Promised Land Living

Updates: I didn't go to Unicoi yesterday. I stayed right here where it was only 29 degrees for the high and the wind chill was in the single digits. Oh, at the cold. When I called up to Unicoi yesterday morning to let them know I needed to reschedule, I asked the young lady who answered the phone how the roads where. When she answered, "I really don't know. I didn't go home last night, it was just safer for me to stay here at the Lodge," I knew I had made the right decision.

Yesterday afternoon I marched myself right into Wolf Camera and had multiple copies of our family photo made for yes, you guessed it, our Christmas cards. So, as of 10:00 this morning, I will have a zillion copies of a family picture that none of us are really crazy about but that's okay. Later in the day I went to Family Christian Store and got the cards. I walked around and around that card display until I was dizzy and finally yelled to myself "MAKE A DECISION ALREADY." Just to myself, not out loud. So, if I can continue in this semi-motivated vein, I might get a Christmas card or two out this year. That remains to be seen.

One a a more serious note . . . During my quiet time, I've been doing Priscilla Shirer's study, "One in a Million" and oh, at the good. The basic thought is that we need to be doing some Promised Land Living in Christ. Of the two million Israelites that were in oppression in Egypt for 370+ years, TWO made it to the Promised Land of Canaan. TWO. That's one in a million. For the Israelites to obtain freedom from Egyptian bondage, they had to trust in God-empowered Moses as their deliverer. Just as we have to trust in Jesus as our deliverer from our sin.
There is a difference between being free in Christ and living free in Christ. If we are believers, we have been granted freedom. God gives believers in Christ positional sanctification. This means we have a position of "set-apartness," holiness and righteousness that cannot be manipulated or altered. Nothing can be done to remove a true believer from this position. But this cannot be the end goal for someone determined to live in the freedom of Christ.

"It was for freedom that Christ sets us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

So here is the question to be answered: am I living a lifestyle of freedom? Rest assured, the Enemy want to keep us from living free. He is working against us, so we must work through a process that requires obedience and yieldedness to God . . . everyday.

Now listen closely to this: Being declared free gives us eternal freedom but walking in it gives us daily freedom. It's that daily dying to our fleshly ole selves and submitting to what God desires. I believe to some extent we are all entangled in some sort of bondage and the fact is in some areas, we may not be fully aware of it. To truly live free, we've got to search our hearts and ask God to reveal those areas where we aren't living that full and abundant life He desires for us. There is only one way to promised land living and that is obedience to the only One who can unshackle us from the curse and consequence of sin. He is our Ultimate Deliverer and . . .
He is the Prince of Peace
He is the King of Kings
He is the Lord of Lords
He is the Everlasting Father
He is the Wonderful Counselor
He is the Faithful and True
He is the Light of the World
He is the Redeemer of All Nations
He is the Rock and Salvation
He is the Ancient of Days
He is the Alpha and Omega
He is the One Who Was, Who Is and Is To Come

Amen and Amen!