Tag: #freedom

Repentance and Rest: Key Elements to Peace

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

We all fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23, ESV). Don’t stop there…the rest of the verse says, “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Last week, I discussed The Magnitude of Grace and God’s love for us. This week, I want to continue focusing on grace and emphasize the importance of daily repentance, which brings peace. As we seek holiness, we should ask for forgiveness of our sins to create more space in our hearts for the Holy Spirit to dwell.

When David sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Sam 11:1-17), it was hurtful not only to them but to God. When he humbled himself in repentance and asked God to “Create in me a clean heart, O God, renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10, ESV, Emphasis added), he was being completely honest with God. He recognized the wrong he had done and humbled himself before God, asking for mercy (Biblica Study Bible). This can be our prayer also.

The heart is what God sees and cares about. Some sins are apparent, like David’s; others may not be. If we’re unsure of our offenses, we can ask God to reveal them to us and pray for His help to change and bring glory to Jesus Christ in everything we do.

I mentioned that God desires for us to be with Him and be still; to acknowledge Him in all things (Prov. 3:6). Making this a daily discipline leads to peace and prepares us for success when challenges arise.

“In returning (Or repentance) and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength” (Is. 30:15, Emphasis added).

The ESV Study Bible emphasizes that the genuine way to achieve victory and peace is through repentance and rest. Additionally, by opening more space in our hearts via repentance, we invite more of the Spirit, which results in liberation from condemnation, guilt, shame, sin, death, the old covenant, and spiritual blindness to the gospel. This freedom also provides access to God’s loving presence (2 Cor. 3:17).

The promises of the old covenant pointed to Jesus, while the new covenant changes people’s hearts and makes them right with God forever. Some struggle to understand this concept until the Spirit of God removes the veil and helps those who turn to God understand it (Biblica Study Bible). Only through Christ is the veil taken away (2 Cor. 3:14).

The freedom that comes with the Spirit is completely real, and we are meant to live in that freedom for ultimate peace instead of the guilt and shame inflicted on us by the enemy’s lies. After we put the flesh to death, we are alive in Christ and are not to continue in sin but rather allow the Holy Spirit to transform us to the likeness of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:1-4).

This is what Jesus meant when He told the Pharisees to clean the inside of the cup first; they were worrying over cleaning the outside (or their appearance) when the inside was still filthy. He was referring to the obvious internal condition of their hearts (Matt. 23:26). By accepting Christ, one becomes all that God requires (2 Cor. 5:21). We are to put on Christian virtues, otherwise known as the breastplate of righteousness, as a guard against the things of this world that corrupt our hearts (Eph. 6:14).

This imagery suggests that this righteousness isn’t just a legal declaration, but an active, daily practice that protects the heart and mind from corruption and the spiritual attacks of the world. It serves as a reminder that a renewed identity in Christ should lead to a life of moral and ethical integrity, and that this lived-out righteousness is a defense against evil.

God supplies all the spiritual weapons we need, along with the power of the Holy Spirit inside us, to fight off the attacks and temptations from Satan. We are never alone in the fight and have everything needed for victory. God always provides a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13). We can also fight for one another.

This is why community with like-minded people is so important. “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Prob. 27:17, emphasis added). If we are struggling with sin in our lives, we can ask a trusted friend to pray with us and for us and hold us accountable.

Shift your perspective and make it a daily habit to rest in the shadow of the Almighty, humbly seeking forgiveness and mercy, and strive to become more like Jesus every day, pursuing holiness. Notice the peace that grows in your heart as you create more space for the Holy Spirit to work.

God wants the best for you. God sees you and hears you.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty (Ps. 91:1, Emphasis added).

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor. 3:17, Emphasis added).

“Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Peter 1:16, Emphasis added). “You shall be holy, for I am holy (Lev. 11:44, Emphasis added).

Who is Your Potter?

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

When God sent Jeremiah to the potter’s house – it wasn’t to select a lovely flower vase – he had a big lesson in mind. He wanted to remind him who was in control (Jere. 18:6. ESV).

How often do we forget that God is still in control? I struggled with that for years, trying to direct things my way instead of seeking God, which I didn’t know how to do until one day, on my knees, a broken mess in every sense of the word, I finally gave up and asked God what He wanted. The weight lifted immediately.

I had been carrying a heavy load on my shoulders that was intended only for God to carry. I didn’t realize the mass of it until God took it.

From that day forward, God began to shape me into the vessel He created me to be. It’s a process – He’s not finished yet. I am still learning to let go of temporary things, emotions, and anything that tries to steal my joy and peace. Sometimes, our image of God is too small. God is bigger than all our problems combined. God sees you and cares for you.

The potter and clay imagery continues in Isaiah, where God tells His people not to fear, for He has made them with a purpose and a promise (Isaiah 43:1). God remains with His people (Isaiah 41:10). We did not form ourselves – yet we often insist on trying to know what is best for ourselves. God sees the bigger picture. He knows best and wants the best for us. (God is the best, and He longs for you to come to Him). His timing is perfect. When we try to be the potter of ourselves, we often find heartache and misery.

God formed us, and we can trust in Him as a tree planted by the water – whose leaves remain green even in seasons of heat and drought (Jere. 17:7; Ps. 1:3), because we know who is in command, we can depend on Him to provide all we need (Matt. 6:33; Luke 12:24).

This analogy lends itself to concepts such as trust, obedience, surrender, humility, patience, and acceptance. These things are not always easy, but when we strive to be closer to Christ, there is peace in acknowledging that some things are beyond our immediate understanding. We recognize our limited knowledge of the grand scheme of things and embrace the gifts God gives us with gratitude – one day at a time – the pace of grace.

No one deserves salvation. It comes only from God’s mercy, grace, and love (Rom. 9:22-23). There is freedom in surrendering to God that surpasses all understanding.

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17, emphasis added).

Baptism

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

According to The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, the first act of obedience for a new believer in Christ is a public confession of faith through baptism. It is also symbolic of Jesus’ burial and resurrection. We profess to leave the old life behind and embrace the new life with Christ (Romans 6:4, HCSB). It is a key element of our new faith.

Still, the act of baptism itself does not give salvation. Paul explains to the Romans that to be saved, one must confess with their mouth and believe with their heart (Romans 10:9-13). Baptism can never cleanse a person from sin and secure God’s forgiveness (Brand, 172). Salvation is solely implemented by faith based on the grace of God (Rom. 4:3).

In the first century, there was a ritual self-cleansing, so when John the Baptist began baptizing with water, the act was not wholly lost on the Jews. He did, however, announce the need for repentance and belief in Jesus to make the way for Christ. When Jesus asked John to baptize Him, it surprised John since Jesus never sinned and didn’t need to repent. Nevertheless, it was a prophetic fulfillment of God’s Word.

With this came the gift of the Holy Spirit and baptism by fire. The use of one Greek article governs the two nouns, Spirit and Fire. This denotes that only one baptism is in view, and the addition of fire further defines the character of the Messiah’s baptism.  Water temporarily cleanses the outside, but fire permanently purifies the whole person (Brand, 173).

In Acts, we read how Jesus’ promise to the disciples was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit came upon the 120 disciples at Pentecost; after that, thousands received the gift of the Spirit when they believed (Acts 2:4-12). The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary explains, “The blessing of the Pentecostal gift is applied to all disciples at the moment of conversion. “…Jesus is the one who baptizes believers, the Spirit is the element into or with which they are baptized, and incorporation into the body of Christ is the result” (Brand, 174).  God orchestrated a public miracle to demonstrate the gift of the Spirit had been given by enabling the 120 disciples to speak the various foreign languages of the pilgrims in Jerusalem that day (Acts 2:4-12; Brand 173).

In short, when we confess and believe in Christ with all our heart and receive the gift of the Spirit, we follow it up with water baptism to publicly and symbolically announce our decision to follow Christ, leave our old life behind, be buried in the waters of baptism, and live for Christ with their new life by the grace of God.  We are now forgiven for our past, present, and future sins. Condemnation no longer exists for those in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1).

This is Good News! But don’t stop there. Paul reiterates that it does not give anyone an excuse to continue in sin (Romans 6:1-11). 

A relationship with God is vital. God gives us the strength to overcome temptation and always provides a way out (I Cor. 10:13). The Holy Spirit refines our sanctification through conviction. Finding our identity in Christ – who God says we are – is essential to our self-worth. Learning God’s character comes from personal experience, intentionality, reading the Word, communicating in prayer, and listening to the Holy Spirit.

The most important question I ever asked God was what He wanted for me. It took me a long time and a lot of heartache to get to this point, but when I finally did, I immediately felt the weight lifted from my shoulders. What are you waiting for? God’s arms are open wide.  

“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation” (Rom. 10:9-11, emphasis added).

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28, emphasis added). “For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:30, emphasis added).

What Does Freedom Mean to You?

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

Although the Fourth of July may be over (until next year), the fireworks continue to keep us up at night. Celebrating freedom comes at a cost –not just the loss of sleep.  

Like our freedom in Christ, Jesus paid the price at a high cost, which means substantially more than losing a few nights of sleep. Still, the celebration of freedom we enjoy each day can sometimes be taken for granted.

One of my favorite verses from Paul’s words, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17, ESV, emphasis added), holds a profound meaning. The ESV Study Bible explains that this freedom is the multi-faceted liberation that comes with salvation in Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit, which is freedom from condemnation, sin, guilt, and death. This freedom also gives us access to the loving presence of God as it does away with the old covenant. It invites us into a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Something I did not know existed for most of my life.

After many years of bondage, Christ showed me a different way. With God’s help, I broke out of the lies that kept me in captivity. The horrific, suffocating cycle I was stuck in no longer held me imprisoned. It took a tragic accident to jolt me awake from my self-induced stupor. But God gave me the power and freedom to say no, set boundaries, and begin to peel back the layers of my past that led to healing.

During a difficult season in my life, I thought God was punishing me for my poor choices. The mental anguish that followed was destructive, but I now realize it was the consequences of my bad decisions – not God’s punishment. God was always rooting for me. He didn’t wait for me to clean myself up to take me in His arms. He took me in His arms first and then helped me make the necessary changes to align with His will.

As achronic people-pleaser, I had a lot to learn. I can certainly relate to Paul when he writes, “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10, emphasis added).

Absolute freedom comes from surrendering everything to Christ and keeping Him at the center. Once I figured this out, everything else fell into place. I am free from shame and the lack of self-worth, and I find my identity as a daughter of the King.

Who are you trying to please – man or God? What does freedom mean to you?