Freedom.

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1)

Hey y’all! It’s your girl Julie, and we’re back with a segment of “Salty & Lit.” Today, we’re going to be talking about freedom. Let’s pray. Let’s pray.

Dear God, thank You for freedom. Thank You for showing the truth that we are not captives to sin. Help us to walk in the freedom that You have given us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Something that I want to let you know is that freedom isn’t free; in fact, it is very costly to the one who wants it. A lot of us want to be free - free from anxiety, free from sin, free from lust. Shoot, I want to be free from a lot of things too, but the cost to freedom is high. You have to want it bad, and you have to be willing to do it by any means necessary.

Often related to Malcolm X, a famous activist, “by any means necessary” meant equating it to using anything necessary to achieve a goal, even if it may require violence. It can be similar in a spiritual state: you have to be willing to want to be free, and you have to want your freedom bad to get your freedom, but the only thing is that you have to do it God’s way.

When you struggle with something, the truth will set you free. You have to be honest about what you’re going through, so you can get the freedom you want. The first step to freedom is acknowledging. The second step is doing the work.

What exactly is doing the work? I’m glad you asked ;). Doing the work means doing what God says in His Word regarding the thing that you’re dealing with. Struggling with thoughts? The Bible has a plan for that (renew your mind). Struggling with lust? Fix your eyes on Jesus the Author and the Finisher of your faith. Struggling with lying? Be truthful (Thou shalt not lie. You can’t get more explicit than that). Another thing is you can’t be passive about your freedom. In my church, there’s a passage that they love to mention: The Kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12). To me, I’m coming to understand that in this war we call life, we have to be violent to achieve the things we want. It’s no longer time to be passive and stay on the sidelines while life is happening. Christ died for us, and He called us to be free and to not return to slavery, which is sin, but it’s up to us to leave the past behind and pursue the freedom that He has given us. Let’s pray.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the freedom that comes from You alone. Help us to know that freedom is a gift, but we have to fight to live that out. The violent take it by force, so help us to live out “violent lives,” for Your kingdom. Help us to live lives pleasing to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

That’s all I have for today! Don’t forget you are loved, salty, and lit! Talk to you soon! 🧡