Can you imagine what life was like for the Apostle Paul before he was radically saved? He was a slave to legalism, religion, and hatred. Then Christ rescued him. And from that moment on, he was on mission with Jesus. He lived with great purpose. Some of the most passionate souls for Christ I know are the ones who have been set free from horrible bondage. I have a friend who was a slave for years to atheism and alcoholism. Another friend was set free from a life of emptiness and depression. Their lives now are surrendered to Jesus and they are on mission to share the power of the cross.... the truth that set them free.
Jesus said that the truth is what sets us free. So here’s the thing… when you and I bowed to truth, we too, were set free. Chains were broken. I may not know you personally, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your life was changed significantly when you surrendered to the cross. How could it not be? One day I asked my Facebook friends to write down what God freed them from by writing down the OLD word followed by the NEW word. I was blown away. Here’s what they said:
Death Life
Rejected Accepted
Control Surrendered
Blind Seeing
Unforgiveness Joy
Deceit-filled Spirit-filled
Empty Fulfilled
I was nine when I accepted Jesus. But the real transformation came at sixteen when I surrendered my life to Jesus. When I said, “Lord, I choose to follow you.” While I was young, I recognize how my life was radically changed in that moment and some of the chains that were broken. In addition to all those things above, here are two more specific things:
Insecure Confident
Without Purpose Filled with a mission
What are the things Jesus set you free from? Take a moment to write them down and then spend a few moments thanking the Lord. I pray this exercise will bring joy to your heart today.