Living Free

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not subject again to a yoke of slavery” Galatians 5:1 NASB 1995

Everyone loves to be free. We enjoy being free. But freedom means different things to different people. To some, it is having no pressure in life. To others, it’s being away from people. To another, it means not yielding to people’s opinions. Still to another, it is having a sense of peace and quiet. The list can go on and on, but what does it actually mean? Different definitions by different people based on different experiences mean that there indeed are different classes of freedom. Now we can talk about political freedom, financial freedom, and all that, but these stem from two broad categories. There’s the freedom that the world gives (i.e., systems that do not align with Jesus Christ’s rule), and there is the freedom that God gives. We’ll look at both and understand their nature.

The freedom of the world says that you can do anything you want however you want. The freedom that comes from the world doesn’t exactly tell you everything- the fact that everything you do has consequences and that, it calls for one to be circumspect in living in that kind of freedom. Now that’s not profiting even to society, is it? How can you say that living free by the systems of the world’s standards is true freedom? Freedom that causes you to live in fear and anxiety and all the negativity that comes with it- simply put as no peace of mind? Now you can bear with me that that’s does not look like true freedom.

There’s another kind of freedom that God gives. Now God doesn’t force anything down anyone’s throat. Revelation 3:20 ESV says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me”. You see, you have the option to reject or accept the invitation of true freedom that comes through the person of Jesus Christ. In line with this, we see that God sets before us plainly what it is we’re getting into and how to live freely. He says that anyone who comes to Jesus and accepts Him believes that He is the exact representation of freedom. In Galatians 5:1, we see why Jesus set us free- to live free. I’ll dwell here for now and go on with the other parts later.

Freedom through Christ Jesus is the true representation of freedom. That is what it means to live free. What does it even mean to live free? Living free in Christ is the main deal about the grace of God that comes through Christ Jesus. It translates to living with peace of mind as you work out your salvation(cf. Philippians 2:12 ESV) to please Jesus, after submitting to Him. It means walking and living by His word daily(cf. Psalm 119: 105 ESV). This scripture in Galatians 5 is saying that we thought we were free until we met Jesus and gave our lives to Him and then realised we were not actually free. Living free simply means living in accordance with God’s word and precepts(cf. Psalm 119:11 ESV). Once you do that, you may encounter storms now and again, but you will see that those things don’t break you, and you’re at peace. Why? Because Jesus sticks with you through it all as He says that He’ll never leave nor forsake you according to Hebrews 13:5 ESV. Believe Him when He says so!

How do we live free? I say consistently, engaging with the word of God – the Bible – and applying it to our lives in every way possible. Once you do this, you actually live free not as the world says but as God who created the universe says. This is characterised by peace of mind. This requires us to stand firm. You might be thinking about what this means. Well, it literally means stand firm. You must have boundaries and principles inspired by God’s word. It means not giving in to anything and submitting your will to it. For it is written that you become a slave to what you submit to in obedience (cf. Romans 6:16 ESV). You need to watch it. Ephesians 6:13-18 ESV gives practical ways of standing firm. You can read and meditate on that as well- that the Lord may grant you more insight.

The world wants you to submit to its ways, and its ways may not be profitable enough because you realise you lose so much and can even get depressed. There’s always a price to pay, even for the little things. Not so with the freedom that comes through accepting Jesus.

Now that we have already seen the purpose of being set free by Jesus is to live free, let’s look more closely at how to live free.

As mentioned earlier, we need to stand firm. It matters where we stand. You don’t just stand anywhere. You need to stand on God’s word. That is a solid foundation- even the most assured because the word of God has been tried and tested over and over again(cf. Proverbs 30:5 AMPC, Psalm 12:6 ESV). Standing on God’s word is simply believing every word in the Bible and living by it through its application to your life. This is the only way you can truly stand firm in this world. And what’s more? There is assurance of victory as a result of relying on the word of God in 1 John 5:4 ESV because this is proof of our faith in Jesus.

Finally, not giving in to a yoke of slavery(i.e. anything that demands your allegiance that is not the Holy Spirit nor of Him) is critical to living free. Essentially, this is showing you another practical way of living free. One way of knowing this is what you actively spend your time on. Not submitting to a yoke of slavery means Titus 2:11- which teaches that we must say no to ungodliness(i.e. things that we know do not make Jesus proud essentially) and worldly passions(i.e. desires that are pleasing to the world’s systems and not to God). It therefore requires some responsibility on our part. It requires that we make an intentional effort to do away with things that do not glorify Jesus. You are asking how you can know if these things glorify Jesus or not? Okay- whatever it is, simply ask these questions: What will Jesus say about this habit or thing? Does it draw me close to Jesus or not? And be honest in dealing with this. This could even mean asking other Christians who seem more mature in the faith than you are. Once you find out it’s not pleasing to God, repent as honestly as you can, through prayer.

Another dimension of this is confessing your sins to others(cf. James 5:16a, ESV). Sin does not thrive in the open because you wouldn’t want to be feeling guilty every time in front of your friends and family. Find people you trust and share the struggle and aim to come out of it. You are better off experiencing some little shame in front of that one person than having to deal with shame on a larger scale in front of EVERYBODY! Hidden sin will eventually come out- believe me. Do the needful and live free.

Finally, it is imperative that your life is submitted to Jesus Christ in order to truly live free. This is because in Ephesians 5:8a, ESV, the Bible says, “For at one time, you were in darkness..” Hence submitting translates you from living without Jesus Christ to living with Jesus as Lord and saviour. If you want to do this and take that bold step, you can pray, “Lord Jesus, I repent of my old ways and confess I am a sinner. I submit to you today and declare you as my Lord and personal saviour. I part ways with the devil and the world’s systems and renounce any agreement I may have with them by your blood. I declare I am free in Jesus’ name! Thank you for accepting me as your child. I ask that you baptise me with your Holy Spirit and make me whole. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your love, amen!”

Feel free to reach out to myself or a Bible-believing church or a practicing Christian friend and let them know of this bold decision you have made so you are guided. But I will tell you this- start to read the Bible (loads of resources online) and talk to Jesus about your day- start from there and the rest will follow. Remember, it’s a daily walk with Jesus! You are dearly loved.

Shalom my friend!