FREEDOM in Christ!

Ephesians 4:1-5 (NASB):

"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift."

I can say today that I, like Paul, am a prisoner of the Lord. But, being a prisoner of the Lord is nothing like being a prisoner in the world's perspective. Being a prisoner of the Lord simply means following His commands, being obedient to His leading, and allowing Him alone to direct my path...in contrast to allowing men to make me captive. Being a prisoner of the Lord gives me FREEDOM in my life. For we can only have one master, and in this case, we can serve man or we can serve God. We can fear man, or we can fear God.

John 8:36 (NKJV):

"Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

Galatians 5:1 (NKJV):

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."

God took me on a spiritual ride today. I have some friends who have recently changed church services, although we are all ONE body -- the body of Christ. They have been inviting my family to visit their church since they began to attend, and my husband and I have kept it in our minds and awaited the prompting of the Lord as to whether we should go. Yesterday, I was driving my car, listening to a Christian broadcasting program and I heard the Lord say "I want you to go to Harvest Baptist tomorrow. " It was clear and concise and I knew it was God speaking, so I told my husband and asked if we could go. He decided to stay home but gave me permission to take the children and attend today. I went...not knowing what the Lord had for me, and if he was going to use this time/visit to lead us to a change in services. Frankly, I did not know why I was going, except the Lord had spoken to go. '

I arrived at the church, and it was bigger than I was used to, but very nice. The children went off to children's church and nursery respectively, and I took a seat with my friends in the balcony. The music was different than I was used to, but very pleasing and honoring, worshipping the Lord. There was a massive group of people singing, and there were brothers and sisters playing instruments. Everyone sang in unison and in tune with one another. There was great accordance with one another. There was no loud praising, or shouting, or dancing, or the word "Hallelujah" which can be heard at our services regularly...but I remembered God's Word telling me to be all things to all men. As the music was playing, I heard "This is not where I have called you, but I brought you hear to speak to you." God is always mysterious, but this got my attention. As the Word was preached out of Matthew, I began to realize that sometimes, God takes us to a new place so He can speak to our hearts in a fresh new way. God needed to get me out of my home church for a service, so He could transform my heart by His Word for service at my home church. All in all, I got fed spiritually at this new, different church. God said to me also that all churches that believe in Him and His gospel are His houses, and He can choose to speak through any of them. We are all one body of Christ, and He can use different places and different people to speak to our hearts in fresh, new ways. Today, this was exactly the breakthrough I needed, and it was from a place I never imagined....but it proves that God is everywhere, and He can speak in any way He chooses. He is the Sovereign Lord, and when we think we know how He is, He shows us a new part of His wonderful character.

He spoke to me first about my finances and being a good steward of money, rather than serving it. It was spoken that we should serve God and use money, not serve money and use God. This really spoke to my heart, and restored me to right thinking as finances can be a problematic area of my walk with Christ. Christ is teaching me righteous stewardship in all areas of my life. But God wasn't done with me yet! He went on to speak about how a wife/mother can become overly burdened with household duties and taking care of the family and can forget to prioritize life where God is above all else. I have fallen into this snare as well. God says we should seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness, and He will add everything else unto us (Matthew 6:33). I have become so overly stressed about meeting everyone's expectations that it has taken a heavy toll on my relationship with God. It has made me tired and even feeling a little "burned out." I have sinned in the process, felt distant with God, and hurt those around me. I have not done much good lately, although God has made it evidently clear through others' words that He has continued to minister to their hearts through me even in my pit of darkness. Praise God because it proves that it is NOT ME that is doing it, but Him. I can be dysfunctional in my life, and He is still faithful to complete His work through me in others' lives. Amen and Amen! Anyway, God spoke one final word to me at the end of the sermon. He said clearly to me "All I want from you is for you to seek me first (before the sunrise) and I will take care of everything else. This is your #1 priority in life right now." He set me STRAIGHT. And I once again have great peace and joy. I came home transformed in my heart because of the Word of God...again. Praise the Lord!

I, for one, am thankful that God is ever changing and mysterious in all His ways. Who can know the heart of God, except He reveals it supernaturally to our finite minds and hearts. I thank God for His supreme wisdom, and His beautiful guiding voice that leads us down the straight paths that He has laid out before us. I thank Him for taking me to an unknown place to deliver me from anxiety, cares of the world, and fear of man. He is truly an awesome God, and He is worthy of all honor, glory and praise! Today, I will praise the Lord because He has restored unto me the joy of my salvation, and peace that surpasses all understanding. He has shown me the way which I should go, and He has assured me that I need not worry about tomorrow, for today has enough trouble of its own.

Thank you all for reading this blog today, and may God bless you richly with the hearing of His Word! I pray that you would be discerning in whatever messages you are listening to from God, to check them against the Holy Word, and to give feedback on anything you find not to be scriptural. Please do this with me to sharpen me, so that I may be used in a fuller way by God to serve you, and preach His Word to set you free from your own anxieties and strongholds! I pray that your soul be resting securely in the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that you would cast your cares at His feet today and all Him to carry the burden of your sins. God bless you, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Set Free by Christ,

Sarah