Freedom Made Simpleනියැදිය

Know what Jesus has done for you

You are free. This is a phrase that we all want our lives to reflect. It is a state of living that Jesus' life, death and resurrection has accomplished for every person. His life has given us freedom.

In Galatians 5:1 (NLT), Paul says, "So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free". These are Paul's words to the church of Galatia. A church that had given up its freedom and replaced it with the ancient traditions they had practised for generations. It was as if the new church could not let go of the old practices, and in doing so, they gave up their freedom. Take note of the tense Paul uses here: Christ HAS truly set us free. This HAS happened. Jesus HAS done this for you. To say you are not free, or you want to be free, clashes with the reality in Paul's writings.

Here, Paul even challenges Peter about his choices when living amongst the people of Galatia. For Paul, the freedom that Jesus gave to him was absolute and needed no other practice or belief. Having been raised in the old practices, Paul had discovered the power of God's love and grace. He realised Jesus had given him what he could not attain through any rule or law. In Philippians 3:8 (NLT), Paul says, "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ." Paul was free, and he intended to stay that way.

To Timothy, he would go even further, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT). Where once God's people lived under fear and expressed their faith in timidity, now he called Timothy to live by a greater power than the law.

So, you are free to live in power, love and self-discipline. This is core to the work of Jesus and our design. Adam and Eve were called to live out these powerful words long before Paul would think or write them. They were free. Free to choose and free to love. This was their design, and it is still the design God has for us all.

In these verses, Jesus gives us the blueprint of His kingdom and living in freedom. It's uncomplicated, childlike, and fueled by love.

Your first step in deliverance is to remind yourself of all Jesus accomplished for you through His love. Even though you might not feel free, remind yourself that Jesus has already set you free.

Activation:

I want to invite you to use your imagination in prayer. If I were to ask you to pray out loud, you would probably imagine the words to say. In this moment, I'm inviting you to use pictures. Close your eyes and imagine yourself sitting with Jesus or the Father. What do you feel when you are that close to Him? Can you thank Him for all He has done for you? Be specific and use your imagination to remember the moments. Now, invite Him to tell you what He has done for you? To linger in this moment will give you a conversation with Jesus or the Father. What did either of them say to you?

Read:

Today, read Galatians 5 and find one verse that speaks or stands out to you. Write the verse down. Each day, you will get another chapter to read.

At the end of the Bible reading plan, you will have five verses that you can combine together to hear what God is saying to you through the Bible.