Freedom.  It seems everyone wants to be free yet we often struggle to even admit when we are not.  When Jesus stated that holding to His teachings would lead people to know the truth that would set them free, the religious leaders bristled at even the hint that they had ever been slaves to anyone or anything.  Over the next 24 days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the book, “Living Free”, that I wrote several years ago to help you discover a life of freedom found through a consistent gazing into, and practice of, the perfect law of God’s Word.

Here is day nine with an important reminder that living free in Christ means that you, and those around you, can live free to follow God’s commands.

Free To Follow God’s Commands

“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”
Psalm 119:32 (NIV)

What is your first reaction to hearing the word command?  How do you feel about being told what you have to do?  Are there times when it is easier to follow the commands of someone than at other times?  Why?  What role does love have in your willingness to follow commands?  Do you tend to view rules as keeping you from doing things or as setting you free to do everything within their boundaries?  What’s the difference?  Would seeing God’s love within His commands help you to live free to follow them?

Most of us don’t like to be told what to do.  We tend to resent commands, especially if we can’t see how they benefit us.  We often even think of God’s laws as being a bunch of “Thou shalt nots” rather than being boundaries that set us free to obey.  When we gaze into God’s perfect law, we find that it is His love for us that sets us free to obey His commands with a willing heart.  As you pray, ask God to fill you with the presence and knowledge of His love.  Pray that you would find joy and freedom in following His commands.  Pray that your love for Him would make obedience a joy.

In prayer,

Tom  

Freedom.  It seems everyone wants to be free yet we often struggle to even admit when we are not.  When Jesus stated that holding to His teachings would lead people to know the truth that would set them free, the religious leaders bristled at even the hint that they had ever been slaves to anyone or anything.  Over the next 26 days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the book, “Living Free”, that I wrote several years ago to help you discover a life of freedom found through a consistent gazing into, and practice of, the perfect law of God’s Word.

Here is day seven with an important reminder that living free in Christ means that you, and those around you, can live free from the power of your enemies.

Free From Enemies

“He is the God who avenges me, who puts the nations under me, who sets me free from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me.”
2 Samuel 22:48-49 (NIV)

Who are your enemies?  What makes them enemies?  Is it possible to live free from enemies even when they still exist?  How?  How does understanding the teaching of God’s Word about our real enemy help you deal with people who act like your enemy?  Does the way you treat enemies say more about you, or them?  What does God’s Word say about how we ought to treat enemies?  How would doing that help you to live free from their influence and/or control?

It seems impossible to go through life without making enemies, or at least encountering people who act like they are your enemy.  When we learn by gazing into God’s Word that we need to love our enemies, we are able to find ourselves free from their influence.  Being able to see the real enemy for who he is, helps us treat the people who act like enemies the way God wants us to.  As you pray, ask God to help you understand how to live free from enemies as you love them as God desires.  Pray that you would see beyond the actions of people to recognize who the real enemy is.  Pray for the peace to feast at God’s table in the presence of your enemies.

In prayer,

Tom  

Freedom.  It seems everyone wants to be free yet we often struggle to even admit when we are not.  When Jesus stated that holding to His teachings would lead people to know the truth that would set them free, the religious leaders bristled at even the hint that they had ever been slaves to anyone or anything.  Over the next 27 days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the book, “Living Free”, that I wrote several years ago to help you discover a life of freedom found through a consistent gazing into, and practice of, the perfect law of God’s Word.

Here is day six with an important reminder that living free in Christ means that you, and those around you, can live free from the captivity of sin.

Free From Captivity

“I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.“
Isaiah 42:6-7 (NIV)

“O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains. I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD.”
Psalm 116:16-17 (NIV)

Have you ever been trapped in a place or situation and then been set free?  How did it feel to be captive?  How did it feel to be set free?  Is it possible there are things you are captive to that you don’t even realize?  Is it possible to live free even when you are confined for some reason?  How?  How does gazing into the perfect law of God set you free from the captivity of sin?  What does being free from the captivity of sin mean to you?  Does it mean you will never sin again, or something else?  Why?

Unlike a physical prison, sin’s captivity doesn’t always confine us to a specific place but it does make us captive to a way of life that keeps us apart from God.  God’s perfect law sets us free from the power of sin and death through the blood of Jesus.  Even if we should find our self confined for some reason, through Jesus we can still live free from the captivity of sin.  As you pray, ask God to help you live free from the things which try to take your heart, mind, and soul captive.  Pray that you would not re-enter that captivity once Christ has set you free.

In prayer,

Tom  

Freedom.  It seems everyone wants to be free yet we often struggle to even admit when we are not.  When Jesus stated that holding to His teachings would lead people to know the truth that would set them free, the religious leaders bristled at even the hint that they had ever been slaves to anyone or anything.  Over the next 28 days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the book, “Living Free”, that I wrote several years ago to help you discover a life of freedom found through a consistent gazing into, and practice of, the perfect law of God’s Word.

Here is day five with an important reminder that living free in Christ means that you, and those around you, can live free from the weight of your burdens.

Free From Burdens

“He says, “I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket. In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah.“
Psalm 81:6-7 (NIV)

What are some things that tend to weigh you down to the point of becoming burdens physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually?  How often do you find the burdens in one area of your life intruding into other areas that you thought were burden-free?  Do you ever find yourself carrying burdens and concerns that you wouldn’t need to?  How often do you gaze into God’s perfect law looking for freedom from the burdens you carry?

Burdens can be sneaky things.  Many times we don’t realize the true weight of the burdens we carry until they are gone . . . or until we collapse under them.  Other times we become resigned to carrying our burdens as if nothing could ever lift them from us.  Many times in my life, the burdens I have carried the longest have been burdens that I have kept even after knowing God has offered to carry them for me.  Gazing into God’s perfect law does give freedom, but only if we are willing to cast our burdens upon Him.  As you pray, ask God to give you freedom from the burdens that you carry.  Pray that you would know God’s laws to be a means of freedom and not burdensome.

In prayer,

Tom  

Freedom.  It seems everyone wants to be free yet we often struggle to even admit when we are not.  When Jesus stated that holding to His teachings would lead people to know the truth that would set them free, the religious leaders bristled at even the hint that they had ever been slaves to anyone or anything.  Over the next 29 days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the book, “Living Free”, that I wrote several years ago to help you discover a life of freedom found through a consistent gazing into, and practice of, the perfect law of God’s Word.

Here is day four with an important reminder that living free in Christ means that you, and those around you, are free to find contentment in God.

Free To Be Content

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’  So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’“
Hebrews 13:5-6 (NIV)

How content are you?  Would those closest to you agree with the answer you gave?  Who first comes to mind when you think about contentment?  Do they have everything they want?  Do they have everything you would want?  Is it possible to not have everything you want and still be content?  How would learning to gaze more intently into the perfect law of God bring more contentment into your life?

Through all of my teenage years, I began various projects on the farm that I had hoped would make me my first million dollars.  In case you are wondering, that never happened but the desire stayed alive within me for many years.  In fact, when I published my first book, it was only through gazing into the Word of God that I became convicted of His desire that I share my work as freely as possible.  By freeing myself from the love of money, I found myself free to be content.  As you pray, ask God to help you see the desires within you that keep you from true contentment.  Pray that you would allow God’s laws to free you from the bondage of possessions so that you would be free to live a contented life.

In prayer,

Tom  

Freedom.  It seems everyone wants to be free yet we often struggle to even admit when we are not.  When Jesus stated that holding to His teachings would lead people to know the truth that would set them free, the religious leaders bristled at even the hint that they had ever been slaves to anyone or anything.  Over the next 30 days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the book, “Living Free”, that I wrote several years ago to help you discover a life of freedom found through a consistent gazing into, and practice of, the perfect law of God’s Word.

Here is day three with an important reminder that living free in Christ means that you, and those around you, are free to approach God.

Free To Approach God

“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.“
Ephesians 3:12 (NIV)

Are there people that you would like to talk with but are afraid to approach them?  Who are some people, or positions, that you would not feel free to approach?  Why?  For you, what tends to make some people more approachable than others?  Do you think people find you easy to approach about anything?  How would believing someone knows everything about you, and loves you beyond measure, influence your willingness to approach them for advice and friendship?

I live with a fear of people.  Not a normal fear of scary people, or bad people, or even unknown people; but an autistic fear of interaction with people.  Some people have a mistrust of people and a similar fear of God that keeps them from feeling free to approach Him.  God has given us His Word so that we may gaze into it in order to find the freedom to approach Him.  As you pray, ask God to help you put aside the hindrances that keep you from freely approaching Him.  Pray that you would know God through His Word in a way that leads you to know Him through relationship.

In prayer,

Tom  

Freedom.  It seems everyone wants to be free yet we often struggle to even admit when we are not.  When Jesus stated that holding to His teachings would lead people to know the truth that would set them free, the religious leaders bristled at even the hint that they had ever been slaves to anyone or anything.  Over the next 31 days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the book, “Living Free”, that I wrote several years ago to help you discover a life of freedom found through a consistent gazing into, and practice of, the perfect law of God’s Word.

Here is day two with an important reminder that living free in Christ means that you, and those around you, can live free from anguish.

Free From Anguish

“In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free.“
Psalm 118:5 (NIV)

What are some things that tend to concern you to the point of anguish?  Are they issues that are caused by others or yourself . . . or some of both?  At what point in your life does concern or despair lead to anguish?  If you are currently experiencing the distress of anguish, what would it take to free you from it?  How would gazing into the perfect law of God free you from the anguish you experience?  How will you help others once you experience the freedom God promises.

Many times it is in the depths of despair that we learn to cry out to God seeking to be free from the anguish we find our self in.  Life has a way of pressing against us and there are times when we feel as if we are surrounded by enemies that intend to harm us.  As we gaze into the law of God, we find a hope that frees us from the hopelessness that deep anguish brings.  As you pray, ask God to fill you with His hope when everything around you looks hopeless.  Pray that you would look up to Him when you find yourself in the depths of despair.  Pray that your response to being set free would give others hope in their anguish.

In prayer,

Tom  

Freedom.  It seems everyone wants to be free yet we often struggle to even admit when we are not.  When Jesus stated that holding to His teachings would lead people to know the truth that would set them free, the religious leaders bristled at even the hint that they had ever been slaves to anyone or anything.  Over the next 32 days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the book, “Living Free”, that I wrote several years ago to help you discover a life of freedom found through a consistent gazing into, and practice of, the perfect law of God’s Word.

Here is day one with an important reminder that living free in Christ means that you, and those around you can live free from accusation.

Free From Accusation

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.“
Colossians 1:21-22 (NIV)

Have you ever been accused of something?  How did you respond?  Does having actually done the thing you’re accused of change the way you respond?  How about if it’s something you’ve done but it has already been dealt with?  How do you respond to people who try to bring up things that have already been resolved?   How much freedom do you experience by knowing that anything you are accused of has already been forgiven by God?

While it would be nice to live completely free from accusation, gazing fully into the perfect law of God’s Word and living by it can free us from the power of the accuser.  Accusations are typically powered by guilt on our part, so when we allow God to forgive us and remove our guilt, we find ourselves able to live free from the power of accusations.  As you pray, ask God to help you live according to His Word so that the accuser has no power over you.  Pray that you would know the freedom that comes from living a life that has no need to worry about accusations.  Pray that you would not be an accuser in the lives of others.

In prayer,

Tom