Category: Liberty

Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land

And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

Leviticus 25:10

How shall we hallow the year of Jubilee? I read that it is the 70th year of the Jubilee since Joshua led Israel into the promised land in 1406 BC. The 70th Jubilee Year anniversary will start on March 30 (Jewish lunar calendar) in 2025. This is after the partial solar eclipse of the sun on March 29, 2025. This is the reminder of darkness that we witness around the world, but light is still shining to bring forth the truth of the gospel. The free gift is of many offences that has come forth for our justification through Jesus Christ. This is known as the gift of grace. [see Romans 5:12-16].  One can consider the double grace meaning in the following:

  • Grace plus Faith equals Restoration
  • Grace plus Jesus equals Redemption

Where should our focus be, but on the author and finisher of our faith.

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:2

As Christians we should be free from physical, political, and spiritual oppression. Oppression is malicious treatment or control of another person or group of persons. Let us remember what the apostle Paul said to the Galatians.

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

Galatians 5:13

Our liberty is in Christ who saved us from the power of Satan. Paul told the Galatians that he had confidence that they were otherwise minded not to use their liberty in the wrong way. [see Galatians 5:10]. We are to sow seeds of kindness, help and mercy, for what we sow we will reap. We do this as the love of God grows within our own heart. Conflict is just around the corner, and we must pray that God will strengthen our hands to do good rather than the opposite. Like Nehemiah we have become afraid, and this has weakened the hands to work. Nehemiah said in Nehemiah 6:9, “Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.” Let us pray that our hands be strengthen by God this Jubilee year.

If you have suffered loss of possession such as home, land, objects, or money, the thief should pay back double according to Exodus chapter 22, verse 4. A double portion seems to be the rule, but more important is a heart of love and mercy. I found it interesting that God followed this rule with Job in chapter 42, verse 10.

“And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

Job 42:10

Let us remember that Job himself had to make it right with God by praying for his friends, who had a false witness against him. Repentance is what the Lord seeks of our heart. We cannot have liberty without repentance. Everyone must repent for this is the divine expectation of the Lord. Jesus paid the price for our sins. What you do is important to God, for you are his child. We just do not see how God desires us to be like him. How we are valuable, and that God desires a genuine fellowship that is not superficial. We need a deeper understanding of our relationship with God and with others.

How we treat each other can delay the blessings of God. Being critical and complaining about another person can be a form of slander. This is why there are divisions in families. It is hard to meet others’ expectations. We need our eyes changed like Job and his friends. We need to see that person in the eyes of the Lord. Let go of the bitterness, anger, and hate of the individual who caused you pain. Allow God’s grace to flow in your life and pray for those who are complaining about you. Paul warned the Corinthians about murmuring in 1st Corinthians chapter 10, verse 10 stating, “some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”

Let us declare and proclaim this year our liberty we have in Christ and share it with others. Let us have love and mercy within our hearts to enable us to give our testimony. Allow God to use you as a vessel of honor and to strengthen our hands to do the work in spreading the Gospel around the world.

Follow after the Things that Make for Peace

“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”

Romans 14:19

Let us follow after the things that make for peace. It is so easy to provoke others to anger where bitterness can take root within a person. Sometimes one cannot even remember what caused the rift between two individuals. The Apostle Paul calls these doubtful disputations, for it is the personal belief of an individual in how they should behave rather than the described law of the Lord. As Christians we forget how God deals with each individual differently in regard to our behavior and our walk as a Christian. These debates can bring heated arguments that can turn into anger. Pointing fingers and judging is not the way towards peace, yet many Christians are doing just that to obtain some kind of objective that may not even be spiritual but carnal in nature. Anything that is carnal promotes strife within the body of Christ because it is done in the flesh. God has brought us out of these things, yet we become entangled with them again. As a Christian we should be standing in the liberty where Christ hath freed us from these types of bondages.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

Galatians 5:1

The yoke of bondage is where you are worn down by abuses and certain kinds of lust. The apostle Paul spoke about these things to the Galatians.

The works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying’s, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God, [Galatians 5:19-21]

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts, [Galatians 5:22].

Look carefully upon the fruit of the Spirit as Paul stated, “against such there is no law.” There is no law for this is the characteristic of Christ. The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith, [see Galatians 3:24]. The bible tells us that all are under sin so that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe [see Galatians 3:22].

In today’s world, we are not addressing moral obligations but the law of moralism that marks the boundaries of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. This is not necessarily based upon biblical viewpoint as some claim it to be. We must learn and know that a set of rules enacted by society and enforced by its courts is not always obeyed. Israel along with America is experiencing cultural war that can shake the foundation of democracy itself. Sociologist James Davison Hunter said “Culture wars always precede shooting wars. They don’t necessarily lead to a shooting war, but you never have a shooting war without a culture war prior to it, because culture provides the justifications for violence.” I bring this to your attention because we are all witnessing the shooting war right now. No matter what you believe, we all need to step back and rethink our actions. Have we forgotten the God of our Salvation?

 “Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?”

Jeremiah 7:19

We have not considered God’s anger in the past, and we live now in the present through the grace of God so all can be saved. Do they not provoke themselves to confusion of their own faces means that man is going their own ways and making their own laws to justify themselves. No one inclined their ear to the voice of the Lord during Jeremiah’s time. The Israelites did not walk in the Lord God’s way after coming out of Egypt. Many of us may still be in Egypt following after our own lusts and desires. What did God promise Jeremiah?

“But this thing commanded I them, saying, obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.”

Jeremiah 7:23

It shall be well with you if you walk in the way God commanded. We shall be his people if we obey His Voice. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” [John 14:6]. No one can come to the father God any other way but through Christ. We must walk in the way of the love of Christ, then we shall be at peace with each other. We live by faith and not by our own works. Jesus told his disciples that “it is the spirit that giveth life, the flesh profited nothing. The words that I speak unto you they are spirit, and they are life,” [see John 6:63]. Some of the disciples did not believe in Jesus. Have you looked at chapter 7 of Gospel of John in verse 7? Jesus makes this profound statement, that “the world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.” Jesus testifies how the works of the world are evil. Can you understand the reason why the apostle Paul tells the Romans to walk honestly and to not walk in strife and envying, but to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts, [see Romans 13:12-14]. We are to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of the light of Jesus. We have been called unto liberty in Christ Jesus. Freedom from oppression and evil. Freedom from the control of substance abuse.

The things that make for peace is what we learn from Christ who loved us and provided the way to reconciliation. To walk in love and not destroy our weaker brother. We are to edify each other, for Christ has died for all and He is our peace.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

John 14:27

Jesus gives us peace and we are not to be troubled within our heart, nor be afraid of anything. Let us remember not to sin against our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Paul tells us not to wound their weak conscience because if we do, we sin against Christ [see 1st Corinthians 8:12]. Regain peace with yourself and your brother and sister by asking for forgiveness. Go to your closet to pray and ask God to help you through to peace within your own soul and those around you.