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Pursuing the Heart of God – Day 56 – Set Free in Christ

May17

Pursuing the Heart of God – Day 56

Set Free in Christ

Lord, what does it mean to be set free in Christ? Sometimes, I still don’t feel free from the power of sin. I want to be free to become all that You created me to be. Lord, how can I claim Your freedom and remain free?

A Message from God’s Heart to Yours:

Child of Mine, when you accepted Christ as your Savior, you became free from the penalty of your sin. Jesus Christ died in your place and paid the wages of your sin (Romans 6:23). You are a new creation in Christ Jesus; the old is gone, the new is here (2 Corinthians 5:17). He has released you from a life of sin. You may now live a life of righteousness through faith in Christ (Philippians 3:9). Christ has made you righteous in My eyes, so that we now may enjoy an intimate relationship. You have the freedom to approach My throne of grace with boldness (Hebrews 4:16).

You were crucified with Christ, so you no longer live, but Christ lives in you. Live by faith in Jesus, who loved you and gave Himself for you (Galatians 2:20). Your old self was crucified with Him, so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with and you would no longer be a slave to sin—you were set free from it (Romans 6:6). You are dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11). Sin is no longer your master because you are not under the law, but under My grace (Romans 6:14).

You are free from the power of sin. It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourself be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1). It is up to you to claim this freedom and walk in the victory over sin that the death of Jesus Christ provided for you. You have the authority of Jesus’ name; you have the power of His Spirit within you. You can overcome the desires of the flesh, by the power and authority I have given you. I will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but I will provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13).

I sent My Son to proclaim good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners (Isaiah 61:1-2). He is the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6). My divine truth has exposed the lies of Satan. The light of My salvation has released you from the bondage of Satan’s lies. Do not believe the lies of the enemy, when you know the truth of God. Walk in the freedom of the truth. Do not make vows and agreements with the devil, when Christ has freed you from the prison of the evil one. Now you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:32, 36). Claim the freedom of the truth and walk in it victoriously.

You are free to become what I created you to be. Allow Jesus to live His life in and through you. Be obedient to whatever He asks you to do. He will demonstrate His love and power through you. Do not be distracted by the world, but focus your attention on Christ. Trust Him to live out His perfect will and plan for you, through you. This happens only when you are walking in close relationship with Him through reading the Bible, praying, and listening to His voice. The most important thing you can do is to put Him first, meet with Him daily, talk to Him and listen to His voice.

I will speak to you in your thoughts and from My Word. The Bible will come alive for you when you tune in to the voice of the Holy Spirit within you. He will remind you of what I say, as well as, reveal and interpret Scripture for you, so you are able to understand My wisdom, My promises, and My will for your life. When you hear and recognize My voice, you experience the life of abundance that Christ came to give you. I want the best for you. I am the best! Be free in Me.

Prayer:

Jesus, my Lord, thank You for dying for me, so that I might live. I submit myself to You and ask that You will live out Your will and plan for me, through me. Allow me to live a life of abundance by clearly hearing Your voice and obeying it. Lord, I am always blessed with so much joy whenever I am obedient to Your requests. Give me the desire to obey Your every command, and connect with You daily in two-way conversation. Lord, speak to me now as we meet to maintain a deeper, more intimate relationship. In Your precious name, I pray. Amen.

Two-way Conversation with God: 

  • Heavenly Father, will you expose one area of my life that I remain in the bondage of sin? Please tell me exactly what I need to be free from in this area. (Record every word you hear in your thoughts. Spend some time now confessing your sin and submitting yourself to God.)

 

  • Jesus, my Savior, please expose one of the enemy’s lies that I have believed or bought in to, and then, set me free with Your truth. (Write down whatever you hear Him say, and claim the freedom He gives you.)

 

  • Holy Spirit, please show me Your plan for me to live in freedom from the sin and bondage I just confessed. Please remind me of the truth in God’s Word and remind me to use it when the enemy attacks me in this area. (Write all the thoughts He gives you on this and record any words or verses from Scripture that come to mind.)

Review God’s thoughts and impressions you’ve sensed and written above. What Scripture comes to mind as you review your notes? Use the concordance of your Bible to look up an impression from God’s Word. Record the verse or passage here. Write all insights and encouragement the Holy Spirit illumines for you as you read God’s Word right now.

Prayer:

Sovereign Lord, Your plans and timing are perfect. I submit my will to Yours, and ask that You would live Your life in and through me. Help me become the creation You had in mind when You formed me in the womb. Before you knew me, You set me apart (Jeremiah 1:5). I am grateful that You purchased my freedom from sin and continue to release me from the bondage of sin and the prison of lies I have believed over the years. Lord, I give You access to all areas of my heart and ask that You transform my life so that I might become the creation You called me to be. Thank You for the abundant blessing I receive by hearing Your voice and living in relationship with You. I am so grateful for everything You do for me. I am blessed to be dead to sin and alive to God in Christ (Romans 6:11). In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Supporting Scripture:

Psalm 146:7, He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free.

Isaiah 61:1-3, 1The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, 2to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.

Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…”

Luke 4:18-19, 18”The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

John 8:31-36, 31To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 14:6, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Romans 6:6-14, 6For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—7because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. 10The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. 11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness. 14For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Romans 6:17-18, 17But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Romans 6:22-23, 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness , and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 8:1-2, 1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

1 Corinthians 10:13, No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18, 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Galatians 5:1, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Ephesians 2:10, For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Philippians 3:7-9, 7But whatever were gains to me I know consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

Colossians 1:19-22, 19For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, 20and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross. 21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation.

Hebrews 4:16, Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Revelation 1:5-6, 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father—to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Copyright © Sindy Nagel. All Rights Reserved

Roadblock #6 – Disobedience – The Enemy of Righteousness

Jun8


A woman is standing at the microphone and holding a pen.

It’s pretty simple—disobedience to God is sin. Clearly, sin separates us from God. He despises sin and doesn’t want to be anywhere near it. Isaiah 59:1-2 says, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.†This verse confirms that sin and an unrepentant heart can keep God from hearing you. When He hides His face from you, most likely, He will not speak to you either. Does sin, or disobedience, stand in your way of hearing God’s voice?

Confession of sin is not only required by God—it is necessary for your own peace of mind. Confessing your sin, turning from it, and attempting to lead a clean life of obedience open the door of communication between you and God. In our humanness, we won’t ever be completely free of sin on earth, but we should try to live our lives in a different way than the rest of the world.

Of course, if you’ve never confessed your sin and accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord, then you already live apart from God, and the Holy Spirit does not occupy your heart. In that case, you should not expect to hear God’s voice within at all.

If that’s you, please click on the Ground Zero link below and view the video in which I share the Gospel of Good News. Learn more about how to invite Jesus into your heart and begin a new relationship with Him. When you do, God’s Holy Spirit, and the ability to hear His voice, are God’s amazing gifts to you.

1 John 1:8-10 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.†Sounds like it’s not if we sin, but when we sin, confession is required. Then, God is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us. Our full acceptance of His pardon releases us from all guilt and shame for that offense. God remembers our sins no more, so we can forget them also, and strive to do better next time we are tempted.

Ground Zero Video – Click Here to Watch (Hosted at Gumroad.com – Click to “Buy or Rent” the video, then enter 0 as price to watch it for FREE.)

Even after accepting Christ as my Savior and being a Christian for many years, it’s still nearly impossible to live a sin-free life. That’s the goal, but sadly, in my humanness, it’s not achievable on this side of the pearly gates. Jesus is the only person who ever accomplished that feat. One role of the Holy Spirit is to empower me to overcome temptation and resist sin. However, if I am not tuned in constantly, listening to God’s voice within, or if I am not willing to obey Him, I will fall short of God’s glory. Therefore, it’s still possible, on any given day, that disobedience, unconfessed sin, rebellion, or repetitive sin could erect a roadblock that impedes my clear communication with God.

No matter how hard we try to defeat sin, at times, it becomes our master. Thankfully, we serve a High Priest who hears our confessions and daily intercedes on our behalf, restoring our relationships with God the Father. We worship an awesome God who sent His Son to be a sin offering in place of us, and then, He also sent us the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to live our lives according to the Spirit rather than the sinful nature.

Satan has only as much power as we give him. How powerless have you become? Whatever your weakness, it’s time to take back control! All of it! We’ve been given Jesus’ authority over all sin. We have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, and He lives inside us. Instead of relinquishing our power to the adversary, we must draw on the strength of the Holy Spirit within us to resist temptation and our tendency to believe the lies Satan introduces in our thoughts. We have the ability stand firm in our faith and resist all temptation because the Lord does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.†(1 Corinthians 10:13) Our brothers and sisters in Christ, who live in all parts of the world, suffer similar trials.

Be vigilant about guarding your heart and your mind. Do not allow the deceiver to carry out his battle plans on your watch. When I stood on the sidelines of life and did not participate in the big game, the devil did not need to concentrate his focus on me. The moment I invited Jesus into my heart and sought a more intimate relationship with Him, I enlisted in the battle of good vs. evil. Choosing God’s side, I put a large target on my back for the dragon, Satan, to take his aim. Satan sat up, took notice, and stepped-up his plan of action to derail me.

Most often, the common battlefield is our mind. Satan will continue to sway us toward disobedience. But Jesus triumphantly conquered this battle for us already. We can claim our victory over sin in the name and blood of Jesus Christ.

Are you ready to stand firm in your faith and embark on a barrier-free journey of intimacy with Jesus? If your desire is to do so, but you feel unprepared, I suggest you beef up your plan of counterattack against temptation and sin by practicing these steps daily:

  1. Confess your sin.
  2. Turn from your disobedient ways.
  3. Immerse yourself in the Word of God. Meditate on it day and night.
  4. Dress yourself in the full armor of God.
  5. Be ready to draw the sword of the Spirit by being prepared with Scripture to battle temptation and lies.
  6. Know your weak spots and vulnerabilities.
  7. Take control of all your thoughts and make them obedient to Christ.
  8. Remove any other roadblocks between you and God.
  9. Listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit all day long.
  10. Obey the voice of God in your thoughts.

Has the devil ever captivated your thoughts with the following deceptions? If not the lies listed below, then identify any other lies regarding sin that you have believed and disprove them with the truth from Scripture.

A woman is standing at the microphone and holding a pen.#1: Your sins are too big for God to forgive.

#2: You need to keep asking for forgiveness for the same sin.

#3: God will never speak to you because of your sin or past.

 Click on the link below to purchase your copy of 7 Roadblocks to Hearing God Speak. Identify the obstacles and the lies that hinder your communication with the Holy Spirit, and then, make an effort to remove and disprove them. This book will get you started in the right direction.

Click here to purchase book today.

A woman is standing at the microphone and holding a pen.

Book Two in Hearing God’s Voice Series

Fight the Good Fight

Apr27


A woman is standing at the microphone and holding a pen.“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.†(1 Timothy 6:12)

My beloved warrior, take hold of the life to which I have called you. Fight the good fight of the faith. Your battle is not with flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world. Stand firm in your faith and do not waver. Dress yourself in the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand your ground. Proudly wear the belt of truth around your waist and be ready to fight for the truth when called upon. Display the breastplate of righteousness for all to see that you belong to Me. Be ready with the gospel of peace and let your feet follow My lead. Grasp the shield of faith with which you can stop the enemy’s arrows of spiritual attack. Put on the helmet of salvation believing that you are saved by My grace, adopted by Me, and therefore, an heir to all that belongs to Me. Claim your power and authority in Jesus’ victorious name. Remain in Me and My Word so that you may draw upon it when you need it. Be ready to fight with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Use it against all evil. My Word is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. I stand by your side and fight your battles with you. I will never leave you or forget you. My Spirit dwells in you and gives you the authority to break strongholds. Victory is ours, My friend. You have the same Spirit living in you that raised Jesus from the dead. My power in you is unstoppable. I have called you to be My warrior. Fight to win! (See below: Ephesians 6:10-18, Hebrews 4:12, Joshua 1:5, Ephesians 1:17-20)

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrow of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.†(Ephesians 6:10-18)

“For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.†(Hebrews 4:12)

“No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you.†(Joshua 1:5)

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms.†(Ephesians 1:17-20)