Hello sisters!
Hope this post finds you joyous and strong, thriving in the faith!
Like our brother Paul says it well here...
Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;
1 Thessalonians 3:7-9
What a blessing to know and hear of the brethren striving on in the faith! And he explained why here...
For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.
1 Thessalonians 3:5
We know the deception abounds and the subtle ways of our enemy. And as it says in Hebrews about exhorting one another daily because of the deceitfulness of sin and the hardening it can bring. So I know the feeling of joy knowing the brethren are pressing on in the faith and through trials. Nothing else seems to matter...well a lot of things that can seem bigger at other times, when a close sister that I know about is struggling through some big trials. Just knowing they are pressing through in the faith is a great joy! And I'm here to be with my sisters through trials too.
In this post (which has been in the making for awhile), I wanted to share some of the things we have been set free from in Christ by His gospel. When we are born of His spirit and given a new heart, we are new creatures aren't we! We no longer desire the old life and sinful ways anymore. We used to be servants of sin didn't we. Praise God no longer!
Although we have so many freedoms we have not been promised anywhere that it's going to be easy in this life...no, quite the opposite. We have been told of persecutions, sufferings, and trials even unto death and definately battles with many enemies including our flesh. So yes as we serve Christ we do submit to Him and His ways and those relevant to us as godly women...but it is a joy to do so even if it makes life harder in some ways! It all is absolutely nothing compared to the glory and hope to come. We do well to remember that sisters. It is a very small price to pay for all He has done for us and offers us...far above anything we ever will deserve. But we do strive to walk worthy with all humility for what He has done. Glory to Him!
I read you a few scriptures to go along with this post.
Praise God for freedom in Christ from the bondage of sin! We know God has forgiven our sins of our past. Glory to Him! We don't need to fear that those we have repented of our life before Christ and being born by His Spirit are washed away! And now we strive to please Him and repent where we fail.
We know there are many who abuse the liberty we have in Christ. What a sad and wicked thing they do saying we can sin on in Him.
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2 Peter 2:18-19
But let's not listen to their deceptions sisters.
I will share an assortment of various points of some of the areas of freedom that come in this life we have in Christ. They are in no real order but just to encourage us to rejoice in the blessings we have and not to take it lightly.
I know the world thinks we are the ones in bondage but they don't know that they are really in bondage to a wicked master in satan and their flesh and sin. We are set free from those and become servants to Christ who is life and hope and joy and peace...and the way and truth!
So moving on to some points of freedom in Christ...
*Freedom from the old law...
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:1
*Freedom in being godly women in our role and not in positions of authority. There are great responsibilites on the godly men to lead and teach. In Christ we sisters obey Him and submit to the order God created us to have. What a blessing to know what that was from the beginning of creation too and then have it stated in the New Testament. Some of you sisters may have come from a life of being in great authority over men. Well we all know about the depths of feminism and that it's everywhere...in men and women. But in Christ we learn our roles and are thankful and content in them. Yes even if it does at times make life harder we obey God because we love and serve Him and not our flesh. And it is a blessed thing when willingly followed and submitted to. God's ways are good!
*Freedom from stress of unbiblical holidays (ie Christmas, Easter, birthdays, holidays and such like). I know some of you sister often share the freedom you have from not having to put on these events, with cooking and gift giving and feeling like you 'have to' do all these things...either because you always did or because it was expected or 'the done thing'. No longer are those reasons to do something because we bring our life in line to God's Word, testing all things. We leave behind that which is not of God's pure and holy truthful ways.
This also leads to this freedom...
*Freedom to love and give whenever the Spirit leads us and not set on a specific day of the year (birthday, Christmass, fathers/mothers day, valentines day etc). In the body of Christ there is to be a lot of care and love shown always. And we can bless those around us especially where there are real needs.
*Free to have to give to others because of all God has given us freely!
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Matthew 10:7-8
Sure, the most we have has been freely given to us in Christ! How can we not freely give encouragement and truth and love and the gospel to others. It is so sad to see that people make God and His truth into a business for the love of money. What priceless treasures we have and so let us freely give. Reminds me of the Titus 2 woman who is to be teaching the younger women. What if she didn't do that unless she was paid to do it! We in Christ, are richly blessed above all on the face of the earth and we love to freely give!
*Freedom from politics and trying to change things we can't. God is in control. We are set on things above and the next life. We don't need to worry about such things!
*Freedom from fear (something to work on if it arises). God commands we only fear Him. So all other fear is because of our lack of faith and trust in God...because He works all things for good for those who love Him. So we can be free from fear and repent of it if it arises.
And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Luke 12:4-5
*Freedom from empty vain time wasting fleshly lusts.
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Ephesians 2:3
*One specific one would be freedom from music, which is used for mood altering and is emotional and fleshly. And so many use it like a drug for that reason. We are not to be in bondage to anything. It has a way of invading our mind and pushes out thoughts of God. It is another of satan's distractions. I find music one of the most annoying things ever and of course being in the world we're going to have to endure it from those of the world but it's just our reasonable service to endure these things for the Lord. One day we won't have to worry about the world and all it does.
*Freedom from spending money on unbiblical things (ie spiritual books and most all books, events, clothing, jewelry, entertainment, sports, holidays and other things to fulfill fleshly lusts.). Now we can be wise and use what God gives us for necessary uses and good and pure things and having it to use in the work of the Lord and have to give to those in true need.
*Free from worrying about little things that the world calls important and what the world thinks of us. I'm sure you can think of some examples in that...maybe like a tiny scratch on the paint on the car or a stain on our clothes and such things.
*In the body of Christ, we have freedom to be who we are (apart from sin of course) and not stress about hurting feelings, offending the other and if we do their is flesh killing and preferring one another, forgiveness, kindness with tender hearts.
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32
*Freedom from thinking we have to be perfect for God to use us. God uses the weak things sisters. In weak I do not mean we are full of sin and helpless but just imperfect in so many ways compared to God. We are all humans and have weaknesses and can make mistakes. We are not perfect at anything really. We may make mistakes in our speech, in our writings, in our work...but we do the best we can and rejoice that the Lord allows us to do what we do and can use us. I'm encouraged by this fact about brother Paul who God used mightily...
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
*Freedom in being united having the same mind because then we can all understand each other. This is a freeing thing because there is a great depth of understanding of one another.
Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Philippians 2:2
*Freedom from being servants of men...
Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.
For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
1 Corinthians 7:20-23
Even though some of us may be 'under' other authorities like in a job or as servants, or wives even, ultimately we serve God first and then we can serve others. We do all things first to please God.
And a sister shared these extra points too of areas of freedom in Christ and I add a few scriptures and comments. (Thank you sister:-)
*Being slaves to the flesh.
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Romans 8:12-13
We fight against it don't we sisters. It's not our master.
*Fear of death and what lies beyond.
And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Hebrews 2:15
*Trusting in ourselves
But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
2 Corinthians 1:9
*Trying to be a man pleaser.
And instead we know or have to remind ourselves that we live to please God! Although we cannot see Him we press on by faith knowing He rewards those who diligently seek Him!
*Trying to succeed.
This goes along with trying rather to please God and not man or not trying to be 'someone' with a big name in the flesh. But instead we know God uses the 'weak' and lowly for His purposes. He cares not about the things that man highly esteems.
And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
Luke 16:15
*Expectations from the world (being something you're not).
In Christ we are free from trying to compete with everyone else in the world for a whole range of things. We don't care what they think of us now but are willing to endure the afflictions of Christ.
Well let us sisters rejoice in all the many blessings of the freedom we have in Christ! I'm sure there are many more and so that is only a few that I have mentioned. How blessed we are! We are free from the entanglements of the world and serving sin and the flesh. We're free to serve Christ!! And yes sometimes we have to fight through because we still live in this world and in our flesh, our human body, but we are not powerless but have the Spirit to give us the victory over sin!
Are all of you readers free in Christ? If not you can be! It is available to all who will come and lay down their life to follow Christ! You can find the gospel to eternal life through Christ explained better here. He is the only way! And we must all come His way and obey Him or be lost for all eternity. I don't want that for any of you and neither does God who is not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance. He is merciful and long suffering today...but one day He will judge all men according to their works by His righteousness. He is God and very holy. Let us be diligent to be found of Him in peace.
Hope this all encouraged you my sisters and let us rejoice in Christ, for all we have comes from Him!
Love in Him,
Sister Michaela
Find the gospel explained here and test your life as many are deceived in these days.