Friday, July 4, 2008

Identity


Galatians 5: 1
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.


I was thinking the other day, which if you know me you know that I do way too much of this! It’s actually OCD thinking, where I just can’t turn my brain off, I think about a situation and then think about it some more and then I over think it and then analyze it and then think about what I came up with after analyzing it. Get the point…its way too much thinking! So anyway, I was assessing (another word for thinking…creative!??!) if I am truly living my life as free person or if I am still stuck in the slave mentality. We are all born as slaves, slaves to sin. Until we are born again, we won’t experience true freedom. The freedom that only Jesus can bring to your life. So what does living like I am free look like? When people look at my life, can they see the difference?

We are a slave to whatever controls us (2 Peter 2:19). So what in my life is controlling me? What has a dominating influence over me? I came up with a few things that I feel have a tendency to make me feel like a slave and not the free person that God has intended me to be. My yoke of slavery looks like this: I think I have to be in complete control of just about everything; I have pride issues (now its hard not to want to backspace that!); I worry about money, and when I get stressed about something I tend to eat over the feelings of stress!

As I was driving in the car today, I heard God’s sweet and yet all-powerful voice reminding me, "Nichole I paid a very high price for your life and your freedom, don’t you think you can trust me? Nichole I want you to be free and live like you’re free. Living like you are free, means you will put all your trust and faith in me."

Definition of Freedom-the right to enjoy all the privileges or special rights of citizenship, membership, (dictionary.com)

If I am hauling around my yoke of slavery, how can I be living like I am free? How can I enjoy my relationship with God if I am stuck in my slave mentality?

When we cry out to God, He answers us by setting us free (Psalm 118:5).

When we are in running toward the center of God’s will we are living in freedom (Psalm 119:32).

May we release our yoke of slavery and live our lives in freedom!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

If only we could let go and let God!
Let FREEDOM Ring.

ThreeGirlyGirls said...

What great words!! I too can't "turn off the brain" all to often! I try to overthink way to much and so often God is just saying....."SHHHH. Just let me work."

Great post!