For Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

2 Corinthians 7:10

As we near Independence Day in America, it seems fitting to explore what it means to be free.

• In the Book of John, Chapter 8, God shares with us that it is in Christ Jesus that we find truth and real freedom.
• In 2 Corinthians 3:17, He tells us that the Lord is a Spirit and wherever the Spirit is, there is freedom.
• In I Peter 2:16 and in Galatians 5:13, He cautions us not to use our freedom to indulge in worldly things and charges us to use our freedom to serve others in love.
• In Romans 8:1, He reminds us that there is no condemnation for those who live in Christ Jesus.

Chapter by chapter God’s Word fills us with assurances of our freedom in Christ. Page by page He instructs us in how to live a life of freedom.

Knowing all of this, how is it that sometimes we still feel down-trodden, burdened, oppressed?

Reflecting on my life, I’d like to posit that many of us don’t live as freely as God designed because we haven’t yet learned to tell the difference between conviction and condemnation or, if we do know the difference, we don’t respond to them properly. Take a minute to check out the chart below.

Dear heart, neither conviction nor condemnation feel very good in the moment. They both stir up emotions that most of us would rather not experience. That said, they both bring up very different, albeit uncomfortable, emotions.

Conviction, as the chart notes, comes from God and alerts us to something we should or shouldn’t be doing. It’s that little zing you feel when you catch yourself in a gossipy situation and know you need to get out of it. It’s that little heart drop you can’t shake until you make amends with someone. It’s that unexplainable pull toward the altar even when you aren’t sure what exactly you need to discuss with God. It’s only uncomfortable when we fight it, when we try to pretend everything’s ok or ignore what God is asking us to do. I liken it to an itch that you just can’t reach on your own and the longer you ignore it, the more irritating it gets until you go take care of it with the Great Physician. Once you come over to God’s side on the issue, it’s the most liberating experience ever. That’s why people rise from the altar smiling and crying at the same time.

In essence, conviction is that little voice that says, “You can do better than this. Don’t give up. Let me help you.”

Condemnation on the other hand says just the opposite. Condemnation comes from the adversary, that old snake in the grass, and it says, “You’ll never do better than this. Just give up. No one can help you.” Unlike the itch of conviction that drives you to the Great Physician, condemnation opens a shameful wound, something you don’t want anyone to see, something you want to hide even from God because that old snake tells you God won’t love you if He knew, won’t help you because it’s so very bad. I could go on and on about the tactics of that old liar, but there’s no need. We all know how quickly the enemy can bring up the past, how thoroughly he can run a person down, how steadily he piles on burden after burden, shame upon shame.

Oh sweet friends, there’s one thing that we forget all too often when dealing with that forked-tongued loser.

You guessed it.

It’s time in the post for a BUT God moment!

Here it is:

BUT God – our Great Physician, our Defender and Redeemer – God is the healing salve for all that ails us.

When the festering sorrow and shame of condemnation is laid upon you by the enemy, don’t run away from God. That’s what the enemy wants you do. That’s why he tells you lies about God’s love for you.

Oh no sweet friends, don’t run from God, run TO Him.

There isn’t a thing about you God doesn’t already know. Not a single thing in your life or in your thoughts that you could ever hide.

Beloved, when it comes to God, you are fully known. You are fully known AND you are fully loved. Run to God and if that old snake tries to get in your way, hit him with truth as hard as you would whack a regular snake with a hoe:

• Romans 5:8 – God proves His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
• Hebrews 8:12 – God will forgive all wickedness and never again remember it.
• Psalms 103:13 – As far as the east is from the west, God removes your sin from you.

My friends, God has called us to freedom and what freedom He can give!

Isn’t it time we stopped getting in our own way?

Isn’t it time to answer the call of conviction and come over to God’s side?

Isn’t it time to show that slinking, forked-tongue loser the door and chase him out of it with the truth of the Word of God?

Isn’t it long past time to stop listening to his condemnation of us?

Don’t wait until your bedtime prayers or tomorrow morning’s quiet time. Stop where you are. Drop where you are. Tell it all to Jesus. Admit to Him the hesitation you’ve had to answer His call or follow His instruction and allow Him to encourage you to do what is right. Tell Him the lies you’ve been listening to and allow Him to wash them away and replace them with truth.

Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

Be free today sweet friends! Be free forevermore!

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