“There are two freedoms – the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do what he ought”
Freedom is something we all value, we give it the utmost importance. We’d do anything for freedom. We’d kill, do the most inhumane acts for freedom. We’d take someone else’s freedom if it means we are granted freedom. Now we are all free in Christ. Our freedom is already bought, and it is blood bought. A price has been paid which we can never repay in this lifetime or the next. But although our freedom means the defeat of our enemy, every now and then the enemy manages to sneak a win and it happens when he successfully manages to make us forget our freedom.
We tend to forget the freedom that we have, and we sometimes live life in such a way that it doesn’t reflect the freedom that we have. We have all done things that we are ashamed of. Things that we wish we could take back and never do again. We all have the capacity to relive our bad moments questioning why did we do that? However, when you do this all you are doing is creating guilt and shame. This can haunt you and it can cripple you, taking away your capacity to live and develop, which is your vitality.
This is one of the biggest weapons of our enemy: encouraging you to look back at the shameful moments of your past. When you do you can be overwhelmed by guilt, shame, and condemnation. This will ultimately strip your joy, rob your peace, and destroy your vitality.
The good news for us is that we have been set free in Christ. When you sincerely repented, God forgave you. He removed that sin from you as far as the east is from the west and He doesn’t remember it anymore. He will never bring it up again and neither should you. However, Freedom is not just about dealing with sin it also deals with your shame. Christ does not just forgive the sins of the past. He also liberates you from the shame and guilt of your past. He takes away the thing that has limited your ability to live and develop which is your guilt and shame.
Our Freedom means that we are forgiven, and we are forgiven completely and totally. Sin, shame, guilt all of it is dealt with when Jesus sets you free. You don’t have to carry that burden of guilt and shame anymore. You are forgiven and truly free indeed. When you understand what Christ has freed you from, it sets the stage for you to live in what Christ has freed you to.
In almost everything that touches our everyday life on earth, God is pleased when we’re pleased. He wills that we be as free as birds to soar and sing our maker’s praise without anxiety.