Freedom!
"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32
Freedom is defined as "the condition of being free from restraints. The liberty of a person from slavery, detention, or oppression, and political independence. Today, we celebrate the fourth of July. The day that America was set free from the restraints of England, the day that she became independent, the day that the political hand of oppression was lifted and she began her new life of freedom from restraints.
Last night, while I was putting our daughter to bed, she asked me; "Mom, what's the 4th of July?" So I got out my phone and googled it that I may be able to tell her correct dates and times..."On July 4th of 1776, America became a country, in which they were free from the British and able to write our own rules and laws called the Declaration of Independence....It's America's birthday!" My answer seemed to appease her. But, as I thought more about this day and what it really stands for I couldn't help but think of my own life as a Believer. As I look at the definition of freedom...I see myself. My old life caught in sin and bound with chains and my new life of freedom from slavery and oppression. For Believers, it's all about knowing the truth and being set free. The Bible is our Declaration of Independence. It sets us free as we read of the truth found in the Word of God. We read of the price that Jesus paid for our lives that we may live a life of freedom from sin, freedom from guilt and freedom from eternal separation from God. If Jesus never came...America would never be... because America was founded upon the Word of God and upon Biblical principals.
Recently, while in New York City John and I stumbled upon the Declaration of Independence at the New York City Library. The thing that was so unique about this particular copy is that it was one of only six copies ever handwritten by Thomas Jefferson himself and only one of two that remain in tact to this day. It's considered one of the rarest and most important documents in American history. On June 28, 1776, the finished draft of the Declaration of Independence was submitted to the Continental Congress. Before it was ratified on July 4, a number of changes were made, including the exclusion of Thomas Jeffersons lengthy condemnation of the slave trade. Because this troubled Jefferson so much, he hand wrote six copies of the Declaration of Independence underlining that which had been taken out to appease delegates from Georgia and South Carolina. The document that we saw with Thomas Jeffersons signature was one of those original documents! This was an amazing find for us to happen upon...but what we saw next was even more amazing! Walking around this beautiful, ornate building we walked right by a glass case off to the corner of the library. John stopped as he recognized a painting of Moses with the 10 commandments, and there to our great surprise was the Gutenberg Bible. This is believed to be the second printed version of the Bible, written in Latin by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz Germany in the 1450's. Only 48 copies have survived and are considered to be among the most valuable books in the world. As we stood and starred at the large Bible my wise husband said "Which do you think is more important ...the Declaration of Independence or the Bible?" I said;" the Bible." John respond; "That's right! for without the Bible there would be no Declaration of Independence! 
Let's remember that today as we celebrate our freedom! While you are picnicking, beaching or barbecuing think of where you would be without the instruction in the Bible, without the godly men that fought for our freedom and dared to make it happen...and think of the greatest sacrifice of all time..the only sacrifice that really matters...Jesus's death for you and for me on the cross of Calvary! Celebrate your freedom today! "For whom the Son sets free is free indeed."John 8:36
Running For the CROWN!
" Do you not know that those who run in a
race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.And
everyone who competes for the prize
is temperate in all things. Now they
do it to obtain a perishable
crown, but we for an
imperishable crown.Therefore
I run thus: not with uncertainty.
Thus I fight: not as one who
beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it
into subjection, lest, when I have
preached to others, I
myself should become disqualified.
Paul exhorts us in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 that we are to run this race that is set before us to win not just to finish. Those who win will receive a price...a reward...a crown! I don’t know about you but I
want a crown…not an earthly perishable crown but an imperishable one that I can cast down at
the feet of my Jesus in worship and adoration. To obtain this imperishable
crown there are certain requirements that Paul lists for us. We are instructed to first be "temperate" or self-controlled in not just some things...but Paul says "in all things" All means all! All areas of our life are to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. Therefore we are to not be SELF-CONTROLLED, but GOD-CONTROLLED. God wants to be in control of
our lives, our will and our bodies. This takes constant surrender
of our will for His…our ways for His…our desires for His desires.
Which leads us to the next
key to the crown, Certainty. In verse 26…Paul says;
“ Therefore, I run thus: not with uncertainty thus I fight; not as one
who beats the air…” To be certain…one needs to be focused and sure of what their goal is and
willing to fight for it! To run with certainty we cannot be distracted therefore we must remember 3 specific instructions that all runners must heed...
1. don’t look back,
2. stay in your lane
3. don’t drop the baton or you will be disqualified.
3. don’t drop the baton or you will be disqualified.
As
Christians we are not to look back lest we get tripped up by the world because
looking back always slows you down….remember Lots wife…she looked back at the
world with longing and it not only slowed her down…but she was turned into a
pillar of salt. When
we get saved, we come out of the world…we are loosed from its hold on us and we
are to go forward and not look back.
As you run with purpose, temperance and certainty, remaining focused you then will hit the final requirement to the crown...DISCIPLINE! Paul says in verse 27; “But I discipline my body and bring it into
subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become
disqualified.”
“Discipline…
says Elizabeth Elliot, …is the believer’s
answer to God’s call.” It's the recognition of God’s master plan in our
lives we can take it or leave it…its up to us. As Believers we are constantly trying to
be more disciplined in our quiet time, in prayer, in eating, exercise, or
whatever it is to you…you fill in the blank. At times, it seems we are going around in
circles with discipline…sometimes we have it and other times we don’t. We live in a day of continual distraction with Iphones, and social media…it’s hard to be focused unless we’re disciplined to
put everything down to follow hard after Jesus! The disciplined life is a life committed to Christ by
learning His word…living His Word…and loving his Word! The disciplined life is a life of death…a life of
picking up the cross and following Jesus. I think sometimes we forget the cross...the instrument that we so
easily identify with is an instrument of death. The problem when identifying with the cross is that things often get hard the closer we walk with Jesus…that’s when we give up! Instead of pressing in...we give in... to trials and temptations. Instead of receiving the power to overcome we are overcome. The key is found in a disciplined life. A life that is focused on Jesus and determined to receive the prize. If we are to win...we must no compromise lest we get disqualified! Kay Smith said; "Set your standards high...and raise them higher!" If you want the crown you must rise to the occasion...stay focused, be temperate in all things, certain of what you are running for...not looking back, stepping out of your lane, or dropping the baton. And finally, you must be willing to bring your body, your life and your spirit into complete subjection to Jesus...recognizing that He has a great plan in mind for you if you will but run with purpose, passion and preparation.
First Time Obedience
In Joshua 6 we read of the great faith of Joshua as he listened to and obeyed God for GREAT things. Joshua was slowly being prepared for the BIG day...the day that the Children of Israel would take Jericho. He took the people over the Jordan on dry ground by faith, set up stones and cut away the flesh of the people in obedience. Joshua was learning that faith and obedience go hand and hand.All of this was preparing Joshua for the next BIG test of his faith...Jericho. Would Joshua obey God..would he trust God...would He believe that God would do what He said?
As Joshua was instructed by God, he so instructed the people. They were to walk around the city one time for six days and on the seventh day they were to walk around seven times with seven priests blowing seven trumpets. When the trumpets blew the people were to yell as loud as they could and the walls of the great city would fall. They were then instructed to burn the city and not take any of the spoil. Everything went according to plan except for one small thing...someone disobeyed and took of the spoil.
We tend to say what's the big deal, right? Wrong! Obedience is a BIG deal to God...in fact it's what makes or breaks us as believers. It's been said that partial obedience is disobedience and even delayed obedience is disobedience. But God says "Obedience is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22) It's more pleasing to the Lord that we heed His instructions and listen to His still small voice then anything we could offer as a sacrifice to Him.
We can flourish in our walk with the Lord or we can struggle through it....the key is first time obedience. We often find it easy to obey in the BIG things (fellowship, prayer, daily devotions, serving at church, tithing...) but very difficult in the smaller things (gossip, exaggeration, over sharing, complaining, procrastination, hypocrisy, patience, loving the unlovely, forgiving...) We somehow think that these "little" sins won't effect us or others and it's not a big deal. But, in reality it's the small areas of obedience that the Lord often puts His finger on in our lives. He wants all areas of our lives in submission to Him.
Joshua knew that something was wrong when they went to go take the small city of Ai and ended up losing the battle. It was then, that God told Joshua that there was sin in the camp. One by one Joshua went through the tribes, then the families, and finally the men, to see who it was that took of the spoil. When Achen's sin was revealed and he was removed from the people Joshua then went back a second time and took the city of Ai.
It was all a matter of of complete obedience. Partial obedience is disobedience. God wants our complete obedience in all areas of our lives, big and small. Oswald Chambers said; " The golden rule for understanding in spiritual matters is not intellect, but obedience."
Sin hinders us from hearing from God, being used by God and understanding God's Word. "No man ruleth safely but that he is willingly ruled." said Thomas a Kempis, are you willing to be ruled by God completely...for that is where your safety lies, in complete obedience. Lord help us to obey all things...small and great and to do so quickly!
Conquering The Enemy
"So all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua took and struck with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded." Joshua 11:12
As Joshua went in to conquer the land from Jericho and onward he was commanded by God time and time again to utterly destroy the inhabitants and to burn the city with fire. He was also continually encouraged to not be afraid...and that the Lord God was with him. As Joshua spent time praying and waiting upon GOd he heard and obeyed God's commands and was victorious in all he set out to accomplish. When Joshua did not inquire of the Lord and allowed sin in the camp he was defeated.
This serves as a great example for us as to the successful way to conquer the enemy in our own lives. There must be an utter destruction of the enemy in our lives to have complete victory. But how is this possible? How do we have victory over the constant attack of the enemy, our own flesh and the world which wages against us on a daily basis? We do what Joshua did...we seek God daily, we listen to Him and we obey Him. As we take our daily instructions from the Lord by spending time in the Word and prayer each day we are strengthened to go and fight with the right kind of weapon... a sword.
It was the sword...the Word of God which Jesus used against the Devil when He was tempted in the wilderness ...and it's what we are to use when the enemy comes at us each day. As we sharpen our sword each day we are able to fight the enemy...but, we are also able to conquer the enemy and have a final victory as well. The key is the utter destruction of the flesh. We, like Joshua are commanded to not let anything be left breathing. When it comes to the enemy we cannot afford to leave anything breathing...we need to destroy the flesh or it will grow and take over. Practically speaking we need a plan, like Joshua was given a plan of attack from the Lord. Our plan may look different then Joshua's, but the tactics are the same...seek God, obey His commands and destroy the flesh. To destroy the flesh requires death...death to self, death to desires, wants, tendencies, cravings...whatever it it...the method remains the same...DEATH must take place to have victory.
If you are struggling today, as I often do with overcoming the devil and having victory over the things that are waging war against me...do what Joshua did...sharpen your sword through the reading of the Word of God... spend a long time in prayer on your face pleading with God...surround yourself with like minded people who can help you in your battle and go out in confident obedience trusting God completely and knowing that the God who has called you is faithful who also will do it!
Remember The Stones
"Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying 'What are these stones?' "then you shall let your children know, saying, 'Israel crossed over the Jordan on dry land....that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever." Joshua 4:22-24
It's good to remember where we've come from, and how the Lord snatched us up from the hands of the enemy and tucked us safely under His wing. At times in our lives we may have a memory or visit a place that reminds us of something that occurred in our life. If it was something from the past, most of us would rather forget it entirely. But, there are somethings that the Lord desires for us to remember that He might be glorified in and through those memories. I remember a time when the Lord had me share my testimony to a large group of women. I had been saved for 20 years and never shared my testimony in public. I was terrified to go back and revisit the past, and yet the Lord was right there with me encouraging me all the way. I recall Him speaking to my heart reaffirming His great love for me and that He had cast my sins as far as the east form the west long ago. I also recall Him speaking so sweetly to me that I was no longer that person, and that He was going to use my testimony for His glory. Although the Lord forgets our sins and has cast them as far as the east from the west( Ps. 103:12)...we still remember. This can be a bad thing and it can also be a good thing. Bad if it's the enemy behind it...and good it it's the Lord reminding us as He did with Joshua...to "remember the stones."
When Joshua was commanded by the Lord to cross over the Jordan River in Joshua 4, he obeyed, leading 40,000 people over on dry land. Then, God told him to commanded each of the leaders from the 12 tribes of Israel to take a stone from the Jordan and carry it to the other side. There they stacked the 12 stones as a sign of the Lord's faithfulness in their lives. They were told to speak of this to their children and their children's children. They were to remind them of all the Lord did in the past, all He saved them from, and all He would continue to do in and through their lives. What stones have you set up in your life?Has God brought you through a difficult time, a time of financial hardship or a time of grieving? Remember the stones. Remember that He carried you and that He loves you. Remember that He isn't done with you and is using difficult times to reveal Himself to you in a greater way. Just think if Joshua hadn't listened...and the people hadn't obeyed...there wouldn't be the sign of God's faithfulness still stacked by the River Jordan today. We serve a BIG GOD, a faithful GOD, a loving GOD. He can still divide the sea...He can still dry the Jordan River...and He can still do a miracle in your life as well...but you have to first step in and trust and then obey!Step in and watch Him work today...and then set up the stones of remembrance...using them as a testimony of God's faithfulness in your life because the greatest stone every set up for us to remember was rolled away on Easter morning...let us remember that stone this time of Year as we remember Jesus!