Finding True Freedom

As I sit down to write, I can't help but feel the weight of this past week. Some weeks are full of challenges, whether with our career, family, parenting, marriage, or, most challenging, our internal struggles. Each week I use a tool that I received called 'Simple Intentions: Cultivating a Life You Love Living.' The goal of this resource is to help guide and create habits, attitudes, and approaches to life in the hope of finding daily joy, even on hard days. The idea is to focus on short and long-term goals by creating daily intentions, focuses, and one word to for the week.

On Sunday, I write this out for the following week and journal about the previous week, reviewing my daily thoughts, hopes, and fears. This week my word was freedom. 

I intended to make choices and decisions that support walking in authentic freedom amid daily struggles, challenges, and joys related to my family, marriage, friendships, and work. For me, freedom seems pretty simple, but try focusing on what freedom means to you for a week, define it, and live truly free. During my week of focusing on freedom, I was challenged by what freedom looks like daily, minute by minute, and practically.

The word "Freedom" has been in my heart ever since I became aware of the enslavement that occurs with our thoughts, actions, dependencies, and attitudes. It's interesting how vague and elusive the concept of freedom can be. We all desire and talk about it, but do we really know what freedom means to us? In this edition of The Sobering Faith Newsletter, we'll attempt to delve into the meaning of physical and spiritual freedom.

Physical freedom is acting, speaking, thinking, or behaving without restraint. The American society prides itself on freedom, and rightfully so. We have the freedom to vote, free speech, the freedom of religion, and so much more, even amid political, sociality, and cultural chaos. However, this physical freedom can sometimes blur the lines regarding personal responsibility and accountability. If we are not careful, our freedom can enslave us to bad habits, behaviors, vices, or addictions.

This is where the concept of spiritual freedom creeps in. True spiritual freedom doesn't come from any external source but from within. It's a freedom that only exists in Jesus Christ. We can define spiritual freedom as wholly fulfilling our divine purpose while glorifying God. This freedom can never be attained without Christ's help; we can do nothing to earn it. Only God can give us true freedom from the bondage of sin and lead us to a life of righteousness.

So, how do we achieve this freedom? It all starts with a renewed heart. God's Spirit moves in our hearts and opens our eyes to Truth. In this new light, we see the ugliness of our sins and our desperate need for a savior. We become new creations if we accept Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and make Jesus the Lord of our lives. We are born again with a new heart that desires to love and honor God. This new heart is free to follow Christ and do the good works God has prepared for us.

But this doesn't mean that we will never fail, or that we'll never struggle with temptation. Spiritual freedom is a process, a daily battle. We must stay rooted in God's word and cultivate our relationship with God, by calling on the Holy Spirit. We must learn to listen to that still, small voice, the Holy Spirit. We must learn to be honest about our weaknesses, and humble enough to ask for help.

I'll leave you with some questions to ponder this week: 

What does physical or spiritual freedom mean to you personally? 

Are there any things you've found yourself enslaved to in your life? How do you plan on breaking free from them? 

How has God's presence in your life helped you to find freedom?

Whether God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are foreign concepts or even mentioning these words stirs up negative or mixed emotions, you may need to start with what is behind those emotions. Feel free to email me at info@geraldzgabay.com, ask a question, drop a comment, or ask for prayer.

As always, I hope this newsletter leaves you encouraged and inspired. Let us all strive for the kind of freedom that only Christ can give us. Keep pressing forward.