Stay Free
Galatians 5:1 (NLT) says, “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” Jesus did what only he could do on the cross by breaking the power of sin and death in our lives. But Paul leaves us with another command. Don’t just get free… stay free.
Staying free is all about abiding. Jesus said it clearly in John 15:4 NLT, saying, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” If we want to produce the fruit of freedom, we have to stay closely connected to God. That means living according to his word. It is about learning to connect to God in prayer, not just in your devotional time but all throughout the day. It means surrendering everything that gets in the way of encountering Jesus.
The gospel is the good news of freedom, but not just good news of a moment of freedom. Jesus wants ongoing, increasing, and eternal freedom.
The irony of freedom is that you can technically be free, but not be free. Just because you are out of the war doesn’t mean the memories, mindsets, and inner challenges of the war are gone. Anyone who has left a toxic relationship knows that the effects of the relationship go beyond the relationship. After getting free, there is more work to live free.
In our spiritual lives, we know that God sets us free and redeems us by his blood. But the temptation can be to revert back to the ways we used to live. Namely, getting by in our own strength. We like to live by our own rules. We are drawn to follow the past ways of life.
While getting free is an amazing feeling, living free is often challenging, scary, confusing, and outright hard. Thank God that he gives us his Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us through the new challenges of living free.
So I encourage you just like Paul did. Jesus set you free. Now stay free. Don’t get caught up in the ways you used to live. Don’t settle for living by the old rules. Live courageously free and alive in Jesus.
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Abiding happens daily in his presence. Abiding Daily is a simple and practical reminder to stay connected to the vine. Each prompt is inspired by the scriptures and designed to point you toward prayer and encounter. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To get the Daily Invitation sent to you every day click this link or text “Daily” to +1 (779) 237-3914.
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Our first devotional book is available on our online store! Abiding Daily: Volume One is a devotional book including 120 prompts from the Daily Invitation. This book is designed to help believers connect with God through the word and discover more of what it means to abide in Christ. Click here to learn more.
