FREEDOM

Nice word “Freedom” BIG problem is that the enemy uses that word as bate to place us in bondage.  Most of what the world offers as freedom actually binds us and steals our time in taking care of the very thing that we thought was going to set us free.   The choice actually end up causing us much stress and loss of freedom.  Yeshua, Jesus taught us:   Luke 12:15 “And He said to them, Guard yourselves and keep free from all covetousness (the  immoderate desire for wealth, the greedy longing to have more); for a man’s life does not consist in and is not derived from possessing overflowing abundance or that which is over and above his needs.”

Christ Has Set Us Free | Galatians 5:1,  In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].   …  4 If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (from God’s gracious favor and unmerited blessing).  5 For we, [not relying on the Law but] through the [Holy] Spirit’s [help], by faith anticipate and wait for the blessing and good for which our righteousness and right standing with God [our [b] conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action, causes us] to hope.

Rom. 8:10 But if Christ lives in you, [then although] your [natural] body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the spirit is alive because of [the] righteousness [that He imputes to you].  And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.  So then, brethren, we are debtors, but not to the flesh [we are not obligated to our carnal nature], to live [a life ruled by the standards set up by the dictates] of the flesh.  For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever.  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.  For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father!  The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God.  And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.

The Ideal is to find God’s Love in Peace, Humility and Simplicity.  To trust our Creator to meet all of our needs according to our riches and glory in Christ Jesus as our LORD.  Like John taught us in 1 John 2:15-17: “15 Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].   And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.  [a] Boys (lads), it is the last time (hour, the end of this age). And as you have heard that the antichrist [he who will oppose Christ in the guise of Christ] is coming, even now many antichrists  have arisen, which confirms our belief that it is the final (the end) time.  19 They went out from our number, but they did not [really] belong to us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. But [they withdrew] that it might be plain that they all are not of us.”

John in his time knew the steps to freedom and was looking for the return of Jesus in his day.  Obviously, it did not happen as he expected, but he was obedient.  And hundreds of years later that should still be the top drawer for us as per the teachings of our LORD and HIS Apostles. We also should have our faith full of expectancy for our LORD’s return.  We are much much closer to our Lord’s return for HIS Church than they were.   This is one of the powerful keys of God in helping us to be detached from this world.  We brought nothing when we came, we take nothing when we leave except for what we have sent ahead.   So the early Disciples were intent in focusing on putting on the mind of Christ and being like Yeshua, Jesus in this world to draw as many souls as possible into the Kingdom of God.  A true Christian is not self centered, they are Christ Centered.  1 John 4:16-17  “And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.  In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.”

I was taught in my past church experiences that we aim at being like Jesus but that being like Jesus was Impossible.  But as I read my Bible for myself, I find that word perfection of being perfected in Christ Jesus is the very thing that our Creator God sent Yeshua, Jesus to do.   He came to pay the penalty for Adam’s Sin including us and give the opportunity for us to become “Perfected” in HIM.  This leave no room at all for the carnal nature we were born with.  But it is up to us as to what we do with it.  Paul is very accurate in Rom. 8:13 about this, “For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever.”  Yeshua, Jesus also covered this very clearly in John 12:24-26, “ I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain; it never becomes more but lives] by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest.   Anyone who loves his life loses it, but anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. [Whoever has no love for, no concern for, no regard for his life here on earth, but despises it, preserves his life forever and ever.]  If anyone serves Me, he must continue to follow Me [[a]to cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying] and wherever I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”  This is what God means in HIS Truth giving us real FREEDOM.  HE died to give us Life, Now we must die to our Adamic carnal self centered nature to live with HIM.

Yours, in HIS great love and wonderful Grace & Mercy.  Ken <><   www.Trinity-Aloha.org