"Staying Free"

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound".  Isaiah 61:1

Jesus came to open prison doors to those who were bound and set the captive free.  When we think about His freeing of the captive, we usually think about those who are bound in some sort of addiction-- drugs, alcohol, pornography, sexual immorality, etc.  But those are not the only captives He sets free. 

He sets free and breaks the chains of all bondages.  He breaks the chains of unbelief, of self-condemnation, of fear and intimidation.  He breaks the chains of hopelessness, of materialism, of pride, arrogance, conceit and distress.  He breaks the chains of depression, sickness and disease, worry, fear, anxiety, murmuring and complaining.  Anything that can bind us, hold us captive, become a stronghold, imprisons us spiritually, mentally, physically or emotionally, He breaks the chains and sets us free.

When He sets us free, we are free indeed-- we are completely and totally free.  Have you been set free?  Are you still living in that freedom?  If not, it is because you have become entangled again in that yoke of bondage.  How?  By yielding to and giving into the temptation when it came.  By giving into the lust of your flesh when you were tempted.  You forgot that you have been empowered by the Lord Himself and His Holy Spirit to be able to stand and withstand the temptations, the attacks of the enemy and the weakness of your own flesh.  You did not stand in the power, grace, strength and victory that the Lord has already given you.  He has made us more than conquerors in all things.  We have been granted power-- His power-- over all the powers of the enemy.  Greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world. 

He sets us free.  He frees us completely.  We have to stand in that freedom and not be entangled again in the things that bind us.  We do that by renewing our minds with God's word, by submitting ourselves to Him and resisting the devil.  We do it by seeking Him first and His kingdom.  We do it also by putting on the full armor and using it when temptations come.  We do it by leaning upon His strength which is made perfect in our weakness.  We are strong in the Lord and the power of His might.  When we stand and when we walk in that freedom, the enemy cannot "re-chain" us because we have been set free.

Have a great day.  Jesus came to set the captive free.... once you are free, you are free... so stay free.

For further reading:
John 8:36
Galatians 5:1
1 John 4:4
Luke 10:19
Ephesians 6:11

"Show Me The Evidence"

"For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;  Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth".  Acts 19:24-27

The city of Ephesus was dedicated to the worship of the goddess Diana.  When Paul preached there, those who made their living by making statues and idols of Diana started a riot.  Why?  Their living was being threatened. Their sales were dropping off.  They were not making as much money.  The reason was because people were being won to the True and Living God through Paul's preaching.   

When the people turned to the Lord, there was a change that took place in them.  The change taking place was so obvious that those who merchandised this false idol took note because their business was beginning to suffer.  They had found the truth.  There was evidence that people were getting saved.  The biggest evidence was the transformation that took place in them.  This transformation caused them to stop following the ways of Diana.  They threw away their idols, shrines, trinkets and books.  They longed for the things of God and His teachings.  They desired to now follow Him. 

When Christ comes into our lives, there is a noticeable change that takes place.  Just because you walked an aisle, raised your hand to be saved, joined some church, did some sort of religious observance, believe in the existence of God and say you are saved/Christian but there is no change in you-- you are no different than you were before-- then may I suggest that you relook at your salvation. 

Along with change comes evidence.  Along with salvation comes evidence as well-- a changed and transforming life.  Are you still the same as you used to be?  Do you still think, act, speak and react the way you used to?  Are the things of God or the things of the world what is most important to you?  Are you living a transformed life-- hating what God hates, loving what He loves, living for His will, loving Him and others, throwing away your idols?  The fruit is the evidence of a life given to Christ.  The people at Ephesus had it.... do you?  

Have a great day.  What is your evidence that you are following Christ and that He is living in you? 

"How Are You Waiting?"

"In your patience possess ye your souls".  Luke 21:19

I feel impressed to talk about "waiting" again this morning.  The issue isn't whether or not we will have times of waiting-- life is made up of waiting.  Waiting in line at the grocery store, at the gas station, at the bank, etc.  We wait for vacation time to come, school to get out, a job promotion, an important phone call and appointments.  We wait on the arrival of a new baby, our wedding day, a birthday, Christmas and other important events.  So the issue isn't whether or not you are ever going to have to wait.  The issue is-- how are you going to wait?

There are many ways to wait.  Abraham and Sarah waited with impatience for the promised son and tried to "help" the waiting process.  The Israelites waited in the wilderness with murmuring and complaining.  Joseph, at one point, got tired of waiting-- he asked the butler to remember him to Pharaoh.  While waiting to go to Rome Paul waited in prison but used it to continue his work for the kingdom and write letters to the churches. 

We can patiently wait or impatiently wait.  We can wait with frustration or peace.  We can wait with forbearance or agitation.  We can wait with peace or turmoil.  We can wait with joy or with murmuring and complaining.  We can wait with anxiety or trust.  We can wait in faith or unbelief.  We can't get past having to wait, like I said, "life is made up of waiting".  But how you wait is up to you.  Waiting the right way will make the situation a lot easier and better.  Waiting the wrong way will only make it harder to wait.

Have a great day.  The question is not will you have to wait, but rather how are you waiting. 

"Perfect Change"

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands".  Psalm 138:8

In this verse it says that the Lord will perfect that which concerns us.  I used to focus on the "perfecting" part of the verse.  I need Him to "perfect" me because I am a long way from being perfect.  I have my faults-- which are many.  I make mistakes.  I do things that I wish I didn't and don't do things that I know I should.  I don't always like me or what I do.  I would love to be different and do differently in many areas of my life.  I would like some things to change in my life.  I am sure that I am not the only one who ever feels this way.

We all wish we were different at times.  We all wish that there were some things about us that we can change.  So, the promise of "perfecting" sounds good.  There is a problem though that gets in our way-- when we focus so much on what is wrong with us, we try to "fix" it ourselves.  We try to make ourselves different.  We try to change ourselves.  We try to turn over a new leaf.  We try to do better.  Only to fail in our attempts.  We try really hard but find ourselves in the same old place-- the same attitude, the same feelings, the same shortcomings, etc.

How do we change what is wrong about ourselves?  How do we make any progress in that area?  We change our focus.  Instead of dwelling on the "perfecting" part of the verse, we focus on "the Lord" part of it.  He is the only one who can bring true and lasting change in our lives.  He was the only one who could change us from being sinners to saved people.  He was the only one who could change us from dark to light.  He was the only one who could make us a new creation.  He is the only one who can "perfect" us. 

As we look to Him, as we seek Him, as we allow Him to change us, as we cooperate with what He wants to do in our lives, the change will come.  After all, He is in the transformation business.  He never leaves us like He found us.  He never makes us just better.  He makes us new.

Stop being obsessed with changing yourself.  Place your attention, thoughts and affections on the Lord and while you are doing that, He will be changing you and you may not even notice it until the change has come. 

Have a great day.  Don't struggle trying to change yourself and make yourself perfect.  Focus on the Lord and as you do, He will bring about the change in you.     

"What's The Problem?"

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world".  John 16:33

There is no question that we are going to have tribulations, trials, problems and difficulties in this life.  Jesus said we would.  But He also said for us to "be of good cheer because He has overcome the world".  The problems aren't necessarily the problem; the problem is that we focus too much on the problems.

 

Do we have problems?  Yes.  Are they sometimes overwhelming?  Yes.  Do they require our attention? Yes.  Should we just ignore them?  No.  The word this morning is that we need to stop spending so much time focusing on our problems and start focusing more on the One who has overcome the problems.

 

Jesus is the ANSWER to all of life's problems.  He always has been and always will be.  We have become so educated that we no longer believe this "simple truth".  We have become so accustomed to looking to the "arm of flesh" for help that we no longer look to Jesus.  We put our trust and hope in doctors, counselors, self-help programs, the legal system, pills and other substances, financial institutions, deliverance programs and anything else that looks like a quick answer.

I am not saying that there isn't a time to use a doctor.  I am not saying that you shouldn't take medicine.  I am not saying that there isn't a time when you should seek out legal help.  The Lord placed them here for our benefit because we do have problems in this world.  But they are not always going to be able to give us the answer or help that we need.  Jesus is the ANSWER.  There is nothing wrong with going to a professional for help.  It is the "mindset" that we have that is the problem-- the mindset that they can help us, but Jesus can't.

Let me remind you this morning that Jesus is still Almighty God.  He is still able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think.  At His name demons flee.  At His command storms cease.  At His word light comes out of darkness.  By His stripes sickness is healed.  By His blood sinners are saved.  He is still the Deliverer.  He still reaches into the pit of despair and lifts out those who are in there.  He still sets captives free.  There is nothing too difficult or impossible for Him.  Sounds to me like He qualifies as the answer to whatever problem we may face.

Have a great day.  Stop focusing so much on your problem and focus on the One who is the answer to the problem-- Jesus.