If you take the word Freedom and look at the structure of the word itself you can see that Free, an adjective, defined as: not confined or imprisoned (American Heritage Dictionary Online) added with the suffix -dom becomes a noun. “Dom” was once a singular word but now is used as an add on to describe an area of being or an area of jurisdiction, which suggests ownership, or a quality/condition attributed to something. Examples include: kingdom, earldom, popedom, wisdom etc… (1) In all of these words there is a someone, something, or someplace, attributed to a person, place, or thing. A king rules over His king-dom, an earl his earl-dom, a pope his pope-dom and, wis-dom, as the bible describes only comes from one person, a God who is wise. Wisdom is His quality, condition, and jurisdiction.

So what about Freedom? It is a God owned province of free! IT is a KINGDOM, an arena ruled by the King of Kings.

If freedom is so wonderful and our culture enjoys things that are free, why is it so hard to convince people to grab this freedom? Why is it so hard even as Christians to open up to freedom?

It is always best to start at the beginning, when the thief, a jealous and vicious enemy, fell out of favor with God for trying to take over God’s Kingdom of Heaven, and lost. He started out on his payback venture stealing a snakes identity, stealing Adam and Eve’s: fortune/wealth of the garden, right relationship with God in the Garden, their innocence, their health (now had to experience pain and sickness), their calling, and so much more. He has been trying since the beginning to get even in a real way, through destruction of everything God has made, everyone God has called, and everything God has promised. He wants only to steal, kill, and destroy and he uses, any means necessary.

Our pastor preached on this today: that the enemy wants to steal and we need to be ready.

We have authority, God given, to declare our freedom and to tell the devil to get his paws off! Anything from God has His name on it and the devil knows it, he just hopes you don’t learn your place and your name. He hopes you’ll let the little things slip so He can get in through the cracks. Sure you are a great Christian, but that self-righteousness, that complaining, the bitterness from twenty or thirty years ago thats been building up, that porn you sneaked a peek at: all those things, they look like nice viable areas to enter through. Those dark and hidden places are all a slippery serpent needs to slide in quietly. Lizards can get into anything, but so can cats! Have you ever seen a cat fit into a tiny box half its size, or squeeze under a garage door. The worst place a cat has every squeezed is up inside a car wheel…ouch. I will spare the details on that one.

This is the perfect verse to describe the enemy: “ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 NIV A lion is a cat! Crafty like a serpent, able to squeeze in through small spaces, but ten times more vicious than your average house cat. He is also super power hungry.

The directions from this scripture are simple: be alert and sober and be aware of your enemy. If you are aware, much of the battle is already laid out for you and your future never-ending winning streak. But what about soberness? I don’t drink but that does not mean I’m not always in my right mind. Sometimes, my mind plays tricks on me, and I feel overwhelmed by my past, my current situation, angst, fear, sickness, mental health dilemmas and the list goes on. Too often I have let those things cloud my vision instead of letting the spirit rule my mind.

We need to learn how to protect ourselves from getting devoured even at our weakest!

A soldiers armor is highly important. It’s is often his last defence when a physical barrier is not available and the enemy attacks up close and personal. In a battle the most important part of the armor is the helmet and the breastplate. The shield is also highly important, because a true shield covers your body as a whole and acts as an impenetrable weapon. It deters many blows and particularly arrows.

If you receive a shot to the head or the heart you can be dead in an instance, however. It is our salvation, the helmet, and our righteousness, the breastplate, that is our greatest protection.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14

Our salvation is our seal, our guarantee that we have already won. We are redeemed, set free, even if we are killed in the body and struck down, we will live for ever. Its a win win scenario. And through this salvation we are made righteous as Christ was. Our sins are forgiven and there is absolutely nothing that the enemy can hold against us or speak out against us. We are free from the curse.

The only thing the devil can do is make you doubt this. This is a promise of GOD! We can not let the enemy take our confidence as believers.

If we know our salvation, know that we have been made whole in Christ, and have faith in Him that “He works all things to the good of those who love him and are called according to His purposes” then our hearts and minds are protected. (Romans 8:28)

We are totally safe! The flaming arrows are as little puny sticks hitting our massive shields. They are neither flaming nor piercing because you have, through your standing firm, “extinguished all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Eph 6:16

We also need shoes in our battle, so our feet do not wear out. Be ready to get it done with the best shoes you can find. They have shock absorption, extra padding, and really cool laces. If your feet get all sweaty and stinky they even have breeze wik air flow that is currently heavenly patented. What am I talking about? I’m talking about PEACE! With peace you can go anywhere. You can run the race in confident style, finishing as a victor and a winner. As you run the race with those feet fitted with gospel of peace. Scripture also says: “Beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” Your hope brings peace to you as well as others. Tell others about this hope just lights the fire in you even more.

One more defense and A weapon left from the Ephesians chapter are the best of truth and the sword of the spirit. The enemy is on your right and you slash him with the word of God. He is flanking you on the left and you rip up His lies with a sharp edge. He comes at you with a full frontal assault, you grip the sword’s hilt with two hands and with a yell worthy of spartan and run back at Him and guess what!!?? HE FLEES! Yes, he retreats. The enemy may be strong. He may be sly, smart, etc…but He flees at the word of God. Its not just a book, its a weapon, the deadliest weapon ever built. The atom bomb has got nothing on my God’s word! It is the truth that holds your sword in the right place so you can wield it well. Stick to the truth of God and don’t trade it for lesser things.

In all of this armor and confidence it would be easy to go the road alone but even champions get down sometimes. One thing you can’t do, even if you are the strongest warrior ever, is protect your own back. Your helmet will always protect your head and the breastplate your heart, but your back is vulnerable because you cant see what is coming. Often we think we are well guarded but we act unwisely and the attack comes from behind.

You need a rear guard!

The Israelite army had a rear guard. “The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rearguard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding.” Isaiah 6:13 The Israelite army fought with the Lord, which was their guaranteed victory and they acted wisely. Always praising and worshiping, always with a front guard and a back. They marched as one with the presence of the almighty in their midst.

I love Isaiah 58:8. My husband was the one who introduced this scripture to me. I remember his peaceful countenance as He told me why he wasn’t afraid. He said, “because God’s got my back.” “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.” A front guard of confident righteousness and the glory of the Lord to round out the rear.

God didn’t create us to go it all alone. We were made to be joined to a helpmate. We were made to grow and become a tribe. The nation of Israel was like the army of God on earth. At one point it was so large it says it reflected God’s heavenly armies. How grand! If only our churches would reflect God’s heavenly armies!! We would be unstoppable, as a people who watched one another’s backs and never left a fellow officer behind. We need one another!

The scriptures is full of examples of armies and forces, the battles waged, some with victory, others, having lost sight of the glory of the Lord, with losses. Freedom takes brave soldiers who are willing to stand firm.

We just celebrated the fourth of july. Freedom is a kingdom of free, but it costs everything. That sounds contradictory but it isn’t. You have to give up all of yourself to take on a new self. The old self is dirty and old, a symbol of a lost battle: where the thief stole identity, freedom, and your inheritance. The new is a place for the victorious adorned in white robes and crowns engraved with the word son or daughter of the King, each obedient act of these saints accenting the crown with priceless jewels.

Freedom is free but you have to fight for it. Grace is free but you have to accept it. A candle will illuminate the night but you have to light it and put it on a hill. Victory is ours but we have to march!

“As they completed the seventh time, after the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua told the army, “Shout, because the LORD has given you the city!” Joshua 1:9 ISV

The army walked around Jericho seven times. All they had to do was walk. Its possible things were thrown at them, at least in veggietales giant slushies and harsh words were cast on them from the evil french peas. But they kept on walking, seven times around a grand city with thick walls. Those walls fell and they fell hard, through persistent faith and consistent praise, the quiet trust of the army was important, the obedience was key, and in the endurance victory was found. The walls fell down and it was the very first victory for the army led by Joshua, just one in many in the land of promise.

We are walking into the land of promise. The wilderness has gleaned us and the old is gone. The new has come and we have to put on our armor with our fellow believer, cross the Jordan and take our promises the enemy has been trying to steal. With one victory after another that land will be ours, flowing with milk and honey.

I WANT, no I NEED that honey. I NEED the promised Holy Spirit, I crave Him. I’m like a land devastated without HIM. With Him I am like a tree growing right by the streams of LIVING waters. My roots sink in deep and my leaves are deep green. It its season I produce ripe and juicy fruit and tastes sweet to all who are blessing with the fruits flowing out of me. I am firm and planted here in this place of nourishment. We need to be firmly planted here!

After the enemy has been defeated and you have the victory do as Joshua directed His commanding officers: put your feet onto their necks so that they can not move. “Joshua told the army, “Don’t fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, because this is how the LORD will treat all of your enemies whom you fight.” Joshua 10:25 He then struck them down and hung them on a tree till evening (10:26). Their enemies did not get up, they did not strike again, they were defeated and hung up for all to see.

Openness is not a strange mind game of letting go and meditating. Its not what your yoga instructors teach you as a way of finding healing and zen.

Openness is a attitude of the heart. A closed heart denies the Holy Spirit and an open heart allows the Holy Spirit to do His work. Being open is the path to freedom in the Holy Spirit. There is no 8 fold path just a simple openness to the Holy Spirit.

Things that are not openness that close the door to the Holy Spirit’s work: a critical spirit, a jealous spirit, a self-righteous spirit. A critical spirit gets angry and discontent at other people and the work that God is doing in them which closes the door in your own heart to the work of the spirit and how God wants to work in an individual and corporate setting. It says that God has to work a certain way and puts God in a box. God doesn’t want to live in your box.

A jealous spirit looks at someone else and what God is doing and becomes discontent in what God is doing in their own life, denying God’s work in their life and potentially hurting it is someone else’s life.

A self-righteous spirit becomes their own box. It is like a blinder, all the working on the spirit is limited to a person’s own ability which is neither God’s spirit or that awesome. They stay in their box and can not even see what is happening around them.

Openness has no box and makes no box. It does not look at someone else and it does not look inside oneself. Openness is just hands open to God, just what He wants to do, totally dependent on Him. It is living in total freedom without any worry. Sounds nice doesn’t it: living for God, Him living in You, His spirit working through you and without any limit to His awesome power and works? There is no limiting or stipulations, just pure flow. That is what we aim for. That is the land of promise. That is what true Freedom acts like.

With each victory we relent and let God be God in our battles. The Battles inside lose footholds as we surrender daily. As we prepare for the individual and corporate victories in prayer and dedicated praise we can become more and more open to that easy flowing Holy Spirit. Its more than one battle its battle after battle of sanctification, of letting GO and letting GOD!! GO GOD!! I’m cheering HIM on in ME! HAVE the VICTORY! HAVE the GLORY!!! Let Your GLORY be my REAR GUARD!!

HALLELUJAH~!! IN HIM BE THE VICTORY! TO HIM BE THE GLORY!CHANGE ME! CHANGE ME! CHANGE ME!

Never have I ever wanted more the glory of GOD to CHANGE ME!The flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives starts with openness.

We need to open to Freedom. If its freedom in our bodies, our hearts, our minds, our spirits, our homes, our families, our friends, our church, our work, our finances!! Whatever it is it starts with openness.

Let us make physical movements of Freedom. Let us solidify our faith with action.I have decided its time to make a friend, whose body is in need of healing, whose body the enemy has stolen from, a blend I’ve had in my heart and mind for months now.

I’ve been hesitant to act as a force of healing, but no more! I have a blend I’ve had on my mind for Her, one that has natural healing benefits. I’m going to make that blend for her and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. Its an everyday physical application of prayer and openness plus some great natural healing, preparing for what is to come: her FULLNESS. We have to fight for FULLNESS. We also have to be open to it. We have to claim what is ours and stop letting the enemy take what God has promised us. Our Provisions, our kids, our health! And if the enemy has taken something from you or your loved ones, you have the authority through Christ to bind up that brokenness, to claim what’s rightfully yours.

We can recall God’s promises daily and let them have real and full power.”The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

We can have it in FULL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LIFE is OURS! Don’t let the devil steal your fruit. That LOVE JOY PEACE PATIENCE KINDNESS GOODNESS FAITHFULNESS GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTROL. Against such things there is NO LAW! Galations 5:22-23

Live your life to the Full and pray for fullness in others. Open up to Freedom!! Let His Holy Spirit guide you into the path of LIFE so He can do His FULL work in you. It’s time to open up to Freedom!

1. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.