By Doug Creamer
Many times in my life I have heard pastors reference the freedoms that we have in Christ as if I knew what those freedoms were. I have often wondered about them but never really taken the time to learn about them. My pastor was planning to travel and suggested this would make an interesting topic for the sermon I would give in his absence. The trouble was he didn’t tell me what our freedoms are.
I guess my pastors thought everyone knew about our freedoms in Christ. I can understand that because I taught marketing for 34 years, and every semester when I got new classes I thought they knew something about marketing when they arrived. Each year, when I would define marketing for the students, I would be surprised that they needed to write it down because they didn’t know it. Then I would remember, this is new to this group of students.
How was I going to teach about the freedoms we have in Christ? Hello Google! The first thing I found I already knew. We are free from guilt, shame, and feelings of unworthiness. I was glad to remind myself that I can give Him the guilt and shame that I sometimes feel when I make wrong choices. I was also reminded of the forgiveness for our sins. Nothing makes the heart lighter than knowing we are forgiven. God forgives and forgets all our sins!
I am free to approach God’s throne without any fear. In fact, God is excited and glad to see me. He is the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and yet He is never too busy to spend time with each one of us. He is the perfect Father who loves each of us beyond our understanding. If we invest the time in this very special relationship, we can even call Him our friend.
That means we can go to Him with our prayer requests. When we pray to God we can know that He hears us and that our prayers carry weight in heaven. Our prayers can actually change circumstances. Our prayers can bring heaven’s aid to those in need. Why do our prayers matter? We are God’s children and we have a special place in God’s heart. He wants to do things for His children. He wants to answer our prayers.
One of our freedoms is the privilege to walk with God. He doesn’t watch us from a distance, because He is intimately involved in our lives. Since I get to walk with God, He will reveal to me His purpose for my life. Once I know my purpose then I am free to fulfill that purpose…with His help. One of our key purposes is to tell the lost about God’s great love! Each of us has a story, our testimony, about how God has set us free from our old lives.
We have the freedom to partake in the blessings of being God’s children. Many think that we will receive all our blessings when we get to heaven. There will be plenty of blessings when we get there, but there are many blessings to enjoy while we are here on earth. One of my former pastors used to tell us that God wants us to have a good trip through life. That doesn’t mean that we won’t have any problems, trials, or difficulties, but it does mean that God will walk with us through those times and will bless us. We are free to be blessed by God!
The Bible is full of many promises that God makes for His children. I am free to enjoy all those promises. Many of the promises in the Bible are conditional…if I do this, God will do that. But there are plenty of other promises in the Bible that are blessings for us to enjoy here on earth. Our job is to discover them and then claim those promises, like His protection, His guidance, His wisdom in times of need, His forgiveness, and His unconditional love.
I want to encourage you to dig into God’s word and discover the promises He has for you. No matter what challenges you face, God is on your side to help you. He bought your freedom from guilt and shame so you could have an increased capacity for His love, joy, and peace in your life. Then He wants you to use those freedoms to share the Good News of His love with those around you. He also wants you to enjoy His favor in your life and to allow that favor to give you a good trip through life.
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
