THE SHIELD XV 🛡️ WHAT IS FREEDOM?

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4 KJVAAE

Here is Oxford Dictionary’s definition of FREEDOM:

• the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants.

• the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.

• the state of not being subject to or affected by (something undesirable).

• a special privilege or right of access, especially that of full citizenship of a city granted to a public figure as an honour.

• familiarity or openness in speech or behaviour.

You can ask yourself whether the nations of the earth offer this, what is called freedom. Have a look at this sketch from Robert Malone's Substack…

Some countries offer, at least on paper, life and liberty for all who dwell within its mandate; subject to certain terms and conditions of course.

Some other countries offer more of a social contract, whereby its inhabitants have to exist within a certain framework of acceptable behaviour.

There is another option in life, which is to be born again.

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:6 KJVAAE.

True freedom is not dependent upon your place of physical birth, but it is linked to your location in the spirit realm. This is why people who, willingly or unwillingly, remain ignorant of the life of God, end up the products of their upbringing, circumstances, choices, education or opportunities. The world might applaud them one day, but the next they are easily forgotten. Alexander the Great captured the world before the age of 33, but according to legend wept, for there was no more worlds to conquer.

At a similar age the Son of God said, “It is finished.”

Not that He was finished, but the fear of death was finished. The separation from God was finished.

Hebrews 2:14-15 GNT. Since the children, as he calls them, are people of flesh and blood, Jesus himself became like them and shared their human nature. He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil, who has the power over death, and in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives because of their fear of death.

When a while later a certain Saul of Tarsus persecuted the followers of Christ, the Lord knocked him over because he was infringing upon the liberty of God's people. In the natural state of affairs Saul was counted as both a Hebrew and Roman citizen, but it was in the kingdom of God that he himself counted his true origin. He is the one who wrote, Our citizenship is in heaven. Have a look at his encounter with a certain Roman captain:

And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free-born. Acts 22:28 KJVAAE

Yes, free-born.

Being born again, one is born into The Kingdom of our God and of His Christ. It is freedom.

The battles are not what many imagine. Many fight a battle for relevance and success. Others fight the devil and his human agents. Still others fight themselves, to just keep from self-destructing.

However, in the Christian life the main battle is what this self same apostle calls, The good fight of faith. In fact, the more you look at it, the more obvious it becomes that the whole point is to stay in FREEDOM!

The Psalmist says that like a bird he has escaped from the snare of the Fowler, from the cage of bondage. Would such a bird once again let himself be entrapped? Never. He would use his wings and fly to the blue beyond.

Galatians 5:1 KJVAA. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

So important is this to God, that He instituted spiritual laws into the Christian life - laws that tend towards freedom. I will look at those next week.

For now, I encourage you to set your eyes upon Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem. This world has nothing to offer.

God bless you!