Thursday, January 15, 2009

FREEDOM!

It seems as though everyone I know has some sort of bondage in their life. None of us are exempt from from finding ourselves entangled in some kind of destructive behavior. I once met a ninety eight year old man who told me that he had a terrible addiction to Tootsie Rolls. This may seem humorous but it was a very real and serious addiction for this man.

Every bondage has the potential to snowball into a life altering problem if left unchecked. Possibly the most potentially harmful of all bandages would have to be religious ones. Having grown up in a typical local Church I daily realize that I have 30+ years of religious mindsets that do and don't continually hold me back from maximizing who I am and who I was created to be.

Some mindsets I have overcome
1. God rewards my good works and curses my bad behavior
2. God is mad with man
3. I have to pay tithes or I am cursed
4. I have to die to experience Heaven
5. Church is the most important institution created
6. Pastors are "head" of the local assembly
7. Woman have no place in leadership in churches

And many others that involve; gifting and callings of God on an individuals life. It seems that in American churches we say so much and understand so little.

What caused the change?

Several years back I had an encounter with God that changed everything about me, I will not tell the while encounter or what happened that brought me to it but I will say I was unsure if the encounter happened in the natural realm or the supernatural realm. In this encounter I had a large pile of black hairy flesh attached to my back. I was also wearing an old style prison suit with black and white strips. I had seen Jesus earlier in this encounter and He was wearing a very casual type of clothing. Long story short, I was set free from the bondage that was attached to me and I was dressed like Jesus. I left the encounter with the realization that it was truly for freedom that Christ has set us free. Now it seems that my life is encapsulated in setting people free.

As a person who pursues and promotes freedom I have become a lot more tolerant to people who are bound and far less tolerant to people who put others in bondage. As a side note I do realize that both of these people types are in serious trouble. So we are to live out our lives in a place of Freedom Galatians 5:1 for freedom Christ has set us free, stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

It has become humorous to me to tell these truths to people and hear their responses. One of my favorites is, "there is freedom in following rules". To this statement I must disagree. There may be joy in following rules but there is no freedom in it. At the same time we must realize that there is a difference between rules and responsibility. A rule is a law that must be followed to the letter or else face a consequence. Where as a responsibility is given with the intent that one exercises free will in the completion of the task. God created us (man) with responsibilities and it was only after the fall that the rules or law was established. Jesus came and completed the law as a fulfillment of the requirement of God. Essentially obtaining freedom for us all. The Gospel (Good News) is grace and grace promises freedom. Galatians 5:18 If you are led by the spirit you are not under the law. And apparently from the text you are not under any other self concocted religious law. Jesus came and gave you a new covenant with God and the greatest law of all, that you love God and you love your neighbor. If we will except this responsibility it will produce fruits in our lives of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control, against such there is no law. There is no law that tells you where, or when, or even how often you can exercise them.

The conclusion then is that you get free and stay free. Some of you will be like I was. It will most likely take some church hurts and abuses of authority to get you to see you have bandages. For others you are ready and God will show you the path to your freedom. Which ever person you are, you should know that your freedom is waiting for you, responsibilities are waiting for you not more unobtainable rules.

Stop worrying about making it to Heaven. Your concern should be is Heaven in me and am I manifesting Heaven everywhere I go.

That is Freedom.

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