For years I wanted to be free from my sin. Finally, on Sunday morning, I would fall on my knees at the altar begging for forgiveness.
By Monday afternoon, I was falling back into the same thought patterns and choices that led to my need for forgiveness in the first place.
I felt trapped.
So I would fight back, and in my strength, I would clean up my act . . . for a couple of months until I would begin the cycle again.
James 4:7 is often quoted as “resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” And that’s how I lived my life, struggling to resist the devil.
I knew God wanted more for my life, and I wanted more, but the how was still a mystery.
The answer never came all at once, but through trial and error, while desperately seeking God, I realized God had given me the right and responsibility to use my authority as a believer.
The problem was I would stop there without continuing to submit to God and closing the doors He was telling me to shut.
I was still listening to the same music, watching the same shows, and talking with the same people, and I wondered why my thoughts didn’t change.
It wasn’t until I let the first segment of James 4:7 sink into my heart, mind, and soul that lasting freedom began.
The secret to lasting freedom is submission.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” – James 4:7 ESV.
The essential part of the verse is often left off because it’s the part we like the least.
I want to submit to myself and resist the devil so that he flees from me, but my authority isn’t found within me.
My authority over my enemy was given to me by Jesus after His death and resurrection.
Even when I cut out the trashy music, TV shows, and poor choice of friends, I would fill the missing time with things I wanted to do.
I would submit to myself instead of God.
That’s why my freedom would only last for a short period before I would fall back into the same patterns.
My willingness to stay comfortable in my bondage and unwillingness to submit it to God kept me from walking in freedom sooner.
Now, as I’ve begun to submit more and more of my life to God, I’m seeing the benefits of choosing to walk in freedom instead of choosing bondage.
It’s been a difficult road with a long way to go, and I have to choose to walk it every single moment of the day because it’s effortless to slip back into submitting to myself and doing what I want to do when I want to do it.
When I submit to God, I walk in His strength, power, and authority, so though the road is difficult, I know I’m not walking down it alone.
I refuse to willingly allow bondage in my life because Jesus has called me to Freedom.
Walking around with baggage can be a difficult task. Do you have questions about what the process of finding freedom from your baggage looks like? Would you like to talk to someone about what or who you need to forgive? Email our Family Pastor, Shane Pass or our Women’s Director Nancy Thomas to chat with someone today.
ClearView Baptist Church’s Senior Pastor, Jason Cruise took a deeper look at this in his latest sermon. You can watch that sermon HERE. This focus on forgiveness is a component of our latest churchwide initiative called Keys to Freedom by Mercy Multiplied.
