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Free and Willing

    From the moment we accept Jesus as our savior, not only do we receive the gift of eternal life and escape from the punishment awaiting Satan, we also gain freedom in all aspects of our lives. When Jesus' Holy Spirit resides in us, He empowers us to do the things we could not do through our flesh alone. We literally have Jesus working through us in all His perfection!

    Sadly, some "Christians" are not looking to be free of their sins like we could be with Jesus. They are simply content with having him save them from Hell. Once they get their "get out of jail free card," they continue to live their lives in the way they did before as if nothing has changed. Francis Chan has a name for these types of Christians. 

"Lukewarm people don't really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don't genuinely hate sin and aren't truly sorry for it; they're merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don't really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one."
"Lukewarm people are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for 'extreme' Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call 'radical' what Jesus expected of all His followers."
                                               Francis Chan, Crazy Love 

     I don't want to be a "lukewarm" Christian. I want to live radically free from my sins, striving to be more like Jesus each day. We do not have to live in the bondage of sin anymore. When His Spirit is alive in me, I have all the power I need to resist temptation and worldly influences. It is a process of trusting Him and learning to lean on His Spirit rather than our flesh. For the Spirit is willing to resist, but the flesh is weak to temptation.

Matthew 26:41 The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (NIV)

 Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (ESV)

    Make the decision today to live in all you have access to through Christ! Jesus has done it all for us. We do not need to be tied down by the bondage and death of sin. Jesus paid the price for our freedom and redemption. Let's start living in it.

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (NIV)

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