During one season of my life when I thought that I was at liberty to do as I pleased, I resigned from a permanent job to go study full-time. I was a student-researcher, fully funded by a government entity and doing my research at the Zoo.
I loved taking a walk with friends to de-stress. I also enjoyed walking past enclosures or viewing the animals when it was feeding time. One thought that kept popping up in my mind was how these enclosures restricted the animals from living the best way possible. Disclaimer: I am in no way against a Zoo. I have also had the liberty of going to several game parks and marvelling at the beauty of the free animals there – how they know when to hunt and where, and who is their prey. On the other hand, their counterparts in enclosures don’t have the choice of who to feast on and when.
As children of the Most High God, we are so highly favoured and blessed that we have a High Priest who was mocked, crucified and killed for our freedom (John 8:36). Through accepting Jesus Christ as the Saviour of my life, I allowed His resurrection power to set me free, to be liberated from ideologies which kept me imprisoned for long. This is the life God wants for us. Freedom. Liberation. A shackle-free life.
Freedom in Christ releases us from the yokes of sin. One may ask, what is sin? And why should we not sin? According to the dictionary sin is a “vitiated state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God.” In simpler words, sin can be defined as being disobedient to the will of God, doing as you please and completely disregarding His precepts as His beloved child. God’s will for us is to live a holy, righteous life which pleases Him. In essence, it is to love Him wholeheartedly, and trust in His Word (Matthew 22:37). Following the Lord’s Word aids us in keeping our righteousness. We should not sin because in my view, it hurts God. It hurts Him because His love for us is so magnificent that His only Son became a sacrificial Lamb for you and me. To avoid sin and enjoy this freedom, we need to have radical obedience. In her pocketbook, Is God Speaking to Me? Lysa Terkeurst defines radical obedience as having an overwhelming desire to walk in the centre of God’s will.
There are numerous blessings we receive through being freed in Christ and I want to list a few, though I believe a thorough Bible study can give us more. Here are a few: peace, joy, holiness, eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and finally, signs and wonders. I think I mentioned a mouthful, which goes to show that indeed Christ sets us free. And because God is gracious (But He continues to pour out more and more grace upon us – James 4:6) He lavishes us with these blessings so we may be a living testimony to those with whom we dwell, and for His name to be glorified. It is possible to keep a holy life, through ensuring that the enemy is kept at bay and never has access to your mind. This is through a proper walk with God and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you.
Being set free leads us to live a pure and holy life.
Matthew 5:8: What bliss you experience when your heart is pure! For then your eyes will open to see more and more of God.
God calls us to be holy; holiness should be our golden standard. 1 Peter 1:16 says: “You are to be holy, because I am holy.” This is an act that is possible when a Christ-centred individual enlists the help of the Holy Spirit.
Freedom in Christ can cure what medical practitioners have declared a fatal illness. Those are the signs and wonders God wants us to experience daily.
Freedom in Christ is vital. My prayer is for you and me to realise this great treasure that we have been offered and are still being offered daily.
Since we are now joined to Christ, we have been given the treasures of redemption by His blood – the total cancellation of our sins – all because of the cascading riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7 (TPT)
Women of Reverence welcomes guest blogger Lesego Masango
Lesego is married to Dr. Mxolisi Thulani Masango and they have been blessed with 4 handsome boys. She is an author of 2 books, God’s Radiant Light and Anchored in Love, a 40-day devotional. She is a youth mentor at her local church, a laboratory technologist by profession, co-founder of the Worthy Women of Purpose ministry, a member of the Chosen Wives’ ministry and Deborah Arise network. God has also led her to be a columnist for Thuba Pelo Mosadi Let’s Talk mag. She has hosted a Bible study based on Anchored in Love, which has been turned into a podcast found on Spotify and Anchor Fm.
Instagram @lgmodib
Facebook: Lesego Modibedi Masango/ Lesego Masango Author