A One-Hundred Day Journey to Freedom: Meditation #14
Text
In him [Jesus Christ] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Ephesians 3:12
Meditation
As faithful stewards we can draw with confidence before the throne of grace.
Teaching
I can’t imagine a more fitting verse for us to end our second trek than Ephesians 3:12. A companion verse is 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.”
Both of these verses are a blessed assurance that we can know with certainty that our God loves us, is for us, and deeply desires a relationship with us. We have been set free in Christ, and that freedom includes the redemption of our relationship with God. The temple curtain has been split and we can now approach the Almighty God of the universe as we would our own father.
These are the two marks of the faithful steward; freedom and confidence. As we remember from the last meditation, we are involved in a significant spiritual battle. Therefore, we can acknowledge here that the enemy seeks to work in us bondage and doubt, which both lead to fear. Paul challenges us, “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.” (Galatians 5:1)
God gives us freedom in Christ, and the enemy works every day to enslave us again to the bondage of ownership and control. God gives us confidence through the blood of Christ and the enemy whispers in our ears every day, “did God really say?”
Here is where the battle lines are drawn. Experiencing God’s freedom daily requires us to battle against all of the tactics of the enemy. That is the main purpose of this entire journey. It is to provide us with the keys to unlock the bondages we put on ourselves by listening to the wrong voices, believing the lies of the enemy, and conforming ourselves to the world. My prayer is that one by one these chains were will fall from you and you will experience the full freedom that is ours as a child of the King.
The same is true for the precious gift of confidence. When our confidence for all of life is found solely in the sovereignty, grace and love of our triune God, we can be set free. Confidence can only be developed in the context of intimate relationship. We are confident in God because we know him! But we must not take this for granted. The enemy wants to distract us and keep us focused on anything else but Christ. For he knows that when our gaze is fixed on our Lord, he can and will do mighty things in us and through us.
Confidence and freedom, freedom and confidence. This is your legacy as a child of God.
Action
This action step is simple. Take a small piece of paper and write these two words on it; confidence and freedom. Spend this day meditating on those two words. Pray that the Spirit would open your eyes to see those places in your life where doubt and bondage have crept in. Claim these words for yourself. Thank God for these gifts. Pray for protection from the enemy in these areas of your life. Rejoice, celebrate and be glad that the God who created you for relationship with himself wants to set you free in every area of your life and instill in you a deep-seated confidence that you are his beloved child forever.
Prayer
Almighty, everlasting God, I thank you for these two wonderful words; confidence and freedom. So often my life has reflected uncertainty and bondage. Instill in me the confidence that comes from your love for me and the purpose for which you created me. And let me know the freedom that is mine through your Son, Jesus Christ. You created me to live with this confidence and freedom. I claim them both today, not by my own power but through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for these wonderful gifts. Let me be a faithful steward as I open myself up to you and let you work in and through me so that I may be your witness to the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
