A Liberty Devotion by Barbara Baker
Good morning! Today our Lord is encouraging us in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5:
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
As we approach our nation’s celebration of independence in just a week, the topic of freedom is at the forefront, an important point to pray into. How can we be spiritually free if we are bound up with strongholds and old bondage that keep us from being who God made us to be? Some common areas of captivity are unforgiveness, anger, shame, fear, prejudice, addictions – oh, my, this list could go on for a while.
We are all sinners and have baggage that we held onto when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. That easy road we thought we would walk as believers is bumpy and tiring at times, and it doesn’t help that we’re dragging along our suitcases full of strongholds and ugliness. These suitcases are difficult to hide, because they hold battered old possessions, hurts and wounds that don’t reflect the love of Jesus.
Recently I read an article by a young mom who, when unpleasant situations arose, would ask her children, “Who is cheering? Jesus or Satan?” Ouch! That’s thought provoking! How do our thoughts and actions as adults line up with the character of God? Is Jesus waving a banner and praising our progress? Or is the enemy chalking up another victory?
Is it time to stop, examine thoughts and ask ourselves if we are battling a stronghold – a dark, lifelong pattern – that we need to rebuke and throw away? Where is my freedom from the past? In Jesus alone!
Our liberty is free. No questions asked. Jesus died on the Cross for our sins, and we get to live for eternity with our Lord. Real freedom in that walk here on earth is found when we can line up with God and His truth.
We walk that out every day telling the enemy to get out of our head, out of our lives and declaring that he has no place in our lives – bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. When we need help along the way, we read the Word, find a friend to talk and pray with, or seek out our pastor or church leadership. It’s a battle worth fighting. Freedom is ours!
Jesus loves you! Me, too!