Walking in Freedom

T. Anderson Neil

Description

God wants His children to walk in the freedom purchased for them by Christ at Calvary. Every person has been given the responsibility to make right choices in life--we must choose truth, reject lies, and forgive those who hurt us--but God has not left us as orphans to fend for ourselves! The Holy Spirit gives us the power to walk in the freedom that is already ours in Christ. Following these twenty-one days of select readings will increase the liberating work that God has begun in you through the Steps to Freedom in Christ. Each daily devotional provides three truths--the truth about God, the truth about you, and the truth about freedom--as well as recommended Scripture readings that affirm each of the three. As readers begin to hide these truths in their hearts, they will learn how to stand firm in their freedom and build a strong and holy shield against the enemy's attacks.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 02 janvier 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781441265838
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

© 1999 by Freedom in Christ Ministries
Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438 www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan. www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Bethany House Publishers edition published 2014
ISBN 978-1-4412-6583-8
Previously published by Regal Books
Ebook edition originally created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible , © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Other versions used are:
NIV —Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
NKJV—Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
TLB—Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible , copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.
CONTENTS

Introduction
1. A New Lease on Life
2. You're Welcome!
3. A Clean Slate
Freedom Refresher 1
4. Holy, Holy, Holy!
5. The Real Thing
6. Free at Last!
Freedom Refresher 2
7. In Good Hands
8. Nothing but the Truth
9. More Power to Ya!
Freedom Refresher 3
10. The Heart of the Father
11. From Night to Light
12. Divine Living
Freedom Refresher 4
13. Stand Firm and Fight!
14. The Majesty and the Glory
15. The God of All Wisdom
Freedom Refresher 5
16. Safe and Secure
17. Here Comes the Bride!
18. Here Comes the Groom!
Freedom Refresher 6
19. A Friend of Sinners
20. Body Life
21. In His Majesty's Service
Freedom Refresher 7
Focal Point
Personal Prayer Action Plan Chart
Steps to Freedom in Christ
INTRODUCTION

God wants all His children to walk in the freedom Christ purchased for them at Calvary. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
This Scripture makes several things very clear: Jesus Christ is the One who has already set us free from the slavery of sin. Jesus set us free so that we can stand firm and walk in that freedom. It is possible for us to lose in our experience the freedom Christ has given us. God says it is our responsibility to stand firm and resist being enslaved again.
Every child of God has been given the responsibility to make right choices in life. We must choose truth, reject lies, forgive those who hurt us, flee temptation, and so on. But God did not leave us here as orphans to fend for ourselves. God Himself, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, has personally come to dwell in all believers. The Spirit alone gives us the power to walk in the freedom that is ours in Christ. He alone enables us to mature in Christ. Consider the following Scriptures:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
God's great desire for our lives is that we become more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ. We are radically changed (transformed) as we fix our eyes on our glorious Lord, empowered by the Spirit of liberty to have our minds renewed by the truth (see Romans 12:2).
This 21-day devotional guide is designed to reinforce the liberating work God has already begun in you. It will be most effective if you have recently walked through the Steps to Freedom in Christ (or the “Steps”). If you have not been through the Steps to Freedom in Christ, we encourage you to do so, preferably during your study of this devotional. The Steps appear at the end of this book for your use.
The Steps to Freedom in Christ is a practical guide to fulfilling James 4:7: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
We submit to God by confessing and repenting of sin, forgiving those who have hurt us and humbly surrendering our lives to His Lordship. We resist the devil by rejecting his lies, choosing to believe the truth of God's Word and exercising our authority in Christ over the devil's influence in our lives. The Steps to Freedom in Christ will help you do just that.
A periodic, thorough spiritual housecleaning is healthy for every child of God. Proverbs 28:13-14 promises great blessing from God as we deal with the spiritual “garbage” in our lives, while warning of serious consequences if we don't:
He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Blessed is the man who always fears the L ORD , but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble (NIV).
The Steps to Freedom in Christ are a thorough moral and spiritual inventory that will give you the opportunity to deeply repent of your sin and make the renewed choice to return to your first love, Jesus Christ.
Do you struggle with habitual sins, obsessive thoughts, nagging doubts, plaguing guilt and shame, fears, anger or confusion? Do you feel powerless against the temptations, accusations or lying deceptions of the enemy? Do you find it hard to live in humility and submission to God and others? The Steps to Freedom in Christ have been used of God to set hundreds of thousands of His precious children free in Christ.
Before you can maintain freedom in Christ, you may have to regain it. Once you do so, this Walking in Freedom devotional will be even more meaningful for you.
Each daily lesson in this guide will provide encouragement in the following areas: the truth about God the truth about you the truth about freedom
You will also find “Prayer for Today,” an address to God that can serve as a springboard for your own time of talking with our Father. In addition, we have included a daily Scripture reading, which is a suggested chapter of the Bible for you to read during each of the 21 days. Finally, we have provided space for daily journaling, giving you a place to keep a record of what God is teaching you and doing in your life.
Seven times during this three-week devotional guide you will find a Freedom Refresher. These brief exercises each correspond to one of the seven Steps to Freedom in Christ. You will have the opportunity to let God bring to your mind additional issues in each area so that you can walk with God in even greater freedom in Christ!
This 21-day devotional concludes with an exercise entitled “Focal Point.” This project will help you zero in on and focus your prayer attention on the most pressing spiritual needs in your life, even after completing this Walking in Freedom guide. As the Lord leads, you can also share your findings from “Focal Point” with other trustworthy believers who will pray for you in these areas.
We strongly urge you to complete the entire lesson for each day. We also encourage you to set aside time during 21 consecutive days to work through the entire guide. Jesus reminded us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
Paying attention to the world, the flesh and the devil will keep you from walking in liberty. Jesus the Good Shepherd invites you to follow Him and enter His life of spiritual health and freedom.
You can expect the enemy of your soul to throw all kinds of distractions at you, both in your mind and in your circumstances. He will try to convince you that you don't need to bother completing this book, or he will push you to race through it. He will try to get you to give up pursuing the truth and instead give in to lies such as: This is too hard. I can't do this. This won't make any difference in my life. Skipping some sections won't matter.
Don't let him win the battle for your mind, no matter how intense the pressure might be. Claim 1 John 4:4 out loud as you begin:
[I am] from God,…and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in [me] than he who is in the world.
To encourage you in this three-week walk in freedom, we have included the following prayer for you to pray out loud:
Dear heavenly Father, Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, already purchased my freedom at the cross. You have also given me all I need to walk in that freedom through the Spirit of God, the Word of God and the people of God. In addition, You have given me Your armor by which I can stand firm against all the schemes of the devil and make responsible choices.
I choose right now, by Your grace and strength, Lord, to walk in the truth, righteousness and peace that are already mine in Christ. I reject all the lies, temptations, accusations and condemning fears of the devil.
I also choose to lift up the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation and take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Heavenly Father, thank You that I have the sound mind of Christ and that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore I stand against all attempts of the enemy or my flesh to distract or discourage me. I ask You to enable me to concentrate on each lesson and persevere throughout the entire guide.
During these next three weeks, I ask that Yo