Freedom In Christ
by Annalene Holtzhausen
A couple of months ago I was standing next to a grass hockey field where my son was soon to play a match. The weather was lovely and people where chatting and laughing. Someone brought along their beautiful Labrador puppy with a pink ribbon around her neck. I couldn`t but smile as I watched this puppy run from one person to the next across the field - it was a picture of sheer delight. Whenever the puppy came close to someone, they would bend down to rub this bundle of happiness, but the puppy would just turn around and run off to the next person.
As I stood watching this puppy enjoying the freedom she was experiencing in this wide open area where she could just run with abandon, I wondered how many of us experience this sense freedom in our lives. Something about this puppy almost made me yearn for this kind of freedom; to just forget for a while about the everyday tasks and problems that await me, like the broken dishwasher or the faulty computer!
The Bible warns us that life will be full of trials and tribulations, but also teaches us that we can experience God`s peace and joy in the midst of every problem. Do we trust the Lord without a doubt and are we truly free to be who He made us to be? So many people are weighed down by the burdens they are carrying - burdens of guilt, depression, sickness, rejection, fear, control and many more. We can never experience freedom in our body, soul and spirit as long as we are dragging these burdens along. We find ourselves weighed down by systems, rules and regulations without asking whether they are godly or
not.
We were created to live lives of freedom in the Lord, to experience deep joy and peace, to serve the Lord without a moment`s doubt and to experience His total acceptance of who we are in Him. We need to let go of everything that is holding us back from experiencing this inner freedom in the Lord and allow Him to mould is into becoming the person
He sees us to be.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I realise that there are burdens in my life holding me back from the freedom You have for me - some of these burdens I allowed into my life and others were thrown onto me. I am taking the first step by choosing to release these burdens unto You and forgiving myself and others for the hurts caused in my life. Please show me how to live a life of freedom in You and fill my heart with godly joy. Open my eyes to see beyond the burdens and to experience the beauty of every day in Your presence. Amen.
Annalene Holtzhausen is on the Associate Team at Ellel, Africa. She is married to Renier, who introduced her to Ellel Ministries. She is a full-time mother to their two boys. Her passion is for the restoration of women’s hearts and for people to find their worth in the Lord.
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