I still remember the day I passed my driving test (of course I brag to my kids about getting a 100% on it and I still love to parallel park to this day)! I also remember getting the keys to my very first car. Best day ever! There’s something about freedom that feels so good, right? We crave it. We’ve desired it from the very beginning. 

I think it’s safe to say that the word freedom has become synonymous with the ability to make our own decisions, do our own thing, and blaze our own paths. We are inundated with messages such as “follow your heart” and “my truth,” which is a tempting gospel to believe, yet a dangerous path to follow. Our hearts will not save us – we need to be saved from our hearts. The heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9).

However, the freedom we have in Christ pales in comparison to the personal freedoms we hold so tightly to on this earth. There is a world of difference between temporary freedom and eternal freedom. 

Our greatest enemy, Satan, does not want us to be fully knowledgeable of our freedom, the true freedom that Jesus has promised us. So much so, he’s constantly in our ear shaming and blaming us. The enemy knows that if he can keep us distracted and focused on personal freedom versus our freedom in Christ, he can continue to have a foothold. 

We are all sinners and our sin is out to take hold of us daily, causing us to make bad choices and act upon them. As we live on cruise control we lose sight of the end of the road, which is destruction. Sin destroys our lives. There is no freedom found in sin, but bondage to destruction. It’s an ugly cycle that will repeat itself over and over, as long as we allow it.

“So if the son sets you free, you will really be free.” –John 8:36 

True freedom is available to us. Jesus is the freedom we are truly after. 

We live in a broken world. All the temptation, hurt, and disappointment that we experience, Jesus also experienced. He knows what bullying, betrayal, and abandonment feel like. He knew the importance of going to His Father with a troubled spirit. He knew that freedom wasn’t found in His feelings, but the truth. It is the truth that sets us free. 

Freedom in Christ is not a license to do whatever our hearts desire. God has given us freedom to do what we ought to do. Freedom to abstain. Freedom to contend. Freedom to turn away. Freedom to choose God’s will for our lives, even in the face of the gravitational pull of our sin. Freedom in areas of our lives that are held hostage to sin. His freedom liberates us to walk in what He has called and prepared for us to do. 

Those who trust in the Lord and hold tight to His Word will mount up on wings like eagles. They will be free, indeed! 

Friends, we have been given an invitation to live free! 

My prayer over you today is that you will accept His invitation and not look at freedom the way the world defines it, but as Christ intends it for your life. God’s plans for you are good and His love for you is even greater. You can trust Him. He sent His only Son to die a brutal death for you to live free. 

Let’s live as free people! 

Have you purchased your In Jesus You Are . . . Bible study journal yet? Not only will you find all of the daily reading passages and SOAP journaling pages, but you’ll have each of the daily devotions in printed form–no need to check the app on your phone while working through your study!

Don’t forget, the Bridge Reading Plan is only available in the printed journals! The Bridge is a two-week long reading plan designed to bridge the gap between two studies. In the In Jesus You Are . . .  journal you’ll find the Bridge Reading Plan along with two weeks of SOAP journaling pages and daily Scripture reading! Don’t miss this! The Bridge reading plans will walk through the entire Book of Psalms during 2021. This plan is found only in the study journals, so grab one today! You don’t want to miss out!

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Kelli Trontel

Entrepreneur, photographer, writer, worship leader and single mother of two Kelli Trontel has proven that while life can bring grief upon grief, difficult days did not take her out. Her passion is to share how the Lord has been faithful even when life and others aren’t, how worship is our weapon and that the Lord truly fights our battles.