“CALLED TO FREEDOM”
Galatians 5:13 – “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
In Chapter 5 of the book of Galatians, Paul explains to the Galatian Christians: through grace, Christ has set you free. He tells them to stand firm and do not fall back into the slavery of the law. Who in their right mind would deliberately return to the place, person or practice that got them bound up in the first place?
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away and behold all things become new! That simply means that once you are in Christ and Christ is in you, all of the things that once had you wrapped up, tied up and tangled up were broken off of your life!
God needs you to be free of every opposition, every obstacle and every oppressor that has control of your mind, your words and your deeds. There is a spiritual battle engaged with your spirit and your flesh. Whoever you feed the most, will be the one who will have power and control over you.
Jesus wants us to have more of His freedom so we can experience more of His favor. Understand that with freedom comes Responsibility, Accountability and Sustainability.
FREEDOM FROM THE FLESH! – RESPONSIBILITY
You have a responsibility as a believer to walk in the Spirit. In other words, you have a responsibility to live by the Spirit. That means that everything you do, everything that you say and everything that you think should be prompted by the Holy Spirit and not your sinful self. When you find yourself indulging in sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, that’s SIN. When you find yourself engaged in idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, and factions, that’s SIN. When you find yourself acting out because of envy, drunkenness, jealousy and the like, that’s SIN! Sin is anything that is contrary to the will of God!
FREEDOM TO THE FELLOWSHIP! – ACCOUNTABILITY
What exactly are you freed to do? You enter into the sanctuary to worship but you should exit to serve. Once you are in Christ you understand that you were freed from yourself to help someone else! You are accountable to one another in the body of Christ! When you have experienced the unmerited grace of God, it makes you want to be more holy, not more sinful. You will desire to be more like Jesus. Which means you will be concerned about your sister and your brother. You will no longer be self-centered, self-absorbed, selfish, self-indulgent, self-interested, self-seeking, self-concerned, self-loving, and self-serving.
FREEDOM FOR THE FUTURE! – SUSTAINABILITY
It is your responsibility to model your freedom for the generations that follow. They should see how you live in freedom and because of that, they too will know how to live in the freedom that they have been called to. Every wise parent prepares something to leave for their offspring. Your legacy should include the Gospel of Jesus Christ, faith that has been walked out in front of them, and an urgency to help others who are in need. Once you are free, you can live in the purpose and divine destiny that God has created for you. You are free to be all that God has called you to be. You are free to do all that God has called you to do. You are free to say all that God has given you to say! People of God, you are Called to Freedom!
BBlessed & Let Love Abound! July 2021