Are You A Slave?

Christians love to go around talking about freedom in Christ; it’s our favorite privilege! However, for some reason we don’t always want to stay free- our actions reveal that about us. We give our lives over to Christ, we try our best to live in the way that would most honor Him, and then we find (or keep) a “favorite” problem. Don’t know what I’m talking about? What is your go-to addiction or that one thing that always trips you up? What is your natural “response” when things go wrong?

Here are some examples:

-busyness

-alcohol

-drugs

-sex

-gossip

-lying

-anger

-worry

-fear

-playing the victim

-self-pity

These are just a few of the many vices we hold onto in our lives. You may be thinking, “I hate that I worry”, or even “I wish I could just stop being angry!” However, if you are a Christian, and you still habitually battle with something- then it is, indeed, enslaving you. Many people think that, while some of these things have help , many cannot and is just “the way I am”. BULL-HONKY! We may struggle, be attacked, or suffer through certain sins in our life, but if we succumb to the idea that it is just the way we are and there’s nothing we can really do about it- then we are neglecting the very freedom that Christ died to give us. Yes, He sacrificed Himself for our salvation, but also for our ability to live above the problems that unbelievers are tethered to. “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)

Once you have identified the things in your life that you have allowed to creep in and shackle a part of you, start claiming freedom over them! They won’t automatically disappear just because you say so… but words can either lift up or destroy. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21) Choosing to speak life over our own lives is the first step to allowing the freedom of Christ to infiltrate the problem areas. 

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY! We have the same Spirit living in us that raised Christ from the dead. That means that the very power of God is contained in the human form you walk around in! Prayer allows the Holy Spirit that is in you to commune directly with the Father in order to bring about change. Do you really think there is anything in your life that is unreachable by the power of God?

Talk to someone. This doesn’t necessarily mean counseling (although it could), but rather, find someone that you trust who will commit to praying for you and being a listening ear whenever you need one. I suggest also offering to be that ear for them as well… iron sharpening iron and all. We can go to God at any point, for anything, but He gave us other believers to do this “life thing” with, for a reason.

Understand that you will stumble. Even though you are doing everything you can and trying your best to give Christ the problem area of your life- 9 times out of 10, you’ll mess up. You are human after all. The victory is not in the perfection though, but the progress. Get up, dust yourself off, resolve to win, and keep letting the freedom Christ offers be your goal and rear-guard!

Freedom is offered freely, but sometimes it requires hard work on our part to maintain it in our earthly lives. That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t good enough to start with- but rather we tend to hold onto things that keep that freedom from seeping in to every nook of our existence. We have the choice to accept the freedom God gives, to claim victory over every area of our lives (no petty victimization allowed- we have been given grace and no long need to live as victims or slaves), and we have access to the full power of God through the Holy Spirit. Do you really want to stay a slave? Things are hard, you may struggle, there may be some things beyond your control, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a slave to them. Choosing to fight is liberty in action!