Our Father God Gives Freedom
When our younger daughter was 4 years old, I sent her upstairs to ask her 6-year-old sister a question. She came back downstairs a few minutes later with her hair disheveled, tears in her eyes, and a serious scowl!
It turns out, they got into a hair-pulling, scratching, ugly fight!
What happened between these sweet little girls who love one another!?!
Once I sorted through each side of the story, I realized the 4-year-old was looking for a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ but her older sister was being vague. When my younger daughter kept pressing for an answer, my older daughter got frustrated at being disturbed. It escalated as they tried to control one another.
“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? (James 4:1, ESV)
God has designed us with legitimate needs and desires. The problem is that the world, the flesh, and the devil tempt us to meet those needs in our own strength and resources. Then we try to control people or situations we have no right or ability to control.
In his pride, Satan sought to usurp God’s position as Sovereign. Adam and Even were tempted by the desire to gain more power, “to be like God.” Jacob controlled his father, Isaac, by tricking him into giving Jacob the blessing instead of his brother. Sarah wanted children, so she had Abraham sleep with her servant. In all these examples, we see people attempting to exert power over others as a means of control. Whether that control comes in the form of physical force, like slavery or abuse, or in a more subtle form, like false teaching or manipulation, the impact is the same: a return to slavery.
Our Father God is Sovereign, but He is not controlling.
God’s Sovereignty means that He has supreme authority over all things. Every inch of creation lies under his Lordship. Psalm 103:19 says, “The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” (ESV)
But in His infinite love and kindness, God designed creation in such a way that He provided us with freedom and personal responsibility. Yet, from the fall of Satan and the fall of humanity to our present day, we see people exercising that power of choice in rebellion against God.
But choice is not the same as freedom. Every choice has consequences. We must live with those consequences, whether we like it or not. Freedom comes through submitting to God’s Sovereignty.
“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, NIV)
Through the written Word and the Living Word (Jesus), God has revealed His plan for us—to know Him, obey Him, and live in union with Him. He has given us instructions on how to live. Knowing and trusting Christ brings life; choosing our own way brings death.
Jesus, our Great High Priest, has made this possible for us. Through his humble sacrifice, Jesus set us free from sin, death, and Satan.
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14-15, NIV)
Without Christ, every human being on this planet is a slave to sin, death, and the devil. Our choices—and the consequences of these choices—reflect this reality.
When we trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation, he not only forgives us, but he also sets us free from sin, death and the devil. And he gives us the ability, the power, to say no to what leads to death and further slavery and say yes to what leads to life. “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7, NIV)
Jesus shows us how to serve by submitting control. “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant... And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8, NIV)
Dear Saints, freedom comes from submitting to the Sovereignty of God. Most people and circumstances we encounter every day lie outside of our right or ability to control. But they are not outside of God’s Sovereign control. Eventually, the Lord God will exercise his supreme authority over creation.
Trying to control others is futile, as my young daughters learned after their “fight.” As we exercise self-control with God’s help, and as we serve others with the attitude of Christ Jesus, we encourage them to place themselves under His sovereignty. It is, after all, what is ultimately best for every person on the planet. They were created for Him and by Him, and spiritual life is found only in Him.
I renounce the lie that You, Father God, are trying to control and manipulate me.
I choose to believe the truth that You, Father God, set me free and gave me the freedom to make choices and grow in Your grace. (Galatians 5:1; Hebrews 4:15-16) – Neil T. Anderson, The Steps to Freedom in Christ, p. 13.