Hear the word, be transformed and receive freedom

                             

We need a complete transformation and renewal of our minds through the scriptures. And for that to happen, we will need to read all scripture without bias and ask the spirit of God to give us a clear understanding and a new revelation...unless we do that, we will always be oppressed by cultural practices, beliefs and attitudes that the word of God is meant to free us from. It is sad that we are living in a ‘Christian’ society yet have not really embraced the true meaning of Christianity.

Christianity is a word that refers to the act of following Christ. A follower of Christ is called a Christian. We claim to be followers of Christ yet we have not allowed ourselves to celebrate and enjoy the gifts of Christ which is freedom. I am saying this because God has revealed to me what my freedom through Christ is.

In Isaiah 61:

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

The bible clearly shows us that we are set free, Jesus himself said it in Luke 3:18-19 that he came for our freedom. To be freed from captivity. I believe such captivity is the cultural beliefs and practices that are cruel and so harsh and the various attitudes that we have formed. Some of them are so brutal yet we hold on to them.

I have held on to broken heartedness, to darkness, to captivity, to domestic violence, to unforgiveness, to witchcraft and polygamous marriages. It is so sad that we don’t realize what effect these evils have to us, our children and the generations that are to come. We talk of dealing with generational curses yet we have completely refused to break them. Instead we have chosen to continue with such evils even after receiving so much knowledge. We live in the ‘modern times’ claim to be civilized yet our minds are still closed and bound. We go to church every Sunday and some of us even twice a week, listen to word and even read it ourselves but we have refused to let it change our lives. Is it a wander that Jeremiah 5:21 states clearly that they have ears but have refused to hear?

The word of God (Romans12:2) states that we have to be renewed in our minds. However, this renewal can only occur through reading, understanding the word of God and allowing it to change us. Unless we do that, we will never be free. We will keep doing evil and receiving evil and it will be too late when we realize how much damage we have done to our lives and those of the loved ones.

 We may have been deaf to his word or maybe we have been reading it and not allowed it to transform us. It is however not too late and we can still change. But we can’t change on our own. You might take the word today and try to read it, but it will never make sense unless it is interpreted to you by the Holy Spirit. However, the Holy Spirit doesn’t just come to you. You only receive him when you accept Jesus. The best part about accepting Jesus, receiving his holy spirit and understanding his word is the freedom that we get from that. We are free from all our past (Romans8:1-2) and all those bondages and we are able to keep away from hurting who we love.

You can receive Jesus today; all you need to do is to believe. The scripture in Romans 10:9-10 says that “if you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” It also adds in verse 11 that “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” Confess and believe today and you will receive Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, renewal and freedom. God bless.