You Have Been Set Free

Hallelujah! What a beautiful thing it is to be set free!

When the Lord impressed this subject on my heart and when I was meditating on it and what it truly means to be set free a question arose. I asked the Lord, why is it that when we first get saved we receive God’s love so freely? We believe that Jesus died for us, knowing we weren’t worthy. We hold onto the promise in Romans 5:8 that it was while we were yet sinners that Jesus died for us. But, when we get saved, when we’ve been translated into God’s family, heirs of the promise that God made to Abraham. We’re bound by condemnation and fear of God’s wrath and all these other feelings that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

I want to shed some light on this topic. We were saved by grace and grace alone. When I had this question I was reminded that we have an accuser. There is an accuser of the brethren. The enemy. He doesn’t want you to know who you are, he wants you bound to sin, bound by sin consciousness because the longer you’re there the less you will be able to do for the kingdom.

Now, I want you to journey with me into a courtroom - think of a stereotypical courtroom from a movie or a series you've watched.

So, you’ve got the judge’s bench where God is seated in His holiness as almighty judge. (Isn’t He marvellous?!)

Now, you’ve got the prosecution (the enemy) who is coming to present an argument against you, listing all of your wrongdoings (Revelation 12:10).

You’re sat there being cross examined the enemy is pointing his finger at you saying “your honour he’s done this, she’s done that” and is going on and on. 

// side note but in America there is a common concept of celebrity lawyers and these are lawyers who are famed for getting their clients off time and time again - when their client hires them they know that they know that they’re getting off scot-free. And I want you to keep that in mind as you keep reading this //

Then he finishes and sits down, your advocate stands up, takes the scroll that the enemy was reading off of, wipes out every stain against your name with a special ink. This ink is His blood. Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬:

“having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

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Your advocate, the High Priest blots out every transgression written against your name and takes His seat next to the judge having rested His case. Showing His seniority and supremacy over the enemy.

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬:

But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 

The case against your name has been dropped, you are no longer guilty, there is no accusation against you, your record has been made clear. You have been acquitted.

You have an advocate, a High Priest who is not working tirelessly to gain forgiveness from God on your behalf by offering up multiple sacrifices daily. But, this High Priest bought back your right standing with God, with one perfect sacrifice so that you may now walk in freedom and victory.

So what is this 'grace' and how does it make us free? We all know that grace is the unmerited favour of God. I am so grateful to be a part of Pragma Church where grace is preached, not a greasy grace but TRUE grace. The grace that sets the captives free, the grace that redeems, the grace that makes us whole, the grace that sustains us.

We have been given BOLDNESS to enter into the holy of holies, there are no rituals you have to perform before qualifying to get in. You can go straight in to the throne room of God, reconciliation has taken place. You can walk with Him, talk with Him. 

Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬:

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,”

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This is good news friends! In fact, it is GREAT news! It is TOO good to be true news! It doesn’t make sense. I love how Paul writes to the church in Corinth saying ‘He used the foolish things of this world to confound the wise’ (1 Corinthians 1:27 NKJV) because it's true!

You have been born again, Ephesians 2:10 says that we are God’s masterpiece created ANEW in Christ Jesus to do the great works He had planned for us to do.

You have been set free, forever redeemed. Behold all things have passed away and all things have been made new. In the amplified it says you are a new creation… who never existed before (2 Corinthians 5:17).

You see, the enemy doesn’t want you to know how free you are. The longer you stay sin conscious the less effective you will be for God’s Kingdom when God is telling you to GO you’re telling Him ‘no’. You’re saying to yourself “oh no, I’m not good enough, oh I don’t have the qualifications to tell anyone about Jesus if you knew the struggles I face” can I let you in on a little secret? What qualifies you to be an ambassador of Christ is the blood of Jesus. It is the blood that redeems, the blood that makes you clean, it’s only by the BLOOD.

Some of you may be reading this thinking to yourself, this is amazing! But I still don’t feel worthy. Some people got saved when they were young and fell into sin after giving their lives to Christ, maybe you got married and subsequently divorced, were in relationships or picked up habits and you came back to God not feeling worthy of God’s goodness and His favour. I want to let you know that when you repented God put your sins away from you as far as the east is from the west! (Psalms 103:12)

We all love the parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-24. Isn’t it such a beautiful, beautiful illustration? The son, after spoiling his inheritance comes back to the Father and the Father isn’t waiting there arms crossed. He’s not even waiting inside for the son to come. When he saw him from a FAR WAY OFF, maybe even just on the horizon, that’s when he started running TOWARDS the son! 

I want to encourage you now, that if you’ve ever found yourself in the position of the prodigal son where you accepted His grace, His amazing love and you ran away with it that when you came back and repented God didn’t only restore you back into His household as a servant or slave He received you as His son, as His daughter. He put a ring on your finger and a robe on your back, He put sandals on your feet and called you His own.

You are a child of God! The old you is dead! Who you were before you gave your life to Christ no longer exists and now it’s no longer you who lives but Christ lives in you (Galatians 2:20).

This is the reality of who you are in Christ Jesus! The Bible says that the very hairs on your head are numbered (Luke 12:7).

There was a point in my life where I couldn’t move from Psalm 139. David writes about the love of God so beautifully. And there was one verse in particular that would always touch my heart so deeply.

Psalm 139:13 NLT:

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I make cards and I love making them, it brings me such joy. Some designs require great intricacies. When I make cards with pearls on them I place them each individually with a pair of craft tweezers and they all have their place on the card. When I create my cards my mind always wanders to imagining God as He knits babies in the wombs of their mother. Numbering the amount of hairs that will go on that precious baby’s head (Luke 12:7). I love the fact that the Bible states that they are NUMBERED, not just counted. It signifies to me such purpose and such attention awarded to each child born. 

So now, when you have these desires in your heart to be married, to have that beautiful family ask and ask boldly! Ask God boldly. Not prayers like “Lord, if you could kindly do XYZ” you say to the Lord, “Lord I thank you that it says in your word it is not good for man to be alone, thank you Lord that you have plans to prosper me and not to bring me harm, plans to give me a hope and a future”. You are not a stranger to the promise but an HEIR. It’s your inheritance! It is what you’re entitled to! 

There are destinies attached to your revelation of the true grace of God and the redemption by the blood. When you catch this you will be an effective soul winner, an effective servant in His house, an effective ambassador for Christ that when people meet you they will see Jesus shining through you. The psalmist writes that those who look on Him are radiant, they will NEVER be put to shame (Psalm 34:10).

The reason why I’m so passionate about children of God knowing and walking in their identity is because I was bound by lack of identity for so long. I feared God, not in the holy way but in the way that I was scared of him, I was bound by sin habits, sin cycles and I felt like I could never get set free but Jesus! Once I received a revelation on this I was set free once and for all.

When you truly rest in the finished work of the cross you will see the realities of heaven manifest in your life, you will bear much fruit and you will reap exceeding joy. 

In Colossians 3:2 we are charged to:

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 

When you keep your mind and your eyes fixed on the reality of where you are seated in heaven, in heavenly places you will begin to see heaven on Earth. Testimonies will flow effortlessly, you will move from miracle to miracle to living continually in the blessing. 

Prayer:

Heavenly Father I thank You. Thank You for making me in Your image, thank You for washing me clean.

I thank You that I am the righteousness of God and an heir to the promise you made to Abraham (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Help me to see You rightly and in turn, myself rightly in You. As a new creation, blood washed and filled with Your Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17). I give You praise for all that You've done for me and the freedom that I now walk in (John 8:36).

Thank You that I have been accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6), that I am Yours and You are mine.

I pray that as I embark on this journey of understanding more of who I am in You that I would grow in wisdom and knowledge of who You are as my father and my friend (Romans 5:11).

In Your precious name I pray, amen.

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