Captives

We were talking in our Truth Project Class tonight.  The only man in the class other than the Pastor facilitating was stating how hard it is sometimes that Christianity is the only way.  How hard it is for him to explain it to his friends and for them to swallow it.  No, he's not a teenager.  He's probably my parents age.

Hmmm.  So many thoughts on this.  I am reading this Harriet Tubman book.  The whole human race is like what the slaves were in America in the 1800's.  We look at this "WAY" as being so narrow.

Folks, we not only have the keys to heaven, we have the keys to release us from bondage here on this earth!!!!  (I practically wanted to jump up and cheer in the class as the other three attendants watched me closely).  We don't have to be scared about the narrowness of our ways, when this truth LITERALLY sets people free.  Wouldn't we want to set people free?!

The trouble is (and I said this, too, as much to myself as to the atmosphere and the other people in the room), we are like so many of the slaves in the South during slavery.  Some of them were actually emancipated and didn't even know it, so continued in chains.  This was not their fault.  But as Christians we do the same thing.  We have been set free but we turn back to our bondage, chains, idols.  We have be trained very well by the enemy.  And it's no wonder others see Christianity as bondage when it's the reverse.  It's no wonder by the way we live.

I am not talking about the prosperity gospel.  No.  Not at all.  We will have trials and tribulations until we go home or Jesus comes back.  But BE OF GOOD CHEER!!!!!!  I OVERCAME THE WORLD!!! In John 16:33.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,[a]
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
Luke 4:18

He came to set the captives free!!!  We are the captives and so is every other human being.  We are doing them a favor by sharing the truth.  

Let us not remain captives (I certainly have and do!!).  Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly!

That is my prayer.  To live life and life more abundantly.  And not as a Christian that those around me say pass her a gun to put her out of her misery.  Not the onward Christians soldiers forced to do this horrible march by a hard task master. 

NO!  I have freedom in the truth.  Protection.  I look at God's truths as a healing balm and fortress around my life.  It's brings me security.

I lift Christ up and His life through me does a new thing, produces new fruit and draws new people unto HIM.

What a paradox this life is.  We weren't meant to direct our steps in Jeremiah 10:23.  And when we do, we are not living an abundant life, we are managing chaos as I heard Tony Evans say today.  Wow, have I managed a lot of chaos in my life.  

This life is such a paradox of waiting on God and stepping out in faith.  Being still and hearing His voice.

Finding Him in the details of life yet not getting so wrapped up in the details that we cannot even reach beyond our own little life.

That's the war against the abundant life.  This busy, overstimulated, chaotic life of the Western Culture.

I am praying and thanking God for the teaching I have received, and for those incredible-through-Christ believers who put feet to their faith.

And I am thanking God for the body of Christ because it is a life line to my world.