Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Nichole Nordeman singing… Finally Free, poignantly declaring that we who are in Christ are FREE from the bondage of our own sin - if we choose to follow him.
Highlight Passage: Psalm 146:7b [NKJV] …
7b The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.
… Yes, He does!
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Highlight Context: Psalm 146 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… The joy of becoming free in the Lord.
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Reference Passage #1 … Luke 4:18-19, 9:23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ mission was to “set the captive free;” and when, in Christ, we can deny our selves and follow the Savior, He does just that for us.
Reference Passage #2 … John 8:31-32 [NKJV] …
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
… True, heart-felt, belief in Christ as Lord sets us free from our bondage to sin.
My Journal for Today: … Our Daily Bread author, Bill Crowder, shared a WW2 POW illustration to teach on being set free in Christ. He wrote: When my wife and I visited the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force near Savannah, Georgia, we were especially moved by the prisoner-of-war exhibit, with its re-creation of a German prisoner-of-war camp’s barracks. Marlene’s dad, Jim, served in the Eighth Air Force, the “Mighty Eighth,” as they flew missions over Europe during World War II. During the war, the Eighth Air Force suffered over 47,000 injuries and more than 26,000 deaths. Jim was one of those shot down and held as a prisoner of war. As we walked through the exhibit, we recalled Jim telling about the absolute joy he and his fellow prisoners felt the day they were set free.
Jesus’ mission statement in Luke 4:18-19 (a restatement of Isaiah’s Messianic prophesy) included setting “the captives free.” And I am one who can give witness to the truth of The Messiah’s willingness and power to do just that.
For the first 39 years of my life, I was a self-imposed prisoner to strongholds of sin which included lust and gluttony. And when I came to surrender to Christ as LORD of my life, … it took a while; … but He set me free.
If any are reading here and you feel imprisoned in some stronghold of sin, Jesus can and will help you break free from your jail cell of selfishness (see attached photo); and, as Nichole Nordeman sings (see linked YouTube song), you can finally be free. No one can tell me our Lord can’t do that; because I’ve been there and now wear the T-shirt of “FREEDOM;” and I’m willing to help anyone find that freedom in Christ. I’m just an email away @ billb13@bellsouth.net.
Today’s Prayer: Lord, thank You for setting me free from the prison cell of self; … may I be able to help others see how they can walk free by following You. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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