Running Free

I have a song in my head today, and a whole lot of deep thinking to go with it. The song is Victory, by Gateway Worship. "There's victory in the cross...I'm breaking free, all my chains are gone. I will sing, until my lungs give out, cuz I have found, I've found...victory." Such a great song to have in my head, and such a shame if all I am doing is singing it.

Truth lives in these words...there is victory in the cross. When we are alive in Christ, our chains are broken and sin has no hold on me (Another line in the song.) Why, then, do we continue to live as victims instead of victors? Need convincing? Take a trip through Romans 5 and 6 and see for yourself. I especially love 6:17-18, which says

"But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸ You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."

Most of the letters of Paul are telling believers (you, if you have chosen to follow Christ) how to live. Romans explains why this is possible. It is through Christ dying and beating the punishment for sin, which is death (Romans 6:23), that we can live in His victory. On our own, we cannot do this. We can try, but we do not have the capability to live a life free from sin without His help. All the self-help books in the world will only take you as far as you can go. God, through His Holy Spirit, will take you as far as He can go. I could not break the chains of my particular sin pattern on my own; it wasn't until I recognized Jesus for who He is and allowed Him to work in my life that those chains were broken. Not seeing a psychiatrist, not watching Oprah, not singing I'm Every Woman by Whitney Houston...all these things helped explain why I did the things I did and empowered me to want to change, but true change was not possible without the Holy Spirit working in me.

When the old sin wants to take over, Christ in me reminds me that I am dead to that. I am a new creation. I am His and He is all I need. I hope that if you aren't living in victory, but still falling victim to the same things,  you will seek His truth in your life. I can't phone this in for you...you have to do the work. I might be able to say some encouraging things and point you in the right direction, but you will only find God when you seek Him with all of your heart. Hold your arms out to Him, with your handcuffed wrists, and ask Him to set you free. Take a step toward Him with your shackled feet, and ask Him to take your chains.You can do this. I'm living proof.

If you need a new song to sing with your life, check out the one I have in my head...