“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death..” Romans 8:1-2.

We are living in a cancel culture. In a restrained culture. We are walking in days where you are not sure if you should smile, speak, ignore or embrace. Where touch and visually being seen in public is shamed.

These past few months have been anything but easy for the world. My home, much like yours, has been drastically affected. And now, the decision to send your kids to school or not, is yet another tool of destruction for our relationships.

As believers in Christ, our definition, purpose and placement has not changed. We are called to LOVE above all. We are called to be KIND. But for me the biggest battle is not allowing the god of this age to condemn me for every single decision I make. Good or bad. Obedient to the Lord or not.

We are called to WALK IN FREEDOM. Freedom definitely looks different today than it did last year, but our freedom is not measured by the constitution or by the US Government – our freedom is not a bill of rights. Our freedom came from the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins, delivering us into life – true life. Our freedom is the ability to set our minds on things above and not on earthly things. We see our freedom still in tact in the letters written by Paul as he sits in prison. Our freedom is not bound by walls or chains. Our freedom is based upon the ability to hear the Spirit of God and do what He says.

The fruits of our freedom bring love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. These are the fruits of our freedom, even when we don’t like or understand the things around us. These are the fruits of our freedom while we work, while we learn, while we shop, while we breathe on this earth. He has called us to live for more.

I love my country, but I know some day when this world passes away, it will too. I love the men and women who have died representing my country and the freedoms we stand for. Freedoms that allow me the ability to write this message. Freedoms that say I deserve an education and the ability to think and speak and question everything. Freedoms that encourage me to dream and blaze my own path. Freedoms that bring safety to the neighborhood I live in and to attend whichever church I choose. Freedoms that afford me the ability to go and cast my vote for who I believe my leader should be. Freedoms that allow me the ability to agree to disagree and face no harm because of it. Freedom. I am blessed to have been born and raised in the amazing USA. But my country’s freedom does not compare to the true freedom that can never be taken away. True freedom in Jesus Christ.

This freedom is given only by the Spirit of the Living God. May I walk in freedom. May I talk in freedom. May I live in freedom. May this day be a day that I remind my mind that true freedom starts there – in my thoughts. Today, freedom is the choice I am choosing to make.

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self Control.