"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
-2nd Corinthians 3: 17

Freedom

Freedom! What does it mean to be free? I looked the word freedom up in the American College Dictionary and among the many definitions it listed was this one: 'personal liberty, as opposed to bondage, slavery, or captivity.' There are many things in our lives that can keep us from experiencing freedom and in feeling that were are in some form of captivity. Here are 4 things that may hold us captive. 1. We can be held captive by someone else. A Biblical example of that would be the Hebrews who were kept captive (in slavery) by the Egyptians. 2. We can be held captive by our body. Injury, illness, and disease can damage our bodies and limit our physical freedom. 3. We can be held captive by our minds. Your thoughts may work against you by 'holding on to the past,' feelings of inadequacy, doubt, confusion, fear, anger. 4. We can be held captive by sin. The cravings and desires that we have that go against God's will. These are but a few examples of ways that we can be held captive but we do not need to live lives of captivity. True freedom can be found in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1st Peter 5: 8-9) This scripture teaches us two things. One is that Satan is always on the 'prowl, roaring like a lion' looking for ways to make us captive. The second thing is that we are all in the same boat (therefore pray for each other) and that the way to resist Satan is by 'standing in the faith.' Our faith is another Lion. "Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed." (Revelation 5: 5) No matter how hard Satan tries to hold us captive he will fail if our faith & trust is in the Lord!

I keep rediscovering in my life the fact that I am only a man. I go through phases where I feel that I have become a 'captive.' I wish that I could tell you that I stand strong all the time but in reality I don't. That is why I do not place my faith in myself. My faith is in Jesus and He does not disappoint. He is the liberator of souls from captivity, no matter what kind of captivity you face. Remember the 4 examples of captivity I gave earlier? 1. The Israelites escaped their captivity from the Egyptians with God's help. "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, ..." (Exodus 14: 21-22) 2. It is our faith in Jesus that gives us strength when our bodies are weak. "And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed." (Matthew 14: 35-36) 3. You want freedom for your mind? "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4: 6-7) 4. Do you feel a captive to sin? The apostle Paul understood this. "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (2nd Corinthians 12: 8-9) There is no form of captivity from which Christ cannot free us.

Take heart from the Word of God found in 1st Peter 1: 3-6. "Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." We will all face trials in our lives but never lose hope! For in our Lord we will find freedom! Amen!

I pray that all is well with you. Please let me know if you have any prayer concerns or blessings. Have a great week and remember to smile :), the Lord loves you!

In Christ,

Shan D. Hartsough

"...and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,..."
-Revelation 1: 5

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