When you remember that you’re forgiven and God has cleansed you from your sins, you are free to live untethered. The strength of sin of the law but the strength of righteousness is freedom. (See last week’s article for more on this idea).
From there on you have to guard your heart against the deceitfulness of riches and the cares of this world, as well as not yield your body to sin. You do so to keep your heart and conscience clear to hear and follow God’s instructions.
There is a responsibility to freedom. True freedom does not seek permissiveness, it seeks righteousness.
You can steward your freedom in Christ well and watch the free gift of righteousness bear fruit beyond measure. You don’t have to convince God to move, you just have to stop allowing things into your heart that choke out his word from growing into your life.
God Has Moved
God has set in motion all you will ever need already in Christ. Everything you will ever pray for has been given you in seed form in Christ. All provision, healing and deliverance is already a true reality in Christ and it’s seeking to grow into your life. Like a seed in the ground trying to break through the ground and grow, so are all of God’s promises hidden within Christ who is within you.
We are not trying to get God to act on our behalf, we are trying to experience the fruit of what’s already available.
Christ is the soil in which all of God’s will abides, but it is not far from you, it is in your newly created heart, trying to break through the soil of your life and bear its abundant fruit in every single aspect of your life, no matter what external circumstance you may find yourself in.
Affirm your identity in Christ, affirm you are the temple of the spirit of the living, holy God, acknowledge all that he’s done in you through Christ, and watch his character develop into your life.
Clear away the distractions that rob faith and rest in your true eternal identity which is a child of God, a current citizen of Heaven with all of his kingdom within you now. Yield and let it grow.
Making Your Life Count
This process is not to make you a better Christian or to earn blessings from God, engaging in the process of guarding your heart from the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things is for your fruitfulness and effectiveness.
God has some things he wants you to do to spread the good news of his kingdom, if you are burdened with guilt, debt and sin consciousness then you probably won’t have the peace and confidence to fulfill those assignments.
You are a blood washed child of God, that won’t change, but the Gospel needs to be spread. You have some things in your heart that need to be birthed into this world. You are a significant member of the body of Christ that needs to be bold and free to express your creativity in Christ.
You are important!!
Take the time to tend the garden of your heart. Don’t allow things in that rob your energy and confidence. You can do this!! God will help you!!
Be bold, guard your heart and take steps forward i your assignment from God!!
Watch the video above for the whole sermon.
