Freedom

Who the son sets free, is free indeed!

Today, the word, Freedom, has been impressed upon my mind.

This past weekend I attended a conference called, Freedom.

I’m not going to go into all the details about the conference but I will say it was phenomenal. Jam packed with God’s Spirit, prayer and worship. Making declarations to declare we are no longer bound and sealing it by the power of the Holy Spirit, Praise God.

Freedom is a choice but without the power to overcome our captor, we are left in chains, unable to free ourselves, we live bound in a tomb of despair. Brother, sister, there is so much more!

Our forefathers knew what freedom was not…because they lived as indentured servants. Slaves knew what freedom wasn’t…because freedom was never to be theirs unless…their master decided to free them.

As I watch the world around me become more and more steeped in bondage and chained with shackles of mistrust and fear, rejection, abuse, lies and hate. I realize that you can live in a country that proclaims freedom but slowly and discreetly it can be taken away. Like the story of the frogs put in a pot of water and the heat is being turned up slowly, they don’t realize they are being boiled alive. Freedom is and has never been free…it comes with great cost. Who paid for our freedom?

Protesters, protest. There have been many grueling hours of planning and strategies of war, to fight for freedom and the cost is high. For freedom to remain it takes blood and great sacrifice and even death to maintain what’s been paid for. The cost of freedom is priceless. Are we truly free? Are we really walking in Freedom? Do we even know what Freedom means? Has Freedom lost its meaning? Do we take our Freedom for granted? The Freedom I’m talking about goes beyond the physical, mental and emotional. Our Freedom in this life can be taken from us in an instant, so, it isn’t really ours. It will be a constant fight with determination of body, mind and spirit to keep our freedom. Not only in the place we call home. But in our communities, the market place, work place, in our cities, towns, and country…Evil does not fight fair…

Today I’m talking about our spiritual freedom. That freedom was paid for long ago by a man who was born a slave. He had no rights, no wealth. He had no place to call his own and yet, he had everything. He is, Freedom!

The only true freedom is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. “They” can take our land, our bank accounts, our homes, cars, and even our lives…but when we are set free by the Lord Jesus, we are totally and completely free! Free to love and live and laugh and pray and sing and preach and be children of the living God…even if they take our lives…they cannot take the freedom we have in Him…our prayer has to be like the one Jesus prayed on the cross…”Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing!” Forgive…another thought I had this morning. People often say, “I can forgive, but I can never forget.” God forgets. We’ve sinned against him, done terrible things and yet when we come to him and confess our sin, he cast it as far as the east is from the west and remembers it no more.

Repentance brings freedom…and freedom brings liberty…not to return to our old sinful ways…but to live in the freedom of His love and with the peace that passes all understanding…

Freedom is not a bird…it’s not a place, or, a feeling, although when we are free, we feel exuberant and jubilant, free as a bird in flight…free to see with new sight…

It doesn’t matter if we are in a prison cell, ruled by a dictator, persecuted, tortured, have broken relationships, or a dead-end job…it doesn’t matter if we are held by a chair that imprisons us, a disability, or captured by a terrible disease, or living on the street. When our freedom is evident and complete, no tyrant, no abuse, no lie, no rejection or pride, no sickness, no fear, or status; nothing can take our freedom from us…because we are free indeed, paid for by the blood of Jesus, his blood that ran red and poured from his mangled body to buy us our freedom. God’s word, in the flesh, was sacrificed for us so that we could be free. All we have to do is surrender, let go of pride and have faith to receive His gift of Freedom. This freedom comes from the Freedom-Giver, Freedom-Fighter, the Freedom-Sustainer, THE FREEDOM VICTOR! Release the past, take hold of the present, believe for a grace filled future and embrace God’s love.

You may say that isn’t logical, it’s not reality…but oh, my friend when you’ve been forgiven and the burdens you’ve carried around for so long are lifted, along with the prison bars removed, and you’re pardoned from sin and death…then you truly know Real Freedom. The sun shines brighter, you sing louder, your feet begin to dance and you jump for joy…when you’ve been oppressed, depressed, confused, sick, and tired, cried and begged, but it was hopeless…and you gave up. All you could see was doom and gloom with no way out…but, suddenly, someone offered you freedom…dear one, you do not hesitate; you grab hold of it with all you’ve got and you scream, “YES! I’M FREE.…” There is nothing in the world that can keep you from shouting, “FREEDOM!”

The Freedom I’m talking about is not a word, it’s not a feeling, it’s not a program, it’s not here today and gone tomorrow…this Freedom is forever…no government can take it from you…no army can conquer you, no tyrant torture it out of you, because freedom-bearer, it is your choice, hold onto your blood-bought-freedom and never let go!!!!

“Who the son, sets free, is free indeed!”

This is your time…live in FREEDOM!

~Marla Shaw O’Neill December 12, 2019

John 8:34-36 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Jesus answered them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, whoever commits and practices sin is the slave of sin. Now a slave does not remain in a household permanently (forever); the son [of the house] does remain forever. So, if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free.