Bound to be free

I’m gonna be rambling a bit here, most likely ... This past week has been the same, in many respects; however, there have been areas of life in which it’s been totally different for me. To put it into a cohesive blog post has been difficult because there are so many layers ...

In John 8:31-32, Jesus says: “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

This verse was brought to the forefront of my mind this last week in a study that I’m doing on freedom in Christ. This study isn’t a “pick yourself up by your bootstraps” or a “suck it up, Buttercup” or a “name it and claim it because Jesus wants you free” study. It’s not a “kick you while you’re down” study. It’s a study that rips self-applied band-aids off the gaping wounds in our lives so that the Truth of Christ can move in, clean out myriads of infections, and bring everlasting healing ... thus leading you to freedom. Freedom from Satan, sin, and self. Two words: IT’S DIFFICULT!

As I was cleaning last week, I was listening to my usual podcasts. I decided to play songs I’d recently downloaded ... all sung by Phillips, Craig, & Dean. Mercy Came Running, Your Grace Still Amazes Me, When God Ran, Crucified with Christ, How Deep the Father’s Love for Us. As I cleaned, I began to “connect the dots” on some foundational truths. This wasn’t like a basic 10 dot picture either. It felt more like one of those 1000 dot pictures. By the end of the day, I was worn out mentally. Worn out but beginning to know - experientially - something I’d been afraid to fully embrace. Abstract biblical doctrines began to be cemented in my soul through the concrete ness of Calvary’s cross & the empty tomb ... in the FULLNESS of the Trinity. God the FATHER. God the Son. God the Spirit. As these songs played on a continuous loop, a passage that I’d recently read in Matthew came to mind. Jesus said: “Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. {the FATHER}”

Trusting Jesus has proven to be easier than trusting God the Father. The abstract right answers & concepts surrounding my relationship with God as Father have begun to transform ... it’s almost as if the Holy Spirit poured wet cement on these truths so they’d go from mere religious abstractions to practical daily life concrete realities.

Here are a few things that stood out about this encounter:
(1) I wasn’t in church on Sunday. I was cleaning a house last Tuesday ... God the Father, through HIS Spirit, met me where I was.
(2) When I “received” Jesus ... acknowledged His LORDship (because He’s already LORD, I can’t MAKE Him anything) in my life ... became a Christian ... however you want to word it, I received the Father.
(3) Due to my relationship with Jesus, I actually BELONG to the Godhead. I BELONG to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.
(4) Probably the most important/revolutionary truth that has begun to solidify within my soul is this ... God the FATHER cared/cares (loves) so much about ME that He STARTED where it has hurt the worse ... a place some call “the father wound”. I’m beyond blessed to have had/still have some godly men in my life who have come alongside me and taken on a fatherly type role in my life. Through them, I see what godly husbands and fathers look like ... Ignorantly, though, I thought my relationships with them would actually heal this area ... over the last few years, I’ve discovered that while their presence has helped ease the pain, their presence hasn’t brought healing or wholeness. Only in my daily, persistent relationship with God ... with me having to CONSCIOUSLY focus on Him being my Father (& it’s an intentional one) and embracing Him as my PERSONAL FATHER LORD will eternal healing be found here. Freedom will be found in the intentional choices I make ... How will I view God the Father today, in MY life? As a distant angry, abusive, abandoning Deity? Or as a Father whose heart is for me?

When I realized this, fear welled up in me ... My prayers this week have been simple, and perhaps a bit too childish ... “LORD Jesus, help me to trust the Father.” I can’t help but go back to the John passage ... IF I abide in Christ/His Word, then I am BOUND to Him. I will know the Truth (because elsewhere, Jesus says that HE is the way, the TRUTH, and the life). By being bound to Christ, ultimately, I am BOUND TO FREEDOM ... in all areas of life, even the deepest darkest areas ....

A Modern Pilgrim’s Progress
January 2020
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