Most of us are very aware of what it looks like and feels like to be emotionally or physically oppressed in our humanity. Whether it’s spiritually, as in fear, stress, rejection, guilt, and bitterness; or physically, as in diseases, disorders, and infirmities. But what does true spiritual freedom look like? God provides truth in His Word that helps us overcome the enemy’s works and oppression in our lives and leads us into spiritual freedom as overcomers.
Spiritual freedom is an opportunity we’ve all been given
Christ Jesus came to offer an opportunity for us to be freed from oppression and from the curse of sin and death and to live in wholeness and spiritual freedom. He says this in His Word:
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36 KJV
The word ‘Free’ in this scripture as defined from the original Greek text is this: unrestrained (to go at pleasure), i.e. (as a citizen), not a slave (whether freeborn or manumitted), or (genitive case) exempt (from obligation or liability):—free (person), at liberty.
This freedom sets us in a position of being accepted by God, as a ‘citizen’ of God’s spiritual kingdom. God takes this position a step further in His Word, and says that not only are we citizens but accepted sons and daughters of God!
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Romans 8:15 KJV
Submission to God is a key to spiritual freedom
As long as we serve sin or iniquity in any area of our life, in that area, we are in bondage to sin and death. However, when we choose to pursue God’s heart and His ways, we submit ourselves to His righteousness through obedience. This is a key to spiritual freedom.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Romans 6:16 KJV
What Spiritual Freedom is not
When we hear the words “righteousness” or “obedience” we may be triggered into a pattern of drivenness and performance to do things “right” and “correct,” striving for perfection. This performance-based behavior is relying on ourselves and our own understanding, and does not operate by God’s leading and in submission to Him. It keeps us from being able to accept and receive Christ Jesus’ free gift from the cross. The enemy can be tricky because he can use even godly principles and turn them into a form of bondage and oppression again through religious spirits and fear.
God’s ways vs. our ways
Romans 8 is a powerful example of the difference between walking in righteousness according to God’s Spirit or bondage to the law through works. A person can do the “right thing” yet be motivated by the wrong spirit and still be separated from God.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:1-6 KJV
God provided a way to spiritual freedom through Christ Jesus
God knows, according to Romans 8:3, that as humans, we are weak in the flesh to fulfill the law. So rather than putting His foot down and rubbing our faces in our weakness, He provided a better way; a more excellent way.
In Luke, Christ Jesus defines His purpose for coming to the Earth by referring to a prophecy of Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Luke 4:18 KJV
Christ Jesus came to represent the truth to us and destroy the works of the enemy in our lives. He put the keys in our hands so that we could choose to walk away from the bondage and oppression of the enemy’s camp and back into our Father’s house where we can find peace and safety. He desires to lead us to the spirit of freedom, yet He still gives us the option to make a personal choice to follow Him. This is not a single event but a journey of growing in our relationship, trust, and submission to God once we’ve received Him as our Lord and Savior. At Be in Health, we call this our overcomers’ journey.
The Holy Spirit is essential for spiritual freedom
When He left this Earth to go up to Heaven and sit at the right hand of His Father, Jesus Christ said that He would not leave us comfortless. So Father God sent us His Holy Spirit. This was like Him giving us an open phone line straight up to the throne of grace to bridge the gap between our physical dimension and God’s spiritual reality. The Holy Spirit is our helper and our lifeline so we are never alone on our journey of walking into the spirit of freedom.
If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:15-18 KJV
The Holy Spirit is also the power of God living in us, giving us the authority in Jesus Christ’s name to destroy the works of the devil in our lives and in the earth.
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19 KJV
The enemy wants to sever our lifeline to spiritual freedom
The enemy desperately fears the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Therefore, he will do whatever he can to sever that lifeline to God and to pull us back into bondage. One tactic he uses is to keep us focused on our self and our personal, physical, or emotional issues. He will try to rob us of our hope and our joy and try to bring in accusation, fear, guilt, shame, bitterness, and whatever else he can. He will try to make anything and anyone other than himself seem like our enemy so that we will get caught up and be separated from God, others, and even ourselves.
The fruit of righteousness is a key to spiritual freedom
John 14:15 says that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. So righteousness works by the leading of the Holy Spirit, and is fulfilled by the fruit of love in our hearts. If our agreement with the enemy causes separation from God, ourselves, and/or others, love is the glue that brings us back to spirit of freedom and holds us in the Kingdom of God. In fact, the Word says that by love the whole law is fulfilled.
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned. 1 Timothy 1:5 KJV
The word ‘charity’ directly translated from the Greek is the English word ‘love.’ The phrase, ‘faith unfeigned’ means undisguised or sincere faith. We cannot always lean on our own understanding of what this freedom looks like or feels like. The love of God is not something that we can force or fabricate, but it is a work of the Holy Spirit that lines our heart up with the love of God and His Word. This verse encompasses the completeness of spirit of freedom in God our Father.
How do we get a pure heart?
God helps us purify our hearts through submission to Him. If He exposes a work of the enemy we can be diligent to repent for our agreement with it and remove it, and we also need to remain teachable and open to God’s leading and guidance.
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 KJV
What does God’s love look like?
Love is not a mere emotion. According to the Word of God, love is God’s very nature; it’s who He is. When we understand His nature, we will have a better point of reference to understand who He is in us and through us as a work of the Holy Spirit. God’s character and nature are clearly defined in Galatians 5 and 1 Corinthians 13.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 KJV
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth… 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 KJV
If the Word says that God is love, that’s what we should be too. 1 Corinthians 13 defines for us what that love really is. This is the love that God already has for us that He wants us to believe and receive, and then He wants to form it in us so that we can represent Him to others. By abiding in His love, we will receive the wholeness of spiritual freedom in our lives.
Discernment is essential for true spiritual freedom
We need not let fear, guilt, shame, and condemnation have power in our lives. We need to learn how to recognize them and know how to overcome them. We must also learn how to pick ourselves back up again if we fall because we know that God does not define us according to our failures but according to the person that He created us to be from the foundation of the world.
Psalm 103 is a beautiful glimpse of how our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ, sees us and deals with us:
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. 9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. 14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we [are] dust. Psalm 103:8-14 KJV
Can we receive the fullness of forgiveness from Him?
Can we receive forgiveness from God, leave the past in the past, and move forward into our future in Him? Can we have that same sort of mercy for ourselves and for others that our Father has for us?
True spirit of freedom is not perfection. It’s being open and pliable to the Holy Spirit to shape us and form us more and more into the image of our Father, moment by moment. Spirit of freedom is not a feeling, emotion, or event. It’s a state of being. It’s not passive or something that happens once and we’re “good enough.” It’s a journey of actively pursuing our Father’s heart and overcoming those areas in our life that are not from Him, yet still being at peace with ourselves and loving ourselves where we are at in our current state.
Being spiritually free is our most normal state of being in life
Spirit of freedom is having a firm foundation of the truth from God’s Word established in our hearts so that we can stand our ground against the enemy and overcome him in our own life. Spiritual freedom is being who we were truly created to be, receiving God’s love and, in turn, loving God, loving ourselves, and loving others. True freedom is the joy of experiencing the unfeigned fruit of the Spirit as it flows from our heart that has been made pure by the washing of the water of the Word.
What is spiritual freedom? Spiritual freedom is a treasure!
Spiritual freedom is a treasure to be pursued. Yet it is not just a moment that happens overnight. We have to allow God to help us grow up into it; He can strengthen us and mature us in our spiritual growth. We need to develop strength and endurance in this race. We may run through different levels of spirit of freedom as we walk out of more and more of the enemy’s bondage.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Hebrew 12:1 KJV
Spiritual freedom is part of your personal story and journey through life.
So, dear brothers and sisters, will you choose at this moment to grab hold of your Heavenly Father’s hand in meekness and allow Him to lead you as His child so that you can grow up in Him? If spiritual freedom is your desire, will you pursue His heart and His righteousness with your whole heart?
Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4 KJV
Blessings,
The Be in Health® Team
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Would you like to read more articles like this?
- What Does the Bible Say About Trusting in God? – by David Levitt Trusting God is essential to our overcomers’ journey because without his help, we are helpless in our journey to spiritual freedom. He needs to be our source and through Him we can overcome the enemy’s strongholds in our lives.
- What Does the Bible Say About Trials and Temptations? – by Pastor Adrienne Shales God didn’t say that life would be easy. However, He did say that He would help us through every trial and temptation that we encounter. Discover how you can walk in spiritual freedom even through hardships with God’s help.
- God’s Character in Us – Growing the Fruit of the Spirit Learning how to walk in spiritual freedom is a process of removing the old ways that the enemy has trained us in and growing up in God’s ways and into His image. Discover the image that He created us in before the foundation of the world. Who are you really?
Here are some resources on this topic
His Ways Versus Our Ways – a Teaching by Dr. Henry W. Wright
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