John 8:36 tells us if the Son sets us free, we are free indeed. Galatians 5:1 tells us "do not be burdened AGAIN by a yoke of slavery". We can be free and then go back into slavery. How free are we, really? Even as Christians, we have accepted a certain level of fear in our lives. Jesus did the work, but if we don't fully accept the freedom He offers, we will be ineffective in helping others find freedom. Why aren't we free? John 10:10 tells us that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He is the ultimate con artist, leading us to doubt our freedom by lying and doing all he can to distract us from God's plan. Our circumstances may not change and we may be in a storm, but with freedom, we can have peace in the storm that surpasses understanding. It's like that old adage - we are what we eat. The same is true for our minds. If we fill our minds with God's Word and good things, that is what we will believe. The opposite is also true - fill your mind with garbage, and you'll see the effect in your life. If we don't know the truth, we can't walk in it. A lot of our beliefs don't come from the Bible - they come from men. We may rely on our leaders or teachers too much and not know the Word ourselves. When we look back at Genesis chapter 2, we see the tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In chapter 3, Satan tempted Eve with a level of godliness. When we get wrapped up in the knowledge part and focus on that instead of the relationship of knowing God, it is easy to see how we can get off target and focus on the man-made rules. God is all about the relationship. Look at John 5:39-40. The pharisees had thousands of rules and knew the scriptures, but they didn't accept Jesus. Jesus distilled all of the rules down to two basic ones: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Our confidence must come from how good and faithful God is, not how good we are, or we will always be disappointed. We can never do enough, but Jesus has already done it and we just have to receive it. Every human relationship is performance-based, but God loves us no matter our performance. We search scripture so that we can learn more about God, not to earn His approval. If we truly understand the love of God, sin will lose its allure. We must remember that we will not be righteous based on our works, but on Jesus. James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins to one another and be healed and that the prayer of a righteous man is effective. Once we confess and Jesus forgives us, by that forgiveness, we are now righteous! Look also at 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 14:15; and Deuteronomy 30:15-16. If we fall in love with Jesus, the rest will take care of itself! Our love for Him will lead us to follow His commands and walk in relationship with Him.

Amen!