Freedom

• Printable Version - Share on Facebook - Posted by Jeffrey Smith August 22, 2015 - Filed in Devotional - #Christian Devotional  #  #  #  - 1,834 views

  Ephesians 6:12: For the struggle is not against the flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

  Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

  Acts 12:6-7: The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. Quick, get up! He said and the chains fell off Peters wrists.

  The enemy will try to rob you of your freedom. Peter was thrown in jail, and he was awaiting a trial the next day. When you walk around with Jesus in your heart and with the message of hope, love, and freedom, the enemy will try to do anything it can to enslave you, stop you, and put enough pressure on you, in and attemp to make you quit, or go away. Even if you’re not fully walking in the true call on your life, the enemy knows how valuable you are to the kingdom of God. He knows the ones who are special and are the Peters of the world. I was once put in a position where my freedom was limited. I could not get out of the jail of anxiety and panic. I was so caught up in myself, that I could not see Jesus in my life. I was so focused on what I could do, and what I had done in life, that I had no rest, no peace, and I felt like God forgot about me, and was punishing me for my sins. I was being led by the enemy because of the situation I was in. God is bigger than me and you, and our perceived sentence. When a doctor diagnosed me with panic disorder, I accepted that as a fact, and thought my life was over with a lifetime sentence. I thought I would never get on a plane again, leave the town on vacation, or lead a normal life with my kids, or expand in my business. This was a bleak outlook.

  Then I met Jesus.

  In the scripture, Peter, on the night before he was supposed to go on trial fell asleep between to others in jail! Peter fell asleep. Im not sure about most people, but for me, if I thought that I would have to face my accuser while I was suffering, I would not be at peace, I would not be able to sleep. I would have been trying to figure out a way to get out of the situation on my own. Peter was at rest, trusting in God to deliver him. The scripture says, “suddenly, and angel of the Lord appeared” and what is more, the chains fell off of Peter’s wrists. Later on in the scripture in Acts 12, Herod, who had Peter arrested was killed, thus sparing Peter from anymore harassment in connection to his imprisonment.

  You see brothers and sisters, when we rest in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and hold onto the peace of Jesus Christ, which surpasses all understanding, then He will rescue you from any situation. Just like Peter, Jesus delivered me as well, and suddenly one day after years of suffering, my chains fell to the floor. Now, I travel everywhere, my wife and I just returned from Hawaii, my business has flourished, my kids and I are not limited on what we do together, and I am free. I watched as Jesus did all the work, destroying my enemy before my eyes. Look outside of yourself and see Jesus, He is our salvation, He is our liberator. He is our answer in our hour of need. No other solution exists like Jesus. I tried every trick, every fad, and they never worked. When I submitted to Jesus, and saw Him larger than my enemy, I fell asleep in peace and rest, and when I woke, my chains fell off and now I am free. Be free brothers and sisters, give Jesus the praise, and give every situation over to him, and the chains of addiction, fear, anxiety, depression, whatever chains hold you down will suddenly fall off. You will be led out of the cell and into the true call on your life. To praise the Lord, and share your liberation story with the world.