“Thoughts
may come, and they may persist in staying. But if we refuse to put those
thoughts into words, they die unborn.” – Kenneth E. Hagin.
Good
evening friends, it's been a while. I trust you all have been doing well.
Happy new month. In this penultimate month, regardless of how the past months
turned out for you, get set to experience the GOODNESS of the Lord, after all,
every good and perfect gift emanates from Him (James 1:17).
In our last
post, we took time and saw how wrong thinking had enslaved many and kept them
in perpetual bondage to the deceits, wiles, tricks and gimmicks of the devil.
We also said that we would hinge our focus on the New Testament to see clearly,
"The Liberty we NOW have in Christ."
Galatians
4:28-5:1 NKJV
28 Now we,
brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.
29 But, as
he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born
according to the Spirit, even so it is now.
30
Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son,
for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”
31 So then,
brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.
5:1 Stand
fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be
entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
We would
notice that as Isaac was a child of promise, so is every believer. The scripture
states that even just as Isaac was persecuted so will we, and that we are not
children of the bondwoman but rather children of the free
woman. And since we are the children of the free woman, which connotes liberty, we are not to be entangled again with any yoke of bondage but rather, we are to stand in the liberty that we have received in Christ.
I want us
to quickly note two things stated in Galatians 5:1:
1) Our liberty had nothing to do with
our input, but it had everything to do with the everlasting love that our Lord
and Saviour has for us,
2) That we have been made
free. Emphasis on the word, ‘made’. This implies that it has already been done,
meaning that we are not trying to be free, but that we are already free, for
who the Son of Man sets free is free indeed (John 8:32)
If then we
are free, how come this liberty is not the experience of many Christians? This
is because not every believer knows how to maintain the freedom they have
received, and because we are also confronted with an adversary who is not pleased with
our liberty and will do anything within his means to enslave us.
1 Peter
5:8-9 American Standard Version (ASV)
8 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,
9 whom
withstand steadfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are
accomplished in your brethren who are in the world.
In the
above scripture, we see that the devil is our adversary and NOT any human
being. We also see that he is on a search mission seeking whom he may devour. And
he is definitely not seeking unbelievers, because they are already his and need
no devouring, but he’s in search of believers. We are told how to put the devil
in his place: by resisting him steadfast in OUR faith, not in the faith of
someone else, not even in the faith of any pastor, bishop or prophet, because
every believer has been dealt a measure of faith (Romans 12:3) which should be
growing (2 Thessalonians 1:3). We are also admonished not to give the devil any
place in our lives (Ephesians 4:27), this implies that he doesn’t have any
leeway into our lives, unless if we so permit him.
2
Corinthians 10:3-5 AMP
3 For
though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare
according to the flesh and using mere
human weapons.
4 For the
weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they
are mighty before God for the overthrow and
destruction of strongholds,
5 [Inasmuch
as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up
against the [true] knowledge of God, and we lead every thought and purpose captive into the obedience
of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
The scriptural reference above is commonly used out of context, and this ends up enslaving many without them even knowing. When this verse is used out of its proper context, believers are encouraged
to war against strongholds and powers militating against them. This concept of
fighting a war is borne when one takes a cursory glance at what this verse is
talking about, and also when one puts absolute NO value on the finished work of Christ.
How on earth does one fight a war that is already won? It is synonymous to a
man paying for an already purchased car to the same car dealership company
twice! Does that make any sense? Jesus already whipped the devil and stripped him of every, and any kind
of power he had over us and rendered him totally powerless and useless (Colossians
2:14-15 New Century Version, NCV).
Now in
verse 4, we see clearly that we do not wage war with physical weapons, and we
see that our weapons for warfare are also mighty before God. Now verse 5 gives
us the answer to what the word, ‘strongholds’ in verse 4 means. Now we see
clearly that the strongholds come in the form of ‘arguments, theories, reasonings, and thoughts’. And we are told
specifically what to do with such strongholds: bring them captive into the
obedience of Christ (the finished work of Christ), and not for use to start
looking for and waging war against some ancestral strongholds.
Let us even
assume that such ancestral strongholds exist. I am playing the assumption card here. Are
those strongholds anything compared to the TOTAL LIBERTY that we have in
Christ? Of course they are NOT! I believe as believers we should focus more on
the realities of redemption that are NOW ours instead of allowing ourselves to
be entangled into bondage by wrong thinking and teaching.
Now as we
bring this series to a final close, I leave you with the lyrics of the song, 'No
longer slaves' by Bethel Music.
You unravel
me with a melody
You
surround me with a song
Of
deliverance from my enemies
Till all my
fears are gone
I'm no
longer a slave to fear
I am a
child of God
I'm no
longer a slave to fear
I am a
child of God
From my
mother's womb
You have
chosen me
Love has
called my name
I've been
born again into your family
Your blood
flows through my veins
I'm no
longer a slave to fear
I am a
child of God
I'm no
longer a slave to fear
I am a
child of God
I am
surrounded
By the arms
of the father
I am
surrounded
By songs of
deliverance
We've been
liberated
From our
bondage
We're the
sons and the daughters
Let us sing
our freedom
You split
the sea so I could walk right through it
My fears
were drowned in perfect love
You rescued
me so I could stand and sing
I am a
child of God
I am a
child of God
Selah.
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