This is the time of year that we celebrate our freedom as a nation. We enjoy family gatherings, fireworks, homemade ice cream and declaring our love for the red, white and blue! We have a sense of pride that comes over us when we hear the Star Spangled Banner or God Bless America.We thank those who have served and fought for the freedom we enjoy every day, as we should. Not really fully grasping the cost that has been paid. We do not know the torment or anguish families have gone through so we can enjoy what we so easily take for granted. I am not sure unless we can begin to understand what soldiers or their families give up and go through for the freedom we love.
We are a society that has an incredible amount of freedom but we are constantly finding ourselves tethered to a whole new level of bondage that promotes anything but freedom. We take our focus off the only one that truly makes us free. We become strapped down to bitterness, anger, depression and self-loathing. We look for things to make us feel better such as alcohol, drugs, food, and over indulging in even the good things in life such as working out, being busy and even excessive travel. We volunteer to do everything we can at our kid’s schools and at our church. We have the constant need to feel we help hold things together. We look to gossip and backbiting to help us feel better about ourselves. We teach our children to do the very things we later get onto them for and preach at them to avoid in life. We have an ever-present sense of discontent. It may die down from time to time but we lap the same mountain over and over, always the same exact feeling raising its ugly head. We want to blame everyone and everything for our own lack of freedom.
God wants nothing more than for us to have true freedom. The freedom that only he can give and if sought for properly is always with us, never wavering. He wants us to build each other up just as Christ builds us up. It grieves His heart when we walk in bondage. When we mirror the world and not him. It grieves Him when we stick our heads in the sand instead of standing up for righteousness, we are the ones, the ones that call ourselves followers of Christ, we actually take part in destroying it. Galatians 5:1 We have freedom now because Christ made us free. So stand strong. Do not change and go back into the slavery of the law. A powerful verse. Stand strong, be the warrior you are called to be, get your gear on and fight for the freedom God wants you to have.
Decide today to be a freedom fighter! Rise up, let’s take God’s freedom to all of those around us. Be Brave and full of God’s Grace. I leave you today with this final verse. Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.
Thank a soldier but most importantly thank God for giving his son for your freedom! Happy 4th of July to you and your families!
Until Next Time…
robynstroup 
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