Daily Devotional May 21 - You Have a Choice

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Galatians 5:1

Freedom/liberty in Christ has been so poorly represented most Christians don't know what it is. The key is freedom/liberty from, not freedom liberty to. The liberty that Jesus affords us is the liberty or the freedom from the sinful inclinations that, in prior times were impossible or very difficult to overcome. Freedom in Christ is not freedom to do against God and then find some formula that allows for us to have the sin or indiscretion banished, as if we could do harm to another and then go and ask forgiveness and all is well. It also doesn't mean that if you have done something wrong or sinful and hurt others that you cannot be forgiven either. The line is drawn this way.

To knowingly set out to do damage, hurt others or hurt yourself or to do sinful things, knowing that they are definitely not of God puts you in a position where you are at odds with God. When you are ready and you have come to your senses and you realize that you have sinned against man and against God and you are truly remorseful of your transgression and you turn from the way that you once acted and make a conscious decision to abstain from further engagement in such activity, you are then ready to ask for forgiveness and be forgiven.

Because grace is so great and God is so merciful there is always a time for everyone to get right with God and there is always an open door to do so. God never shuts the door, but you can.

True Liberty.

• You are at liberty to follow Christ and to the best of your knowledge live according to the will of Go.
• You are free from the bondage of not being able to say no and not being able to turn down those things that are hurting you or someone else.
• You are at liberty to engage in righteous practices and to participate in the plan of God for His children.
• You are at liberty to take from the bounty of all that is available to a son of God and joint heir with Christ.
• You are at liberty to pray for healing and financial help and salvation for others and success for your business, a knowing that your prayer will be met with the abundance of God who gets great pleasure in providing for you and those you pray for.
• You are at liberty to come into the holy of hollies and sit at the feet of Jesus and talk and listen and be changed and find your way again.
• You are at liberty to take charge of your life and put your feet forward to accomplish your calling.
• You are at liberty to stand in the gap for others and make a way for them, by ministering to them with the power that God has given you by His dwelling in you.  

When Paul says be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage, he is talking about going back to the old ways, before you received power from God to overcome. There was a time for me and there is a time for you to draw a line in the sand and not cross over again. The bondage was before freedom, before your faith kicked in, before you had the power of God working in you and through you, before you made a confession of your faith, before you understood the consequences of sin.

Think of it this way. You have a choice, bondage to the world or freedom to access all that God has made for your good. Which one do you want?