“It is for Freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
— Galatians 5:1 —
I love God. I love that I am completely and unreservedly loved by the creator of the universe and that he delicately crafted me and knew all about me before I was even a twinkle in my mothers’ eye. I love what he has done for me and the assurance that he is always with me, fighting for me, never against me. I love that I am called to be his, to represent him here on earth, and I love that Christ came so that I could live an abundant life of freedom.
This is what the first part of the verse in Galatians is talking about. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. No longer slaves to sin or shame. No longer slaves to fear of insecurity. Able to live in the true identity of being a child of God. Sounds great doesn’t it?
But in reality, we find it hard to continually live in that freedom. We all have moments where we fall back into old sinful patterns, fall prey to shame, experience fear (whether rational or irrational) and insecurities that we thought were a thing of the past rear their ugly heads once more.
It’s clear from the second half of the verse in Galatians that this freedom isn’t something that necessarily comes easily to us. We are told to stand firm and not to be burdened by a yoke of slavery. It is a free gift but it requires action. We have to choose day by day to stand firm in the truth that we are free.
During my times of reflection with God, he has been teaching me more about the freedom that he came to give us, what may get in the way of that freedom and how we are to stand firm in it. Because I believe the yoke of slavery that Paul writes about is any of the many things that can hold us back and stop us from stepping into the freedom that we are promised. There are so many things that we face on a daily basis that can rob us of our joy and prevent us from living the exceptional life that God has made available to us.
Looking back over my journey so far, I have looked in particular at the different times that I have lived a bound, limited, less than life and have identified four of the biggest enemies that have stood in the way of my freedom. Each one of these things has at one time or another prevented me from stepping into his next promise. The biggest enemies I have encountered are shame, insecurity, fear and lack of direction.
Shame tells us we are too broken for the promise. Insecurity tells us that we are not good enough to step out. Fear tells us that we aren’t capable, that everything will fall apart if we do that thing God is calling us to. Lack of direction keeps us confused, never really moving forwards.
But Jesus came and stoop in the gap so that we are made right with God. These enemies are nothing more than lies designed to stop us from living our best life. The bible provides a counter-argument for each of these, a truth that will combat the weeds that can stifle the freedom from our lives. God has revealed to me four keys, victories over these enemies, which if we choose to use against these lies have the power to revolutionise our life, how we view the world and how we take our place in it.
Key 1: F is for Forgiveness
We can spend our lives living in condemnation, living in shame, whether we place it on ourselves or it’s placed (or sometimes heaped) on us so unhelpfully by others. We so often feel that we are not good enough, that we don’t deserve, punishing ourselves for our screw ups and leaving the “holy” pursuits to others – we’re not good enough for that promotion, we’re not good enough for that ministry, we’re not good enough to share that gift – leave it to someone else, until I am better, until I stop messing up. Guilt, blame, shame, embarrassment.
The reality is that no one is good enough. Everyone messes up and nobody gets it right all the time. The only person ever to be good enough was Jesus – God himself. And because of his enormous mercy, we get to “wear” his good enough – we live from his perfection.
By sending his son he fixed what we could not fix. He took the punishment, the sin, the shame, so that we no longer have to be distant. We no longer have to shrink away and hide because God’s incredible mercy removed this barrier. No matter how badly we mess up, regardless of the number of times we make the same mistake, if we ask, if we turn back to him then none of that stands in the way of our freedom. We are free to live the life we were always intended to live. Our worthiness no longer depends on our adequacy but his sacrifice.
“…everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” — Acts 10:43
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” — 1 John 1:9
We are pure. His blood washes away all sin and sets us free from the power that sin had over us. As Colossians 1:13-14 puts it we are rescued from the kingdom of darkness because Jesus paid for our freedom and forgiveness of sins. What an amazing God! No one is good enough, everyone is less than. But God has made a way for us to step into our freedom despite that. Yes we sin, yes we aren’t perfect. But God paid the ultimate price – now no one is better than, more than, worse than, less than anyone else. We are all made worthy. We have all been set free from ourselves. We are all made equal.
But Colossians 3:13 adds a second part to this. “…forgive anyone who offends you. Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Forgiveness is a two-way thing. God forgives us. We must forgive others. If we hold on to offence and unforgiveness, we become bitter, resentful, hurt. In order to be truly free we must believe and accept that we are forgiven and, in turn, learn to forgive others.
Key 2: I is for Identity
Insecurity is an enemy to freedom which comes from not understanding who we are, not understanding the worth that we have, in Christ. It comes from not understanding who we are created to be.
In the Genesis account of creation, where God hung the stars, separated the waters and created everything so intricate, so beautiful, he saved the very best until last. You. Created in his very image.
“In the image of God he created them” — Gen 1:27
We were created in the image of the Almighty God! Beautiful, captivating, perfection. We were created to reflect the very image of Him. The glory of a glorious creation – a reflection of our glorious creator. And Adam and Eve felt no insecurity, no self-worth issues at all! (Gen 2:25) Oh if only it could have stayed that way forever! Eve was created in the image of God. Insecurity wasn’t even something that she could comprehend.
She wasn’t afraid to be herself, sing at the top of her lungs for fear someone might hear her, or speak up in case of ridicule. She Didnt dislike her hair-colour, or the freckles on her face, or the number on the scales. She may have been a size 8 or 28, with frizzy hair or big ears or buck teeth! However Eve looked, she wasn’t insecure! She liked herself, her appearance, her personality, her sense of humour, and she walked around Eden secure and at peace with her God.
But then things changed. Adam and Eve made the decision that who they were was not enough. They wanted more and they wanted to do things their own way. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sin entered the world, their identity became distorted. With their sin came insecurity and shame, bringing all its baggage with it. Adam and Eve were afraid to be seen by God—they were ashamed of who they had become and they were no longer secure in their identity.
Insecurity is a powerful force. Satan himself uses insecurity to speak all kinds of lies into our hearts. And he has a way of making us feel less ashamed of our sin, the thing that separates us from God, and more ashamed of ourselves. It’s one of his favourite tactics because when we are insecure, we don’t take hold of our freedom and we are less of a threat to his plans.
But it doesn’t have to be that way – there is a cure! Jesus bore the shame of the whole world on the cross and took it to the grave with Him! He defeated sin and death itself along with it! Our identity, once again, is being restored to the way he created it to be. Jesus closed the door on insecurity and opened the door to a Christ-identity!
“So all of us have had that veil removed… we are changed into his glorious image” — 2 Corinthians 3:18
I explore this very process in my previous blog “The process of becoming: how God is unveiling our true selves.” This restoration is a process but the final goal is to live free from self-doubt, insecurity and shame. To receive the freedom of His mercy and with our identity secure in our creator. Can you imagine?
The victory over insecurity has been won. For good. You never again need to hide from God. You can be free from all the lies the world will tell you about not being smart enough, pretty enough, good enough or any enough. You can be free from all the labels, all the boxing in. You can be exactly who you were created to be. You are a wonder to behold. Nothing excludes us from the freedom the Cross makes available. Our identity has always been and will always be in him.
Key 3: S is for strength
Fear plays a huge role in standing in the way of our freedom. Fear of failure, fear of humiliation, fear of rejection. Once we have grasped who we are in God, to combat fear we must realise who we have got with us. Deuteronomy 31:6 makes it clear that when we accept Jesus into our hearts, he is always with us, he will never leave us and he will never let us down. We have a consistent, unending, unfailing source of strength and courage.
“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” — Deuteronomy 31:6
1 Corinthians 3:16 says that me, that you are temples of God and that the Spirit of God dwells within us. We carry around God in our very being! The Holy Spirit is the power of God, the power that raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11). He is the one that gives us strength – the spirit of God inside us means that there is nothing that we cannot overcome! Wow!
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom” — 2 Corinthians 3:17
So how do we “tap in” to this strength? Nehemiah 8:10 tells is that our strength comes from the joy of the Lord, from worshipping in spirit and in truth, in connecting with God in a way that we are unable to do on our own. And we will be “…strengthened with all his glorious power so [we] will have all of the endurance and patience [we] need.” (Col 1:11)
This strength is developed as any physical strength is developed, through working at it, through repetition and through training. Our awareness of the strength that is within us is heightened as our relationship with God is strengthened by always thanking the father (Col 1:12), by praying without ceasing (1 Thes 5:17), by reading God’s word so that it dwells within us (Col 3:16). God’s word is our strength, our defence, our sword.
“The word of God is alive and powerful…sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword.” — Hebrews 4:12
It takes patience. It takes persistence. It takes love. Perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18) and God is love. He is our strength. By knowing who we have with us, we can step out with confidence, with boldness into all he has for us.
“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.” — 1 Corinthians 13:7
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13
Key 4: H is for Hope
The final hurdle to overcome is when we feel that we lack direction or purpose in our lives. Regardless of knowing that we are forgiven, assured of our identity and knowing who we have with us, ultimately if we feel we are wandering aimlessly, with no purpose and no direction, we will never be truly free. We will just end up going round in circles.
For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11
This is looking towards the future, our purpose. It’s assurance in the things that have not yet come. God has purpose for every single one of us that he wants us to step into. It’s not just about where we go when we die (although we can be assured that our ultimate future is secure too), but it’s about our future and direction here on Earth as well. He came to give us “life and life in abundance” (John 10:10). Life in all its fullness. Here and now.
When we pray, God promises to listen (Jer 29:12). We can continually come to him and ask him what’s next. It may be something huge, it may be something small. But whatever it is, make sure he guides your steps. Because God’s plans are 100%, no-chance-of-failure, awesome.
Colossians 1:9 teaches us to pray continually for complete knowledge of his will, spiritual wisdom and understanding. If we are obedient, living a God-centred life, a God-pleasing life, then there is a promise that we will bear fruit in everything we do, growing in the knowledge of God, stepping into a God-centred future (Col 1:10). We have an assurance, a hope, that there is more. We have purpose and through purpose comes freedom.
Forgiveness, Identity, Strength & Hope…FISH
I did some research into the significance of the fish to Christianity and my search came up with some interesting results. Fish are mentioned in the gospels a lot; we are called to be fishers of men, fish featured in the feeding of the 5000, Jesus performed the miracle of the huge catch of fish when recruiting his disciples….the list goes on.
But maybe more interesting to me was the great significance that the fish symbol held with early Christians. During their persecution by the Roman Empire, Christians used the fish symbol to mark meeting places and distinguish friends from foes. The Greek word for fish ΙΧΘΥΣ is an acronym (abbreviation of the initial letter of other words) of “Iησοῦς Χριστός Θεοῦ Υἱός Σωτήρ” or “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Saviour”. According to some historians when a Christian met a stranger in the road, they sometimes drew one arc of the simple fish outline in the dirt. If the stranger drew the other arc, both believers knew they were in “good company”. It was an outward sign of their faith in Jesus, a declaration of their relationship with God.
Today the modern equivalent is to display the symbol as a bumper sticker or in the window of a house where a Christian resides.
As Christians, we know that we are called to be Christ’s ambassadors here on earth. We are called to be salt and light, putting Christ on display for the world to see. But that doesn’t mean displaying the fish bumper sticker (although if you want to just make sure you drive well!). A better sign or “indicator” of the richness of the relationship that we have with Christ is living in the freedom that we received from him at the moment of salvation.
The confidence, the boldness and the assurance that we possess as a result of the fullness of the life we have in Christ is the biggest display of God’s glory at work. Our ‘FISH’ acronym is for the freedom that we live in – an acronym of the declaration that we have found forgiveness, identity, strength and hope in our God.
What is it that is holding you back from true freedom in Christ? Maybe it’s something different to me and you need to ask God to show you a different truth from his word as an antidote. Whatever it is, declare truth, dwell on truth, dig into the word, draw close to God. You are Forgiven. Your Identity is Christ. Your Strength is supernatural. Your Hope is secure. Let us live as people who are free!
Thank you God that you love me so much that you came to Earth to die for my freedom.
Thank you that I am forgiven, I no longer have to be bound by sin and shame.
Thank you that I was created perfectly, in your image and that my identity is in you.
Thank you that you are my strength, that with you nothing is impossible.
Thank you that my hope is secure and that your plans for me are to prosper me, great plans, with a purpose and a future.
Help me know these truths deeply, please etch them ever deeper into my heart so that I can step into every day, every situation, truly free.
Leave a Reply