Freedom : Pastor Tony Samuels

Freedom is an incredibly valuable thing. You will never truly understand what it means to be free unless there has been a time that you lost your freedom. Freedom means: A state of exemption from the power or control of another; liberty; exemption from slavery, servitude or confinement. Before coming to Jesus, even though we may have thought we were free to make our own decisions and choices, we were actually in bondage; slaves to sin and slaves to that taskmaster, the Devil himself. Romans 7:5 (TLB) says, When your old nature was still active, sinful desires were at work within you, making you want to do whatever God said not to and producing sinful deeds, the rotting fruit of death. The enemy has tried to pervert the meaning of freedom; he’s tried to make us think that freedom means, “I can do whatever I want to do, when I want to do it.” This is wrong. Galatians 5:1 (NIV) says, 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.

When the Lord sets you free, you must value that freedom. When you value something, you will protect it with everything you have. 2 Corinthians 3:17 (AMP) says, Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. When the Lord’s Presence comes into your life, He comes to bring freedom; and when you come to that place of freedom, He will begin to give you a blueprint for your life to help you maintain that freedom.

Remember this: there is no lasting freedom without structure. For the Christian, our structure is the Word of God. A good example, since it’s the Fourth of July, is the structure that was given to our nation in the Constitution. As long as these blueprints are followed, we will remain the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. Now you can understand what the attack is about; it’s to break down the structure; it’s to destroy the blueprint of freedom, to bring a nation and a people back into bondage. Look at what Romans 6:17-18 (AMP) says:  But thank God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed. And having been set free from sin, you have become the slaves of righteousness [of conformity to God’s will and purpose].

Freedom is expensive. The Lord laid His life down that we may be free; men and women in history died fighting for the freedoms we enjoy in this nation. The ultimate insult would be to just give it away and not fight for it. And how do we fight? It’s simple…we don’t change our standard; we don’t alter the blueprint of freedom. We will carry an atmosphere of freedom. It will attract some and repel others. 1 Peter 2:16 (AMP) says, Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover or pretext for evil, but [use it and live] as bond-servants of God.

So be free today. Enjoy your freedom, and remember the mission of Lighthouse Freedom Center: we are a people knowing whose we are, walking in who we are, and sharing that FREEDOM with others! Be Blessed, Free People!