freedom
noun
liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another

It’s the 4th of July today, so naturally the subject of freedom has been on my mind most of the day. Most people speak of freedom today in the context of the freedom we have here in the United States. Some people have no idea the gravity of the religious freedom upon which this country was founded, but I think some people do still truly appreciate the religious freedom that men and women have fought to gain and keep for the last 200+ years – and that they still fight for today.

But… right now I want to speak to another freedom. This is a different kind of freedom, and it’s the kind that comes in, sweeps us off our feet, and changes the trajectory of our lives as we know it.

What is that freedom?
One word… Jesus.

Now, okay. I know that doesn’t quite make grammatical sense. But then again… Jesus doesn’t make sense. If He always made perfect sense, we wouldn’t be human and He wouldn’t be God.

So, we’ve established that there are different kinds of freedom. There’s the political kind that may or may not come from the government, but far more importantly, there is the spiritual kind that comes from knowing Jesus. It comes from knowing Jesus as Savior, yes, but it also comes from knowing Him as compassionate and forgiving and loving Father. And that is exactly what I have come to learn and realize and truly believe here in 2019.

I’ve always known Jesus as my Savior, yes. But in recent months I’ve come to know Him in a far more beautiful way. I’ve come to know Him as a God who loves me and forgives me every single time, no matter what. I’ve come to know Him as a God who walks with me through life so that I am free to learn, grow, feel, stumble, and in my imperfect human way become more and more like Him.

One of my favorite verses these days is 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.”

What is that yoke of slavery that Paul speaks of? It’s slavery to a salvation that comes by what we do. He goes on to talk about how salvation by works is now a false gospel, that when Jesus came and died and rose again He created a new covenant in which salvation comes by faith alone through grace alone. In my life, though? Yes I **knew** this to be true, but I never really believed it for myself. And what’s crazy is that for years I was denying myself the gift of God’s unconditional forgiveness and love without even realizing it. My seven years since high school have brought about significant trial and suffering, but it wasn’t until recently that I fully realized just how burdened I still was by a gospel of works. I was carrying around and living under the (FALSE!!!) truth that God loves everyone EXCEPT for Mary. But even after I came to realize how much this false core belief was keeping me bound, I had the hardest time breaking through those chains. And I began to grow incredibly frustrated, because I knew what needed to happen but I didn’t know how to make it happen.

Well? That’s because I don’t need to know how to make it happen.
That is GOD’S job.
And the moment I try and think that an ounce of that job belongs to me? That I need to still do something in order to break my walls down? That’s what still kept me bound.

It wasn’t until I realized that the battle has ALREADY been won and that my God has been fighting for me this whole entire time… that I didn’t need to do a single thing other than let Him in… it’s once I **finally** realized that truth that He landed my plane. What’s crazy, too, is that once I did fully realize that… it was almost immediately that everything began to change. And as everything I had ever known began to change, life took on a new beauty that I never even dreamed possible.

So, this 4th of July… yes, it’s important to thank our men and women in uniform for fighting for our political freedom. It’s important to remember the roots of our great country and to value where we have come from.

But… far FAR more importantly? It is important to remember our Jesus. It is important to remember the freedom He fought for 2000 years ago… not on any battlefield in another country, but on a cross and in a tomb. He fought for our eternal freedom – a freedom that comes from salvation by faith and grace, and a freedom that breaks our chains so that we might live like we are loved by the most amazing and awesome God.

“Freedom” by Jesus Culture
Step out of the shadows, step out of the grave
Break into the wild and don’t be afraid
Run into wide open spaces, grace is waiting for you
Dance like the weight has been lifted, grace is waiting
Where the Spirit of the Lord is
There is freedom, there is freedom
Where the Spirit of the Lord is
There is freedom, there is freedom
Come out of the dark just as you are
Into the fullness of His love
For the Spirit is here, let there be freedom
Let there be freedom
Bring all of your burdens, bring all of your scars
Come back to communion, come back to the start
Run into wide open spaces, grace is waiting for you
Dance like the weight has been lifted, grace is waiting
Chains will fall, prisons shake
At the sound of Jesus’ name
Lives made whole, hearts awake
At the sound of Jesus’ name