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No Longer Slaves

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.1

Jesus ascended on high and took captive captivity, He gave gifts to men. "Moreover, One, to each of us has been given, Grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ."2 Unlike society today which misuses the word Free, i.e. it is free but only for 30 days, your Grace period ended twelve days ago, its free but there is a 9.99 shipping and handling fee.... Grace is a free gift, God's favor that is undeserved, not merited, not worked for, it is a free gift. The shipping and handling fee was paid in blood. Now, some would say you are saved but it is not really free... In Christ we are released from the law, and the dominion of sin, Grace replaces fear, we are no longer slaves to fear. 

Jesus rendered Satan powerless, the devil had power over death and used the fear of death to enslave people in fear. How did Satan have such power? Paul writes the Law of the Spirit is life and peace, the Law of Sin is death. The wages of the Spirit is life, and the wages of sin is death. Therefore the devil through sin gained power through the fear of death. The Law had power over sin through fear, the fear of death, obey or die. But sin took opportunity through the flesh and launched this idea that life was elsewhere. Jesus came to set captive captivity, to bring Liberty, He partook of flesh and condemned sin in the flesh, setting "free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives." We too must partake of flesh for life. It is through this death we are raised into newness of life. 

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."4 

I believe the reverence of God is often confused with the spirit of fear, which is not of the Spirit of God. The confusion is in misunderstanding the old covenant and the new. Paul writes the old was of fear, in fear they came before God on the mountain that could not be "touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet..."5 The Law was spiritual and should have brought life but the flesh is weak and sin took opportunity and abounded. In the new where sin abounded Grace super-abounds. We serve in the new living way of the Spirit were God's righteous requirements can be met by the Law of the Spirit. 

Paul writes, when we are baptized into His death, thus sins' dominion is as Christ's death, He died to condemn sin in the flesh, the dominion of Jezebel, the flesh. We consider sin dead. Not only are we released from Jezebel we are also released from the Wife and married to another, Christ. We serve in the new living way of the Spirit, and such removes the power of death. Now, God is I AM, Almighty, to be revered, and respected, and through a growing relationship we realize this, not through fear. His Son who brought the kingdom here on earth, He came in fullness of the Father, of Grace and Truth. Because of the Son I have confidence and do not fear to approach His throne of Grace. It's a great principle of the new covenant.

"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."5

God woos or draws us at a young age, as John Eldredge writes in his book Sacred Romance. But the enemy counters, shooting fiery darts into our hearts. God wooed me through Baseball. But during this same time my father decided to move us and the very same night that trophies were handed out for our championship performance, we drove past the event. Something happened that night, a fiery dart of the enemy penetrated my heart, for the first time I felt alone and fearful, it was a foreshadow of things to come. I know now it was a spirit of fear, it is a powerful spirit. This spirit didn't like me, it wanted to kill me and I thought it was God. The spirit of fear that gripped me as a child sought to keep me from God, it doesn't love you, it wants to punish you...

The Bible says fear has to do with punishment, but perfect love casts out fear. But I was told I was a sinner and I was dangling over hell by a piece of thread, God was going to cut it at any moment. How could I approach Him, I knew not how, can anyone turn from sin? oh, we boast in our own efforts. Later, when I was 18 and recently returned from "boot camp" my feet burned, I thought God was warning me that I was going to hell. I repented and repented and repented... I must have went down the aisle, asked Jesus into my heart, raised my hand... a 100 times but nothing. I must have not been serious, repented of my sin and God just didn't want me, the spirit told me. Oh, what a heavy burden. I found out later I had nerve damage from wearing over-sized issued army boots. Through the spirit of fear the devil tried to destroy me, but God chose me, He intervened because this is why He died, to lead captive captivity.

One day someone asked me if I knew what faith was, faith I said, what is this?  I soon found out that Jesus died for me to take away the power of death, and by grace through faith in Him I could approach the throne of Grace. I was given a Spirit not of fear but of Adoption, "you are home, you are my child." No longer a slave but a son in which we cry Abba Father! Six months after I gave my heart to Christ, He asked me if I would die for Him. It takes great faith to die and fear renders faith dead. "So then death in us works and life in you, moreover, the same spirit of faith according to that having been written..."6 The Spirit of Faith works in us. Jesus said His words were Spirit and Truth, and give life.7 The spirit of fear seeks to disrupt the Spirit of Faith. The Spirit draws and gives life, a Spirit of faith, Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word, Jesus is the author, the Word, who came not to condemn but to save.

Jesus came to lead captive captivity, to render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. To die in Christ is to live. When Jesus returned from the trials of the devil, He returned in power, anointing of the Spirit, He went to the synagogue and read from the scroll of Isaiah, "the Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he has sent me to heal the broken in heart, to proclaim to captives a letting go..." No longer a slave, another captive set free, set free by a savior who gives life!

...no longer slaves, we are the sons and daughters, let us sing of our Freedom!!


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