Sunday, April 1, 2012

Understanding Freedom

Psalms 118:5, In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and He answered by setting me free. 

Definition of Freedom: The power or right to act, speak or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

Freedom is talked about a lot these days. People think that they can do whatever they want because they have the freedom to do so. America is a free country because our forefathers have fought to make it so. So why am I discussing this? We know what freedom is. The definition tells us! Maybe we missed the whole idea of Freedom when we decided that freedom means we can do whatever we want.

When we begin to act as if Freedom is what we want to do whenever we want to do, (freedom from parents, freedom from authority, freedom from rules, regulations, ect.) then Satan is taking away whatever freedom we might have possessed before. When we fall away from the path of doing the right thing and following God, we are really being put into bondage.

I've heard people say before, "How can you follow a God who wont allow you to do what you want to do? Your like a slave to him."

Well my bible says in Romans chapter 6 verse 16: Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

To me that is pretty clear that whatever you may call freedom, probably isn't. When we submit to God, we are free from sin and regret and bondage. You cannot ask for a better kind of freedom.

So the question you should ask yourself is: Are you really "free?" And if not, then what do  you need to become free from? Swearing? Sexual sins? Hanging out with the wrong crowd? Drunkenness? Watching the wrong things? Facebook?

The Lord will help free you from these things. You only need to ask him! He can help you. But you have to make a conscious decision to follow after God, and be willing to leave behind the things that are holding you in chains. Hand your life over to true freedom. It's the best thing you will ever decide to do.

~Whatsoever Things are True
Philippians 4:8