The Price of Freedom July 14, 2024
Last week’s blog focused on that enigmatic term, “Freedom” and what it meant for us as Christians. Being free in the natural sense looks completely different from a spiritual vantage point (as it should). Naturally perceived, freedom seems to be all about an individual right and ability to do whatever your mind conceives or your heart desires. We grew up for example, with the notion that the open road is a place of freedom-freedom to go and explore whatever and wherever you want to. Depending upon your generation and race that perceived freedom may have been true for some and mostly true for others. But, if you are a road dog like I am, you know that there are some places with “restricted access” that will not welcome you. For example, I happen to live on a street with restricted access. You must have special permission to travel in my neighborhood. No matter how much you may want to visit, say, a home that is for sale on my street, you will have to get permission from a resident or realtor to gain access. Even though the county pays for the upkeep of the roads with your tax dollars, you are still bound by certain restrictions at certain times. Additionally, lets say you have the right to go to a place but common sense tells you not to go. I travel solo for a fair bit of time and there are some places I may have a right to go but, my common sense says it is not safe for me to go there. There are certain “red flags” I pick up on that let me know I would be putting myself in danger if I ignored the signs and went anyway.
Isn’t that how spiritual freedom is in a natural world? You may think you have the right to certain privileges in the natural world, but, when you are in tune with the Spirit of the Lord you will see He restricts you from accessing certain areas that are simply not for you. I was just discussing these God-made boundaries with a mentee last week. She shared her experiences in the city of Miami and how seemingly quirky they were. We both marveled at how God clearly closed the door to certain areas of the city in order to protect her spirit from contamination. Unfortunately, we both had stories where we chose to push aside the boundaries and both of us paid a spiritual price. There is nothing worse than losing your sense of peace and disappointing our Heavenly Father because of a choice to travel into areas He has restricted you from.
What God foresaw for both of us in Miami was that we were vulnerable to certain negative spiritual influences. Like rebellious children, we wandered into restricted areas so that we could exercise our false sense of freedom. God’s roadblocks held and thankfully, He was there to shepherd us back to safety before disaster occurred.
How many times has that happened in your life where you clearly went where God did not intend for you to go just because you thought you had the “right” to? For example, It may have looked like you were losing out on an opportunity to experience what “everyone” else was, namely sex before marriage. You knew the situations you placed yourself in were sketchy but, you stayed and did "it" anyway. God was trying to preserve and protect in each of us that which was holy but we may not have seen it that way. Our fleshly rebellion was in direct opposition to God’s Holy agenda for us even though society told us that rebellion at a certain age is a “right of passage.” Where we saw roadblocks, God meant for us to see safety barriers and we blew right past them.
As Christians, we get the privilege to experience a spiritual freedom that others cannot; the sweet communion with the Holy Spirit simply has no equal! There are restrictions on our bodies that we must adhere to however, in order to allow our spirits to be as free as earthly possible. That is the price of freedom for Christ followers and it is well worth the cost. In first Corinthians chapter 6 verse twelve, the apostle Paul explains it this way; ”Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me]."
The price of freedom is the quantifiable sense of joy at simply saying, “no, I won't go there.” "No" to spiritual slavery at the price of fleshly freedom. “No” to years of regret and heartache. "No" to the devils’ wide and dangerous full access pathway and “yes” to God’s narrow protected and restricted way.
True Christian freedom is, PRICELESS!
If you would like more information about how you can get freedom, please contact me at: AriseDaughter@gmail.com and I can help you with a personalized roadmap. Many blessings! Sylvia
Song: “Reckless Love of God” by Israel Houghton
Beautiful written and well said:
Daring to enter forbidden places comes with a huge price tag we cannot afford to pay, but we sure act like it- until we drown in debt, guilt, shame and near death spiritually emotionally,and physically.
There is ONLY one way to get out of that restricted area: Humble yourself and reach out to the one who is able to consolidate your debt for good, after you turn back to Him and find refuge for your wounded soul and broken spirit.
He is the way, the truth, and the life … who leads you to green pastures and still waters.