What are you doing with your freedom?

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%204-6&version=NIV

"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

To any slave, I believe a proclomation of freedom, a release from bondage, must be both greatly desired and an immense blessing. The freedom that Christ brought is nothing less. Before Christ's death, God's people lived in bondage in three obvious ways. The first was bondage to the standards of the law and the sacrificial system in order to continue living under the favor of God - until Christ's death brought justification and freed us from the law.

The second was bondage to sin - even greater than what we experience because the Spirit that brings sanctification did not dwell in the hearts of the people prior to the death of Christ. Before we were justified and and sin covered, the spirit of God could not live in our sinful hearts - Christ's death purfied our hearts, making it possible for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit - freeing us from the bondage of sin.

Lastly, many of the gentile Christians were living under the bondage that other people placed on them - bondage to religious practices and rituatlistic idol worship. But Christ brought a new religion that required one simple thing - a heart that desired to be free and walk in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

However, like the church in Galatia, we often end up in chains again, despite our freedom. Those chains we sometimes put on ourselves in the form of legalism - chains I am too familiar with. It's easy to fall into the belief that we can somehow earn God's favor and blessings, and so we put on the chains trying to please God with our obedience. In the picture of God's grace, this makes little sense. For it is by grace we have been saved, through faith - and this is not from ouselves, but it is a gift from God (Eph. 2:5). The chains of legalism serve no purpose in God's economy but rather enslave us, keeping us from a free and mercy-filled relationship with our daddy God.

We also can again become slaves to sin. Paul warns the Galatians to "not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature". He knows how easily sin can enslave us - and move us into the third type of chains - those chains of idol worship. When we allow ourselves to become enslaved to sin, we often become a slave to the demands of the sin we have allowed to become our master. Again, our free relationship with Christ is hindered because the sin-chains keep us from reaching Him.

But - as always in the word of God - there is good news. We aren't fighting this battle against legalism or sin or idolatry alone. No, Paul tells us that we live by the spirit, and if we live by the spirit, we will not gratify the sinful nature. The Spirit gives us the power to over come sin. The spirit gives us the ability to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. The spirit has a greater power than our flesh does to help us to walk in love-prompted obedience, not fear-prompted or obligatory obedience.

So, my friends, my question to you today is this: What are you doing with your freedom? Are you allowing yourself to put on chains of legalism? Are you using it to indulge in sin that will enslave you? Or are you walking in the Spirit?

If you want a good test to see whether your are slaves or free, check out the lists Paul provides for us in chapter 5:19-23. Do you find any of the following in your life? Be willing to be very, very honest and then ask God to create a new Spirit within you - you can be free today - this very minute:

Sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry (could be to money, success, other people), witchcraft, hatred, discored, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dessenstions, factions, eny, drunkenness, orgies.

Or, do you have fruit of a Spirit-filled heart in your life. Does this list look more like you? Ask God to increase this list in your life - to increase your fruit by the power of the Spirit. I promise that when you walk closely with him, it will happen - 100% guaranteed. Here's the fruit you can/will see:

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

These things bring no chains - they bring total freedom. So we get to make a choice - will we live in the freedom Christ brought or will be again be burdened by a yoke of slavery. Make the choice to be free. Understand that sometimes - often - you have to make the choice every day and then walk closely to God so he can keep you free. Freedom is possible. Freedom is beautiful. Freedom is yours for the taking!