Staying FREE
How can we stay free from sin? By being captivated by His purpose and believing in who we are as defined by Christ.
“But I thank God, who always leads us in victory because of Christ. Wherever we go, God uses us to make clear what it means to know Christ. It's like a fragrance that fills the air” ~~ 2 Corinthians 2:14 (GW).
Guarding our Hearts from Being Manipulated . . .
Through marketing research we learn that our external environment sends us up to 10,000 messages or ads every day on how we should dress, think, live, and be… not to mention text messages, emails, and other social media that seem to consume us. Many of these messages are designed to cause us to believe that if we wear this, speak that, do this, drive a certain type of car, or use a particular type of make-up we will be accepted and valued. But by whom exactly? This is never said – just implied that we would be better off. So, what happens when these messages consume our internal being? Actually we can be manipulated by the "world's system" with the result that we may become anxious, depressed, fearful, lacking in confidence, and insecure. We may feel rejection, abandonment, and loss if we don't do as these messages suggest. And if we act upon them, often it is to our detriment as we lose sight of our vision, purpose, and who we are in our core beings as Christians.
What is the Heart of a Person? . . .
Other than the physical heart that pumps blood throughout our bodies, the heart can be defined by several parts: one's thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and emotions. So what captivates YOUR heart? What are you a lover of? Are you self-aware of what you are feeling and why you feel that way? Do you become anxious and overwhelmed? Are you consumed by fear? OR are you able to control your emotional state? Maybe you feel as if your emotions are out of control at times. In your better moments, do you sense or recognize familiar patterns of behavior that continue to rob you of your joy and peace? Are your actions leaving you with a sense of guilt and shame?
Can You Relate? . . .
Consider this: the Apostle Paul warns us of ungodly patterns of thinking all throughout his New Testament ministry. In his epistles, Paul encourages believers to take their thoughts captive, become aware of how the enemy works, and instead to walk in the Spirit. But how do we do this? What steps do we need to take? Is it possible to do this in today's world? In our culture? In your own life and mine?
It Is Possible to Live in Victory! . . .
This is absolutely God's plan for His children. Once He has set us free, He wants us to LIVE FREE of sin and the pull of the world. But how? First, we do this by receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior and making him our Lord. Once we know for certain that we are born again, then we go about the task of resisting Satan. And as we resist him, he will flee from us. (James 4:7). God has given us the weapons of our spiritual warfare to enable us to be victorious in Christ! These are found in the book of Ephesians chapter 6 where we learn how to equip ourselves to overcome all the works of the enemy.
Are You Willing to Make a Change? . . .
So I ask, are you willing to make a change, then stand watch to make certain that you are not allowing the devil access to your thought life and especially that you do not act out with evil intent?
Take Action . . .
This means doing away with the old behavioral patterns, bad habits, and negative ways of thinking. Are you willing to take action? Paul explains what is necessary is to “put off the old man” and “put on the new man” (develop new habits and new ways of thinking. You can read more about this in Ephesians 4:22-24).
Many habits are good to make. Positive habits such as brushing our teeth, riding a bike, or driving a car do not require a lot of thinking. They are beneficial, and they become almost automatic. They become ingrained in our lives for our good. However, what happens when we receive negative habits that slowly invade our lives due to the manipulative messages the world sends us daily through the media? Messages such as pornography, lustful thoughts, covetousness, and gossip can enslave us. When people become a slave to a habit that captives our heart in place of the Lord, it leads to exhaustion, depression, anxiety, and fear --- these set in and take up residence in our lives.
Does This Sound Familiar to You? . . .
Do you believe this to be true? I know it is true, for in my own life in the past various idols took up residence in my heart in place of the Lord. These idols crushed my being and left me desperately seeking for relief. How could this happen to us? It happened when we believed the solution is the world's way and not that of our Savior! But praise God! He has freed me, and He will free you, too!
How Can We Stay FREE for Good? . . .
What does it take to develop healthy patterns and maintain a godly lifestyle? A perspective shift? Perhaps. What if we made a conscious decision, prayed daily, read God's Word, and stood on biblical principles despite external circumstances? What if we chose freedom in our thought life and took action? I'll tell you what would happen. Not only are we set free, but we STAY FREE --- free from the enemy's and fleshly traps. But we remain free only as long as we continue walking in the Spirit.
Take Aways From This Message . . .
Let's speak the life of God over ourselves. Let's focus upon maintaining our godly calling and purpose all through our lives.
I want my heart always to be captivated by Jesus’ love for me as his daughter, not captivated by the world's heart for me as its slave. Since “Christ has set us free” and “all things have become new in Christ” in our lives, let’s STAY FREE from the pull of the world. We can, you know, when we use the weapons of our spiritual warfare to pull down strongholds, when we live to glorify our Savior, when we hear Him speak within our hearts, and as we are quick to obey His voice.
Let Us Go to the Lord in Prayer . . .
God, help me to believe that I am now free from the pull of the world. I am ACCEPTED, LOVED, VALUED, AND SECURE IN YOU, the GREAT I AM! Lord, I need You to strengthen my inner being and speak life over my mind. Lord, I ask for You to bring about positive change in my heart. Give me the mind of Christ. Help me to recognize old patterns and ways so that when they present themselves, I will replace them with new thoughts and truths about who You say I am. In the authority of Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen!
Consider the Following Scripture Passages . . .
“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” ~~ Psalms 119:11 (ESV).
“...put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” ~~ Ephesians 4:22-24 (ESV).
“I will take a stand at my watch post and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint” ~~ Habakkuk 2:1( ESV).
"My little children, I am writing these things to you, so that you do not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One” ~~ 1 John 2:1.
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the mind of Christ” ~~ 1 Corinthians 2:16 (NET Bible).
"And you, who were formerly alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in His sight, if you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and are not removed from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant” ~~ Colossians 1:21-23.
“This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out” ~~ Ephesians 6:11-18 (MSG).
-Elizabeth Bowman