Freedom Isn’t Free
The moral decline of our country, including the assault on our freedoms, is accelerating at an alarming rate. The freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, the freedom to educate our children the way we see is best, the right to life, the right to bear arms, etc., are all in the crosshairs of our spiritual enemy. The pressure is increasing from the anti-God element of our society to force everyone into its mold of a worldview that sees aberrant, perverse thoughts and behavior as acceptable, and even desired.
On the heels of Memorial Day, when we paused to remember those who died protecting our freedoms as a nation, and upon the anticipation of celebrating our country’s birth on July 4th, the thought could not escape me. Freedom isn’t free, whether it is spiritual or whether it is national. And with freedom, comes great responsibility, sometimes accompanied with sweat, blood, and tears.
God created us as free beings. It is recorded in Genesis that before Adam and Eve sinned, God gave them the command and responsibility to fill the earth and then rule the earth. Unfortunately, they used their freedom to intentionally disobey God’s Word; and because of that choice, they lost their freedom. Spiritual and physical slavery resulted, and history is filled with individuals and nations struggling to obtain freedom. Jesus Christ took our sins upon Himself and died in our place, so that every person who places his faith in Christ enters into a personal relationship with Him, and experiences spiritual liberty.
The United States is the most blessed nation in the world. The national freedoms that we enjoy as citizens are because our founding fathers issued the Declaration of Independence with an awareness of God’s design and purpose. Then they led the fight to win freedom from the British, and afterwards established the Constitution upon the principles of God’s Word to help maintain that freedom. Most of the founders had a strong education which included a good grasp of Bible truths. John Adams, our nation’s second president, declared that the general principles upon which the founding fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity.
We must be ready to fight to keep the freedoms we have been given, both spiritually and nationally. However, we must identify the real enemy; and he often appears as a friend. The enemy will cast doubt on the Word of God and play on your emotions. He will put pressure on you to compromise biblical convictions. He will lure you with “free” stuff that will cost you and others severely in the long run. He will cater to your flesh over your spirit and put group pressure upon you to follow man’s way. He will play tricks in your mind to cause you to feel inferior and helpless, and he will prod you to blame God and others for your problems rather than humbling yourself before the Savior and asking for His help.
There are times that we may need to fight physically to protect our freedoms nationally, but how do we fight spiritually? Use spiritual weapons to combat false arguments and reasonings. Properly applying the truths of God’s Word and praying fervently are two important ingredients in the mix. The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ….”
Let’s hone our spiritual weapons and work together to protect our nation and our spiritual freedoms.