Compassionate Christ, help us to seek your direction in all that we do.  Enable us to embrace every moment of each day so that we can see the everyday miracles and share your unconditional love with all we meet.  Amen.

By Terry Stead
Used by Permission

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No one but Jesus can give deliverance to captives. Real liberty comes from Him alone.

It is a liberty righteously bestowed. The Son, who is Heir of all things, has a right to set people free. The saints honor the justice of God, which secures their salvation.

It is a liberty which has been dearly purchased. Christ speaks it by His power, but He bought it by His blood. He makes you free, but it is by His own bonds. You are free and clear, because He bore your burden for you. You have liberty because He has suffered in your place. But, though dearly purchased, He freely gives it. Jesus asks nothing of us as a preparation for this liberty. He finds us sitting in sackcloth and ashes, and encourages us to put on the beautiful array of freedom. He saves us just as we are, and all without our help or merit.

When Jesus sets free, the liberty is perpetually entailed. No chains can bind us again. Let the Master say to me, “Captive, I have delivered you,” and it is done for ever. Satan may plot to enslave us, but if the Lord is on our side, whom shall we fear? The world, with its temptations, may seek to ensnare us, but mightier is He who is for us than all they who are against us. The machinations of our own deceitful hearts may harass and annoy us, but He who has begun the good work in us will carry it on and perfect it to the end. The foes of God and the enemies of man may gather their forces together, and come with concentrated fury against us, but if God acquits, who is he that condemns? Not more free is the eagle which mounts to his rocky nest and out soars the clouds than the soul Christ has delivered.

If we are no longer under the law, but free from its curse, let our liberty be practically exhibited in our serving God with gratitude and delight. “O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.” (Psalm 116:16) Ask: “Lord, what would You have me do?”

Question: If true freedom is not total lack of restraint, but the divine enabling of being all we were meant to be, why does the Christian life sometimes feel restrictive?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon. Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer 2010.

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“Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds.

And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free!”  Ephesians 1:7-8
(The Message)

Imagine walking out of prison. What would it be like to be rid of a cell’s narrow confinement? How would it feel to leave someone else’s schedule behind? No more being told when to eat, when to talk, when to sleep. Freedom would feel strange and unfamiliar. A former prisoner might have a hard time accepting that they were really free. She might wonder, “Where are the guards? Who will tell me where to go? When to eat? What to do? Am I really free? How free am I?”

For a myriad of reasons Christians often find it difficult to believe we are truly free. We know ourselves. We know our sinful tendencies. We have experienced repeated failures. How is it possible that God looks upon us through the blood spilled by Christ on the cross and declares us free? But that is what we are a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free!

The Apostle Paul triumphantly declares to the Roman Christians, “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1) There it is again! We are free!

The released prisoner has the choice to continue living as though prison walls surround her or to walk with head held high, believing that the punishment has been paid. For us—released and redeemed—we walk with joy and gratitude that God’s love and grace has declared us not barely free, but abundantly free.

Thank you Father that Jesus’ sacrifice did not just lessen my sentence, but rather His work sets me fully free. Help me to live in that freedom. Amen

Question: In what areas of your life do need to be set free?

By Marilyn Ehle

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The post Barely Free or Abundantly Free? appeared first on Thoughts About God.