The 4th of July....do you have your OWN Independence?

Today is July 4th and I understand you many not read this on this day but it relates none the less to any day of your life. Today is the day we celebrate our Independence and rightfully so. We became a nation of those who believed in something greater than what they saw in their lives at the time and fought to become a nation that stood on the grounds of Faith and God's will. Many lost their lives and did so with us in mind though they would never meet us. This reminds me of someone else who gave HIS life for those who would come after, those He would never meet and did not know, though His Father did. He gave His life so that you and I can be saved and through our salvation, we may be set free. Now what does this look like to you and I is a question that when asked to 10 people, you may very well get 10 different answers and either one is right. Jesus gave His life and our freedom from where we are before salvation is wrapped up in a simple phrase of excepting Jesus in to your hearts and believe that He died for our sins. Now just this phrase alone will not do it, there is work to be done in the midst, but after this revelation, the work becomes easier. Not easier to do, but easier to bare. See, we are all trapped prisoners in a world of lust, hate, and greed and we don't realize it until we hear the word of God, so we don't think we have done or are doing anything wrong. We are trapped in our own understanding and that is a scary place to be. Once saved, your life becomes a journey of God's plan for you and your purpose being worked out. However, I have learned that even being saved and walking out this purpose God has put on my life, I can still become trapped by my own prison. Now I know some of you long term Christians have this thing figured out and don't have these issues, but some of us still struggle with the past, the present and the fear of the future. I trust God, I serve God everyday but believing God for all things is not something I can say I do everyday without hesitation. Can you? It is so easy to follow Him when blessing rain down and your life is so good that others just stare in awe! However, when the storms come and keep coming, and keep coming, and keep coming, can you still believe with the same amount of faith? Can you still walk in victory when you feel like you are losing everyday? Well, I would like to say I can, but I can't and I pray that one day I am able to say I do. I feel stronger everyday, but I struggle in the midst of my growing strength still and it gets hard to the point I am not sure if I can go on. I have walked in Faith enough to know the power of God is real and very present and I have seen His grace and mercy in my life directly and through my son. Even now I am witnessing God's endless mercy as He holds my unborn son and wife in His hands and guides them during this pregnancy. However, there are moments of weakness that the hurt takes a great toll on me and my life. Have you ever been there? Have you ever felt like God has put too much on you and you are running around trying to figure out why? How can you take this? What did you do to bring this on? Have you ever felt like God has left you alone and your prayers seem to go unanswered and your life has entered a season of hurricane strength storms? If you have, then you understand that your salvation was a gift, you did not earn it. You understand that with the promises God has given to you, you have to exercise your faith by works. If you have followed down this road, then you understand that your freedom, your real freedom, comes with a cost. To gain your freedom, you have to give up your own life, your own selfish wants and desires. You have to give up your own understanding of the why and hows to life and submit to God's understanding that He knows what we need better than we do. Your storms will come and go, God never leaves. Don't just celebrate when the blessings pour out, celebrate when the storms are raging. That is when God is doing His greatest work in you, molding you and setting you free from your past to a future that is filled with blessings that will overflow. Just remember this, when you have enjoyed the constant blessings for a season, if you think back a season before, you were sitting in the midst of a storm and wondering why and how. It was that storm that enhanced your true freedom and the fact you stood in the storm and made it through, you moved God to bless you like He has simply because He loves you that much. Gain your freedom, pray for God to give you unyielding faith and never give up until you achieve it, I haven't. Be Blessed.