Jesus wants to give you peace. He wants to destroy any fear and anger you may have and give you hope. Jesus wants to take your hand today to show you the path to true freedom.

Freedom requires wisdom and understanding.

This is God’s truth: the greatest bondage of all is sin!  It is sin that keeps us from being free.

Once we understand this truth, we must strive to unburden our conscience by repenting of our sins and in so doing we can be reconciled to God.

One of the first things God taught me was that “Love is a choice.”

We prove our love with every choice we make. To repent of our sins is a choice called love. To acknowledge our poor choices and ask God for His forgiveness and for His grace to help us and guide us is to embark on the beginning of a journey of freedom and peace.

Now the world will tell you otherwise. I have even seen billboards that say: “There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” Allow me to be frank. This is Satan’s marketing campaign! Satan does not want you to be free. He wants to deny you the gift of eternal life, eternal joy, eternal peace and he will prey on your senses to lure you into a life that is empty and full of choices that will dishonour God.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:13

“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.” Galatians 5:1

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

“Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:1-2

Our inability to repent and turn away from sin can keep us in a state of bondage and so too will our inability to forgive prevent us from being free.  Injustice, violence, abuse can spiral us into a cycle of grief that keeps us in a place of anger and sorrow.  This grief can destroy our life.  Only through God’s grace can we heal and find the freedom to live without being persistently burdened by the trauma of the past.  Let us pray for God’s grace that enables us to forgive those who have hurt us so we can begin on a path of healing.

FORGIVENESS IS FREEDOM!

I long for a world where people stop hating and stop hurting, a world where people stop using violence to avenge wrongs.  I know that God will avenge injustice.  “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”  Romans 12:19

One of the things that helps me ‘be free’ is keeping my eyes fixed on the eternal horizon.  I lost many, many years to some trauma early in my life.  Healing is a process.  Sometimes I think “I am Free!” and  “I have healed” but then at times I spiral back into a place of resentment and grief.  It’s often easier to have compassion on others than on ourselves.  I think ‘Being Free’ is something I will have to work on with God’s grace for the rest of my life.  Injustice, violence and abuse inflict wounds on us and sometimes through God’s grace we heal completely, but more often than not the wounds leave scars that continue to affect our life.  God helps me to keep hoping and keep loving by remembering that time lost will be replaced with an annuity of peaceful, joyful tomorrows in eternity.

Let’s trust in Jesus to give us His Holy Spirit, a Spirit of Love and Truth that allows us to conquer the fear and anger we may hold in our hearts. Let’s live each day knowing that we are a pilgrims traveling to our final destination. Let’s repent of our sins and be reconciled to God. Jesus will be with us each step of the way, helping us to carry our cross and conquer the pain in our life.

The ultimate freedom is not of this world. It is in Paradise with God. If we stay mindful of that truth then everything we do today is but a stepping stone to an eternal future with God where there is only peace and joy, no fear, no violence, no pain, no injustice, no illness, only love!

I encourage you to meditate daily on the Passion of Christ.  I often think of Jesus lying on the Cross being crucified praying “Father forgive them for they no not what they do.”  Luke 23:34  Jesus is nailed to the Cross while we were still sinners.  Jesus prays and hopes and waits for our repentance.  This prayer ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do’ has become my prayer too.  I strive to pray for those who hurt me and have not asked for forgiveness and sometimes it’s a difficult prayer, but Jesus gives me the grace to pray it.  Let us pray for our enemies for it is God’s will that we do.  Remember Jesus said, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven…”  Matthew 5:44-45

Receive the gift of peace that Jesus wants to give you.  Trust in Jesus to help you to forgive and live in His tender embrace where there is no fear only hope and joy. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Words of Jesus, John 14:27