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The POWER to be FOREVER FREE

Where you are today and where you ultimately desire to be may seem worlds apart. The struggles, repeated failures, and seemingly hopeless situations that you are facing can no doubt be overwhelming. For comfort's sake you may tell yourself: "I guess this is how things are supposed to be; it's just apart of life." But, I want to tell you that that IS NOT how things are supposed to be. There is a WAY OUT of the bondages and afflictions that you are in today. There is a way out of the struggle and a way to keep the struggle out of you. That way out lies in the power of God to make you FOREVER FREE.

Get Hooked Up

I want to emphasize that there is a supernatural power available to you to help you become free...and remain free. God has made very specific provisions in His Word to provide you with the freedom you so greatly need and want. So as you follow His blueprint and put it to work in your life, He guarantees that you will be free.

"Then said Jesus to those which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house forever: but the Son abideth forever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8: 31-36

In these passages of Scripture Jesus makes it very clear that His will is for you to be free. GOD WANTS YOU FREE! True liberty comes from the Son, Jesus Christ. However, there are conditions to this.

The first and foremost condition to your enjoying freedom is to continue in (or abide in/hold fast to) God's Word. Living and abiding in Jesus and allowing His Word to live and abide in you is paramount to your being truly and completely free; there simply is no other way to be free except in Him.

In the fifteenth chapter of the gospel of St. John, Jesus gives us an in-depth understanding of who we really are in our relation to Him and what is required of us. In short, He makes it clear that we are the branches, and He is the Vine. It is evident that only those branches that remain connected or hooked up to the vine can benefit from the life that flows through the vine. Whenever branches are broken off, fall off or are disconnected from the vine in any way, the result is that they wither away and die thus producing no fruit.

Jesus made it clear in John 15: 1-8 that we are to abide in Him and to allow His Word to abide in us if we expect to have fruitful and blessed lives. Just as the branch has no hope of making it once it becomes detached from the vine, we also have no chance of making it and no chance of being forever free if our lives are detached from Him and His Word. Without Him and His Word as a vital part of your life, you can do NOTHING; without God you have no ability, thus you have no real power, and we all know that it will take real power to make us free.

It all boils down to how badly you want to be free. If you are serious about following Jesus, serious about being His disciple, and serious about being free, then you will ABIDE in Him.

For how long? Everyday of the rest of your life, for remember the branch. . . the moment it's broken off, it withers and dies. So get serious today and make a quality decision to continue in God's Word, know His truth, and you'll be well on your way to being made forever free.

Another condition that Jesus outlined was that of not being a servant to sin. You see heavy bondage comes in when you habitually practice and commit sin. I'm not talking about the occasional foul up, but that thing that of which you just can't seem to let go. Maybe it's a bad temper, maybe it's drug addiction, maybe it's the lust that keeps driving you to do things you know are wrong. Whatever it may be, in these instances, the bible says that you are a SLAVE, a literal servant to sin. (John 8:34) As such, Jesus says that you cannot abide in the [God's] house.

We have already established that unless we abide in Him and His Word abides in us, we will not be able to do anything... but die. This makes sense because the wages of sin is death. So you see, you do not want to continue in your practice of sin. Whatever you are in today, forsake it! It is dangerous and will keep you from knowing the true freedom that Jesus promised you could have. Don't be a servant to sin, but a son of God Almighty.

Now if you are wondering if you'll be able to do it, Romans 6:14 declares that "sin shall not have dominion over you". God has already taken away Satan's power to keep you bound by sin. Now you must exercise your dominion over sin, so that you can stay hooked up to God and His power to make you free.

The Law of the Land

If you asked about 99% of the people living in the United States what the law of the land is, they would answer the U.S. Constitution. But there is actually a higher law in the land for the children of God.

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1,2

The higher law that we, as children of God, live under is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

We take our laws from the country in which we reside and of which we are citizens. As a born again believer, your citizenship is immediately switched from earth to heaven! That is why the bible refers to us as ambassadors of God. An ambassador is a person who lives in a foreign country, while representing his home government. We are God's ambassadors from the government of heaven sent to the earth to represent Him.

As citizens of heaven, the law of our land is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. (Notice that we are back to the foundation of "in Christ Jesus". You can't get away from that if you want to be truly free.) The Word of God declares that this law has made us free from the law of sin and death. One translation says it's a power that has freed us from the vicious cycle of sin and death. Glory to God!

The law of the land, the law under which you live and govern your life, is a law of freedom and liberty. In fact, James 1:25 refers to it as the perfect law of liberty. Liberty. Liberty. That's what God wants to give you. He does not want you caught in the vicious cycle of sin and death, because He knows you won't survive it for long. Instead He's given us a law that makes us free and that law is none other than His Word. The Word of God is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus-and it's the doorway to your freedom.

Take Your Stand

The purpose of your freedom is so that you can live a free life-a life free from the restraints of lack, sickness and disease, free from sin, free from every type of bondage. That is the reason why God went to such great lengths to provide you with freedom through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. He loves you just that much. So now that you have been made free, STAND IN YOUR LIBERTY!

"Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you." Galatians 5: 1 (The Message Bible)

God is calling you to take your stand. He's calling you to do what is necessary for you to remain free. He's calling you to stay out of those old ways of sin and bondage. Stay out of the lust, gossip, unforgiveness, jealousy, hatred, strife, etc. Stay out of there! And take your stand for God, His Word, and for your freedom.

When sin comes a calling, remind yourself and the devil, "I've taken my stand.” By doing this, you won't be so easily tempted to become entangled again in those yokes of bondage. One of the words which defines free is the word disentangle. God wants you disentangled from- -not entangled in-- bondage. He wants you to live a life of liberty, not one weighed down by bondage. This act of obedience will keep you focused and allow you to remain free from all that from which God has delivered you.

Three Sources of Power

Now that you know what it is going to take for you to be free, I want to share with you three sources from which you can access the POWER that you need to see you through to victory. Your first connection to power will come through PRAYER.

“. . .The earnest heartfelt, continued prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]." James 5:16 (The Amplified Bible)

If you want God's power to be in operation in your life, then you will have to adopt the lifestyle of prayer. As you spend time with God in prayer, you will become strengthened by Him and you will therefore have the power to stand in your liberty. It's how Jesus lived during His time on the earth, and it's how we must live, too, if we want to be free.

Another equally important source of power is the WORD OF GOD.

"For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power. . ." Hebrews 4:12 (The amplified Bible)

What is the Word that God speaks? It is the Bible! And it is alive and full of power. Don't underestimate the power of God's Word. Esteem the Word of God. Make it your top priority in life. Read it, study it, talk it, think it, abide in it. It is alive--alive in your circumstances, situations, body, finances, family, etc., and it has the power to make you free.

The third source of power is the HOLY SPIRIT.

"But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses. . ." Acts 1:8 (The Amplified Bible)

God's Spirit is a Spirit of Victory. He's a Spirit of liberty (II Cor. 3:17), and He's a Spirit of power! The Holy Spirit wants to rest on your life and equip you with the ability, the efficiency and the might that you need to live a free life. Notice that the power only comes when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. So if you want the power, you must get the One Who has the power and that Someone is the Holy Spirit. Let Him into your life, and He will cause His power to rest on you in all things.

Now you're ready to be FOREVER FREE!

 

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Dawn M. Richards.
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