Set Free - Stay Free. This is the new tagline for life. I’m not going to stop talking about the tension of life and faith, but this 4 word message has been on my heart this year and better represents the content that I’m currently writing about and will be podcasting more about this year. It comes from one of my favorite passages of scripture.

"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law." - Galatians 5:1 NLT 

This is my favorite version. However, I do like the way the NIV begins by saying “It is FOR FREEDOM that Christ has set us free…” so I guess if I had the choice I would use a hybrid of those two versions as my life verse. So just how FREE are you?

The reality that freedom is something we have to fight for is a present tension for all believers. In our current political climate, many believers are fighting for the freedom to stand for our faith without ridicule and resentment. Many in our culture struggle with such debilitating anxiety, insecurity, and fear - they are fight for the freedom to just make it through the day. Some are overseas, taking up arms to physically fight for the freedom of others who cannot fight for themselves. We all are fighting for freedom.

However, this is the BIG DIFFERENCE between trying to be SET FREE vs STAY FREE. You see, Jesus is the ONLY path to true Freedom. He is the one who does ALL the work to FREE US from sin, death, shame, guilt, condemnation, depression, anxiety, fear, isolation, rejection, and the list goes on and on. It’s because of Jesus that we can be SET FREE. Our fight for freedom is NOT to be set free. We’re already free. Our fight for freedom is to STAY FREE. When our foundation is freedom, we only need to remain in Christ to remain free. It’s only when we wander away from Him that we allow ourselves to become "slaves again” (Galatians 5:1) to sin in all its forms. Over the rest of this year, we will talk more and more about how to experience the breakthroughs needed to STAY FREE.

• How to handle fear when it rises up (from beneath the surface)
• How to break the agreements that are keeping us from living in Freedom
• How to reject false prophecy over our lives (the lies others tell us)
• How to establish spiritual disciplines that keep us IN CHRIST and IN FREEDOM

Remember, it is FOR FREEDOM that Christ has set you FREE. That’s the goal.  He is never the one who keeps you from being FREE (Galatians 5:7-8), that’s our responsibility. You’ve been SET FREE - so let’s STAY FREE.