daily devotional

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.”

Ransom. It’s something we only see in the movies. A payment demanded for the release of a person being held captive. Maybe you remember the late 90’s movie with Mel Gibson where his little boy is taken and the kidnappers demand 2 million dollars in ransom.

Using that movie as our visual, I want you to imagine, you have been taken captive. You are being held in a life you don’t want to live. The price demanded for you is higher than anyone can pay. You will never be set free, held prisoner for all the days of your life until someone pays the price.

Then Honey, here comes Jesus. (Dom-dom-dom)

I know that sounds crazy, but don’t you know that’s exactly what he did for you. He is the payment for your release. You have been set free and scripture tells me if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed.

Are you living FREE? Are you waking up and living each day of your life free from the bondage of the chains which used to bind you? Or are you still caught up in old ways, old thoughts, old habits, old traps? Old guilt and shame. Old records that are still playing in your head.

Think for a moment how insane that is. The ransom money has already been given to your old captor. The price was paid, you have been set free, and yet you keep returning to the dark cell where you were once held and you’re trying on the cuffs. You’re chaining yourself up. You and only you are doing that. How about we stop that.

You don’t have to do the things you once did. Not with the ransom that was paid for you. Nor do you have to carry the guilt of the things you once did into today.

My husband and I survived raising 3 teens in our home all at once. 99% of teens mess up with some questionable choices along the way. Mine were part of that majority. My husband is a world class father. He handled their mess ups with tremendous love and understanding while being firm and steady. I heard him tell our kids, fresh out of a bad decision, left struggling with guilt and shame, “there is no condemnation in Christ.” That’s Romans 8:1.

Condemnation is the feeling of not being good enough or worthy. It’s that nagging self-sabotage of “I’ll never be good enough – I’m a loser – I’m a bad person – what’s wrong with me.” That is condemnation. And as a girl who has been set free, you are NOT meant to live with that condemnation. Condemnation is not from God – that is from your old captor.

However, you will experience conviction. Conviction is the awareness of your mistake or shortcoming, given to us by God so that we are moved to change something. Conviction does not tie a stone around our neck and throw us in the ocean to drown. That’s condemnation.

You don’t have to live as a broken woman. You don’t have to live with heavy guilt for all the times you’ve started and given up. You don’t have to carry the shame of your sins and shortcomings. That price has been paid. You have been set free.

Don’t go back to the cell where you were once held and chain yourself up. That bondage is no longer for you. You are covered in the blood of Jesus and no one and no thing has power over you. Not your past, not your childhood, not what he did or she said, not your biggest mistake or greatest regret. Not even your failures of yesterday.

It’s all been paid for. Shake off the shackles of condemnation, and walk yo-self out of that mess. Live FREE today. Free to start again. Free to think new thoughts. Free to make things happen. Free to be happy and whole. Free to go after your dreams. Free to be exactly who you were created to be.

The self-sabotage of trash talking yourself, giving up, hiding in the pantry eating crap, looking in the mirror with disgust, wasting your days, wallowing in misery, denying yourself of the simple things that make you happy … yeah, that’s over!!!!! The self-sabotage of believing somehow you’re unworthy, somewhere you’re broken, and sometime everyone will figure out you’re a fraud … yip, that ends now!

The high price has been paid for your freedom from it all!

You have been set free, there is no longer any condemnation, so stand firm today and don’t let yourself be burdened by one bit of slavery.