We speak of freedom every July the 4th.
Freedom from what, exactly?
From the tyranny of British rule in 1776? Yes. But God will also free you from “everything that threatens to diminish or destroy your life or your joy.” (Kyle McKay, The Immediate Goodness of God).
What threatens your life and joy?
- Loss
- Fear
- Loneliness
- Guilt
- Discouragement
- Apathy
- Envy
- Anger
- Lust
- Physical pain
- Emotional anguish
Whatever the threat, God can deliver. Consider the words of Patrick Henry:
“They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? … Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in out power … Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides…and who will raise up friends to fight our battles with us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.”
Patrick Henry, 1775*
As with all good quotes, it is best read aloud.
On Independence day—and every day—God grants us emancipation from all that threatens joy and life. It is a day of repentance. As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free!
