Slavery and freedom

Note:  If you attend CenterPoint Church, you've probably already seen this post I wrote in our online community.  But for those of you who live else where, thought I'd post it here.

I’ve been reading a book called “Redemption” by Mike Wilkerson.  It’s a call to be set free from the wounds that we carry and the idols that we worship, as examined through the Exodus narrative.  One of the themes is that we are created to worship, and if we don’t worship Jesus, then we will turn that worship towards someone or something else.

One thing that struck me (and honestly, this book has been hitting me HARD upside the head…repeatedly) is the response of the Israelites once Moses comes, sent by God, to set them free.  They’ve been enslaved, persecuted by Pharoah not because of anything they did, simply because he was afraid of them and the potential power they wielded by their sheer numbers; they were enduring an unjust punishment.  Israel cried out to God, begging to be set free.

And then God answers, sending Moses to Pharoah on Israel’s behalf, exhorting Pharoah to let His people go.  Israel is relieved, rejoicing, excited that God has listened and has made a way for their freedom!

Pharoah reacts to this by making their work harder: instead of just making bricks, they now have to gather the straw to make the bricks, while still producing the same amount as when the straw was gathered for them.  And how does Israel respond?  They lash out at God, blaming Him for the difficulty that comes with His promised freedom.  They shake their fist at God, and beg to fall back under Pharoah’s “good graces”, to live again under his slavery but at least not have to gather straw, to have the easier verision of servitude.  Instead of recognizing the slave owner as the one who is making life hard (which is what he would be expected to do, since he doesn’t want to lose his slaves) they blame God for making their life difficult, and neglect seeing that He is setting them free!

So how does this apply to us?  When we are set free, or begin the path to freedom, whether that’s accepting Christ and His forgiveness, moving away from addictions, or finding healing for our emotional wounds, there is going to be opposition.  If we place our faith in Christ for the first time, our former way of thinking is going to continue to pull at us.  If we’re ready to turn aside from an addiction that controls us, that substance or attraction is not going to suddenly dissolve.  If we’re ready to embrace the Father and His love for us, the wounds we carry are going to continue to whisper that we aren’t worthy of His love and forgiveness.

And when the former continues to pull at us, we shake our fist at God and say, “Why are you doing this to me?!  Why am I still tempted?  Why do I still feel the hurt?  Why won’t my family leave me alone?  Why don’t You make everything go away?”  And when we ask those questions, we’re just like Israel, blaming God instead of recognizing that He is setting us free, and that the things we’re enslaved to don’t want to let us go.  Will we believe God that “it is for freedom I have set you free,” or will we believe Pharoah (Satan) who says we will not be free, a slave is who we are, what we deserve, what we’re destined to be?

I’m going to choose to believe God.  That doesn’t mean I won’t hear the other voices.  It doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy along the way.  But when it is hard, when temptation continues to pull, entice, and accuse, I’ll choose to believe what God says: I am not a slave, I am His beloved child, who He as made to be free, and that my freedom will be costly and maybe even take time.  But I am free.

And you are free as well.  Believe what He says and does, not what Pharoah says and does.