Does freedom mean I can do what I want?

July 24 - June 28, 2023 | Always Peachy Devotionals | Freedom in Christ Week 4

Welcome to the last week of July 2023!

It’s wild how quickly we got here, isn’t it? Wow. This month’s study on freedom has been so encouraging for me, and I pray it’s been the same for you.

We have a warped idea of what freedom truly is in America.

When we say we want to be free to go our own way, do we actually know what that means? As I’ve been studying this idea of freedom in Christ, I’ve come to a realization I don’t think I’d had before. When people say they want to be free, what they actually mean is they want freedom from accountability.

We want freedom from consequences. We want to be able to do whatever it is that we want without having to pay the price for our actions.

Sorry to break it to you, friends, but that’s not how life works. Part of the natural law of the universe is that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, that whatever you plant you will harvest.

There are always consequences for every choice.

Jesus isn’t a “get out of jail free card” you know. And if you look at Him like that, you’re going to be trapped living a half life. Trusting in Jesus doesn’t mean you escape consequences or accountability; it means He accepted your eternal consequences for Himself. And if that doesn’t make you sick to your stomach, I’m not sure you truly understand what He did for you.

For our final week of studying Freedom in Christ, we’re going to take a good, hard look at what freedom means in a practical sense. We’re going to ask if being free means that we can do whatever we want.

• July 24 - God’s Word shows us true freedom

• July 25 - God set us free to choose

• July 26 - You can surrender your freedom (if you want)

• July 27 - You can go the wrong way (if you want)

• July 28 - You can face your own consequences (if you want)

Don’t believe our culture’s definition of freedom. Being free doesn’t mean that you get to do whatever you want or live however you want without facing the consequences. That’s not real freedom. If you use your freedom to persist in living a sinful life, that just means you haven’t been set free at all. You are still controlled by your sin, by your addictions, by your fears.

Being free in Jesus means that you have the power to say no to all of those things that used to control you. Isn’t it time we all started living in power like that?

Everyone struggles with this concept, though. It was something that came up in the early Church as well, which is why we’re going to be memorizing 1 Peter 2:16 this week.

You have been set free so that you have the right to choose Jesus. You are free to choose to follow Jesus in every decision you make. Just because your eternal soul is no longer in danger of being separated with God isn’t an excuse to do what God says is evil. Choosing to do what God says is wrong even after you’ve been saved just shows you don’t understand your freedom. It shows that you are still in chains.

And I’m pretty sure that’s not the life Jesus intended for you. So isn’t it time to do something about it?

Praying for you this week, my friends, that God will open your eyes to the areas of your life where you are still living in bondage and that He will give you the courage to walk away and embrace the true freedom you can only find in complete surrender to Jesus.

Love,

Amy

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