BROADCASTS.com

b'

Join your FREE 5 Day Mountain Moving Faith Devotional\\xa0 https://krisreece.com/5-day-faith-devotional-series/

Have you been saved by grace but still feel like you\\u2019re living in a chokehold?\\xa0

In Galatians 5:1\\u201315, the apostle Paul discusses the nature of freedom in Christ, beginning with an admonition to \\u201cstand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.\\u201d

\\xa0Paul contends that Jesus Christ came to set believers free. But did you know that it\\u2019s your job to stay free?\\xa0

I\\u2019m not talking about your salvation, I\\u2019m talking about your freedom.

In John 11, we see the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. He had been dead and buried for four days when Jesus came and called in a loud voice, \\u201cLazarus, come out!\\u201d And Lazarus came up from the dead.

\\xa0What a miracle! Lazarus was dead and now he was alive.

\\xa0But there was still a small matter to tend to--the grave clothes.

\\xa0So Jesus said, \\u201cTake off the grave clothes and let him go.\\u201d

\\xa0So even though Lazarus was alive, he was still bound up in grave clothes. The miracle of raising him from the dead would have been enough to knock anyone\\u2019s socks off, BUT what kind of life would it have been still bound up in his burial garments?

\\xa0So, when Jesus comes to set us free, I\\u2019ve heard it referred to as happening in three stages: dead, delivered, and dangerous.

\\xa0Lazarus was dead. Many people who come to Christ are content to be saved from their old dead life.\\xa0

\\xa0But few go to the next phase\\u2014deliverance, or breaking free from the old clothes that bound you up. Could you imagine if Lazarus said, \\u201cThanks for raising me from the dead Jesus, but that\\u2019s good. I\\u2019ll take it from here. Don\\u2019t touch my grave clothes, don\\u2019t try and change my old mindset. Let me hold on to this sin (it\\u2019s just tiny vice)\\u2026.I mean, after all, I\\u2019ve been through, I deserve to be happy.\\u201d If he had, He\\u2019d be considered saved and set free but not delivered. In other words he'd still be in bondage.

\\xa0But because he allowed Jesus to strip him of his grave clothes, he was now free to become dangerous. His personal testimony was so powerful that it transformed countless lives for Christ. It was so dangerous, they set out to kill him\\u2026.

\\xa0Dangerous are those Christians who can\\u2019t keep their testimony to themselves. They run free to save others. They don\\u2019t follow trends. And they certainly aren\\u2019t swayed by the toxic opinions of others.

\\xa0These dangerous Christians are more concerned with their character than their comfort. They\\u2019re more concerned with being biblically correct, then culturally correct. In other words, they\\u2019re dangerous.

\\xa0So how do you live free? How do you take your salvation and become dangerous?\\xa0

You first have to begin to recognize why you\\u2019re still in bondage.\\xa0

\\xa0Number 1: Sin\\xa0

Sin is a power that enslaves. From Adam and Eve\\u2019s first sin, we have since been born into it. But just because we don\\u2019t have a choice about living in a sin-filled world, it doesn\\u2019t mean we don\\u2019t have a choice as to what we do with it. We are called to no longer be slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness.\\xa0

\\xa0More cycles could be broken if we just dealt with the main issue at hand: sin.\\xa0

\\xa0Don\\u2019t freak out when sin comes knocking on your door. As a Christian, you will always be under attack. But 1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us that the temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.

\\xa0And here\\u2019s the even better news. Jesus br