Declare Your Freedom
At some point in every man’s life, he hears a voice of conscience (perhaps it is a faint whisper from God Himself) urging him to break loose from the suffocating bonds of lust or fear, which hold him against his will in either the endless search for more – more wealth, more excitement, more control – or the legalistic monotony of what some might call “religion.” When a man hears that voice, he often thinks he knows what it will take to break free, yet simultaneously feels as though he has lost his way. (He wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he were to break free.)
Culture Challenge of the Week: Tyrannical Rule versus Independence
At some point in every man’s life, he hears a voice of conscience (perhaps it is a faint whisper from God Himself) urging him to break loose from the suffocating bonds of lust or fear, which hold him against his will in either the endless search for more – more wealth, more excitement, more control – or the legalistic monotony of what some might call “religion.”
When a man hears that voice, he often thinks he knows what it will take to break free, yet simultaneously feels as though he has lost his way. (He wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he were to break free.)
What he needs is someone to follow.
One of the most beautiful things about life is that truth seems to hold firm through every layer – the micro, the macro and everything in between.
Take, for example, the soul of a man and the “soul” of a nation:
The United States of America, young as it is, has a short history made thick by the struggle and fight for freedom. In the same way a young man may recognize the awful injustice of the powers – whatever they may be – that hold sway over his soul, young America (the original colonies) could not ignore the injustices that came from the crown. Which is why Thomas Jefferson penned the words:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…. whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government…
Though people who were looking for new, abundant lives established the colonies, they instead began suffocating under tyrannical rule from the old world. So they declared their independence, abolished the old system and instituted a new one.
As humans, we often flee from life’s hardships to chase after our carnal desires or to find “safety” in rigid moral or religious structures. But if we are honest with ourselves, we find that our escapes lose their initial appeal and we find the same old futility we were running from in the first place. We need to break our ties with the old life entirely, and replace it with life that is truly new.
2 Corinthians 3:7 & 9-11 gives us even more reason, spiritually speaking, to do just that:
The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory…. If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!
How to Save Your Family: Declare Your Freedom
The United States of America was born through revolution. It left the old world behind to become something entirely new. Over the course of time, that new world grew in strength, and eventually turned around to save the old world from the Nazis in World War II and to protect it from the terrors of communism through NATO.
When Jesus Christ was born, he brought revelation. He did away with the old “system of law with its commandments and regulations” (Ephesians 2:15), and he made something entirely new by replacing law with his governing Spirit.
Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? (2 Corinthians 3:8).
The best part is that those living according to Jesus’ new way are forever protected from the devil and all the traps he sets to try to entangle us again in our old lust and fear.
As 2 Corinthians 3:12 says: Since this new way give us such confidence, we can be very bold.
Independence Day is the perfect time to look back on history so we can follow in the footsteps of our great founding fathers. They laid bold claim to liberty by invoking the name of God (He is referenced four times in the Declaration of Independence) and forever changed the face of the world. Or better yet, look back on the history of Jesus’ life and lay bold claim to the liberty of your soul by placing your faith in the One who changed the face of all eternity.
Between the BBQ and fireworks this year, don’t forget to say a prayer of gratitude for the rich blessings that have been poured out on us simply because we are fortunate enough to call America our home.
