It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Are you burdened by a yoke of slavery? Many of us do not even realize that we are. We tend to think that if we are not ruled by alcohol, drugs, etc. that we are fine….at least I did. I have never known the kind of freedom that God has been revealing to me this past year.



My slavery over the years has been to a measuring stick. Simply put, I have always gauged myself against something….social norms, my expectations of where I thought I should be in life, my standards of parenting, my standards of being a wife, how well things were done, how well I treated people, how people responded to and treated me…..and the list goes on. My mind was continually accessing my performance and behavior in an effort to justify myself. What an exhausting and frustrating way to live! When things were going good, it was, “Thank you, God! I must be doing some things right!” When things were going wrong, I would ask myself what I was doing wrong or view it as some sort of an attack. I would then pray and try and figure out how to fix the situation. I am a problem solver by nature.

I am 33 years old and essentially my entire life has been lived this way. I thought that because I went to church and was saved that I was free. I didn’t realize how deep in slavery I was.

I went through a really difficult process of leaving a school that I had founded so that my husband could go back to college. I willingly left in support of my husband, but I struggled with many thoughts and emotions through the process. I immersed myself in the Word of God praying for His intervention into my situation. We also had virtually no income so we were relying solely on His provision. Our focus was fully on Him with no other distractions. It is amazing to look back at all the transformation that has taken place and still is taking place.

I have found that true freedom comes from only focusing on Jesus. “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,” 2 Peter 1:2 Many times, we may start out focusing on Jesus in a situation with prayer or seeking answers through scripture, but soon we get into the flow of the situation, and we take the reins back from God. Or instead of focusing on Jesus, we instead focus on the problems that arise or maybe even the good that comes our way….loosing sight of Jesus.

True freedom comes from always searching out Jesus no matter what is going on around. He came and died to set you free. He is pure freedom. As you focus on Him, he will begin to transform you from the inside out. You will find yourself obeying God’s commands, not because you are trying so hard to do so, but because Jesus is empowering you from the inside to do so. You don’t have to do anything out of your own effort, He does it all for you. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30. Being a Christian is not supposed to be difficult. It only becomes difficult when we rely on ourselves. It becomes difficult when we focus on other things besides Jesus. It becomes difficult we try to be Christians. Our only focus should be Jesus. He will teach us and empower us in all the rest if we ask him to do so and let him work in us. We don’t have to get sidetracked on rules, laws, what the devil is up to, strategies in battling evil, whether behavior is Christianlike or not….and so on. Sure their will be trials and tribulations, but Jesus promises that he will be with us.

Be free! Focus on Jesus and be free! Be free to chase the dreams that God planted in your heart…without reservation or condemnation. Be free to love as God overflows you with His unending love. Be free to not have to be like others around you because God created you to be individual and unique. Seek freedom that can only be found in Christ.