WHERE IS FREEDOM?

 

2 Corinthians 3:17

 

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." ESV 

 

If the Spirit of the Lord is living in our hearts, we are not forced to obey laws and rules that are impossible to keep. With His Holy Spirit, we are free to walk as He leads us, and we will never have to worry about breaking any laws or rules. We will be living above them, living more rightly than the law could ever allow us to do.

 

Lord, we praise You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. We thank You that we don't have to rely on written laws and rules to be acceptable. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that we can walk in freedom that is far above the law. In Your name we pray, Amen.

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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GIVE THEM THE KEY

 

1 Corinthians 9:19

 

"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them." ESV 

 

If we have the key that opens the prison door to set us free, why would we not want to pass that key on to others. Then they will pass the key on to yet others. To take the time and energy to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others, is giving them the Key to eternal freedom.

 

Lord, help us to remember that someone took the time to share the gospel with us so that we would be set free from sin. Give us the desire to pass the Good News along to all who come across our paths. In Your Great name we pray, Amen.

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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FREE AS A BIRD

 2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." ESV 

 

Unfortunately, the concept of freedom in the Bible is tragically misunderstood. Freedom is not being able to do whatever we want to do, because all we have to do is ask for forgiveness and it will be just fine. Actually, freedom is being able to say no to sin. We are no longer held captive by our sinful natures. We are given this freedom from sinning through the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is then we are free to live righteous and holy lives in the sight of God.

 

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for taking advantage of the freedom You paid so great a price to give us. Help us to trust You and be receptive to Your Holy Spirit so that we can truly be free to say no to sin and become more and more like Christ. In His name we pray, Amen.

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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CELBRATE FREEDOM

Jeremiah 30:19

 

"Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who celebrate. I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will make them honored and they shall not be small." ESV 

 

Today is the day we celebrate freedom from oppression and freedom to worship our God. We not only became a free nation, but also a free people to commune not only in private, but on the housetops of the great salvation of Jesus Christ. When we watch the colorful fireworks bursting into arrays of patterns and colors, we can see likenesses to the arrays of patterns and beauty with which our Lord has blessed us in this land. Let's celebrate with gladness and thanksgiving. We have been set free.

 

Heavenly Father, how thankful we are for the freedom You have given us as a nation and as a people who bear Your name. Help us celebrate with gladness and remember that it is by Your mercy and grace we are free. In Jesus' name, Amen.

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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OK FOR ME, NOT OK FOR THEM

  

1 Corinthians 10:23

 

"All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up." ESV 

 

Accepting the Truth of God sets us free. What does this freedom mean? It means we are free to say "no" to sin. Even more, we can choose to say "no" to those things that are not necessarily sinful, but they do not feed our spirit or promote growth in less mature Christians that are watching us. All things may be available to us to do, not all things are always the right thing to do. We use love and discernment, considering our own walk with the Lord and the spiritual welfare of others.

 

Heavenly Father, we humbly confess that we sometimes carry out our own agendas that are not necessarily wrong, but we haven't used spiritual judgment to give us awareness of how our behaviors might affect others. Help us to be aware that just because something is all right for us to do, it might confuse or cause a less mature Christian to stumble. In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT

 Acts 13:39 "And by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses." ESV 

 

There is no way we can clean up our own sins and stand righteous before the Lord. The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament became just as useless after Jesus Christ gave Himself as the final sacrifice for our sins. We can stop trying to cover our tracks and let our faith in the blood of Christ do the cleaning up.

 

Heavenly Father, we trust in the great price You paid to save us from our sins. Give us grace to stop trying to get our acts together so we can come to Your throne without guilt. We believe by faith that we are righteous in Your eyes because of Jesus Christ. In His name we pray, Amen.

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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WHAT CONTROLS YOU?

 

2 Peter 2:19

 

"They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved." ESV

 

The world is full of people who believe that the Gospel message, the Bible, and faith in eternal life in heaven are all a fantasy made up by someone who needed a crutch to help them through this world. These people make every effort to persuade the spiritually weak or to discourage those seeking the Truth into thinking Christianity is a trap of legalism and rules that keep them bound in a small world of boredom. Instead, these corrupt people entice with words like "being free to live your life as you wish" and maintaining that as long as you are good to others, you will be a free spirit. The fact is, these people who teach these things can't direct anyone to freedom, because they themselves are prisoners of their own sin. We are all slaves to that which masters us.

 

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for trying to find an easier road to get to spiritual peace and freedom. We pray for Holy Spirit hunger to seek You and obey Your Word. Gift us with discernment so that we can say no to the false teachings of this world and anything that would draw us away from You. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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SET FREE SO STAY THAT WAY

 

 

Galatians 5:1

 

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." ESV

 

Before we accepted the free gift of Christ's salvation, we were slaves, captives to our own sinful nature. His sacrifice on the cross gave total freedom to "not" sin and to be able to turn our backs on our old sinful natures. Warning! It is so easy to slip back into our old ways. We don't want to go back there.

 

Heavenly Father, how we thank You and praise You for Your Son Jesus Christ, who set us free from sin by His death on the cross and His resurrection. We stand in need of Your grace as we stand firm against the temptations that would pull us back into the old life of sin. In Jesus name, Amen.

 

©2008-2013

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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Galatians 3:23

 

"Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed." ESV

 

So many people who have not accepted Christ as their Savior continue to see Christianity as a large list of do's and don'ts. Even some Christians are still under the teaching of this same concept. The good news came as Jesus Christ, who showed us a new way. We are no longer bound by the laws of do this and don't do that. We have been set free to live by the Spirit of the living God who leads us by His Spirit. It is by His Spirit that we know what is pleasing and right in God's eyes. We no longer need a list of rules to follow. If we are walking in the Spirit of God, we will never be breaking any laws. There are no laws against the things God would lead us to do.

 

Heavenly Father, how can we ever show our gratitude for the freedom You gave us through Christ. Help us to always walk in Your Holy Spirit so that we will be beyond the law, being full of Your living Spirit. We will no longer need a list of rules, but we will be living right and just before You and before our fellow men. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

 

          

©2008-2013

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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DON'T SUBMIT TO THAT AGAIN!

 

 

Galatians 5:1

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." ESV

If we were to walk down a road and fall into a hole, would we not be so thankful that someone came along and pulled us out and be careful not to go near that hole or even that road again? Why then, do we sometimes fail to stand firm in our faith and freedom in Christ and end up repeatedly going back to those former, ungodly things that held us captive? It's not that we forget. It is that we allow our spiritual life to become complacent and we do not stay alert. The Word of God tells us over and over to stand firm, be alert, and watch.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for allowing our walk with You to become commonplace. Help us to stay alert and stand strong so that we don't go back to our old ways that mastered us before we accepted You as our Saviour. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

        

©2013

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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FREEDOM IN GRACE

 

Romans 6:1

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" ESV

We know that the grace God gives us includes total freedom in Christ. There are some who are deceived into believing that once we are saved by grace through faith, we are then free to live as we want and it will all be forgiven because we are living under grace. The Word says, this is not so. If we have truly received the grace of God by faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we will not be able to live in sin. Oh, yes, we may sin and fall into temptation, but the Holy Spirit will convict us and we will repent and turn from the sin. If we are living a sinful lifestyle or persisting in any sin, we are not alive in the Spirit, but are still dead spiritually because of sin residing in us.

Heavenly Father, how we thank You and praise You for Your amazing grace. Show us our hearts and lives that we may examine ourselves to see if we are dead to sin and alive in our spirit. Help us to remember that Your grace sets us free to say no to sin and to freely resist temptation. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

        

©2013

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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DON'T GET STUCK IN THE MUD AGAIN

 

 

Galatians 5:1

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, the, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." NIV

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." KJV

Without the truth of the light of Christ, we are totally unaware that we are chained to sin, slaves of the evils of this world. Christ died to set us free to live holy lives that gives us clean hearts and peaceful minds. If we fail to keep our faith strong or let down our guard, the enemy will pull us back into the same chains of slavery.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the sacrifice You made for us to be free from the strongholds of this world. Help us to stay alert and strong in faith so that we don't drift back into bondage. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

       

©2012

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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STAND FIRM TO STAY FREE

 

Galatians 5:1

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." NIV

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." KJV

The lives we lived before we were born again were lives of deep ruts of bondage to our own wills and to the strongholds brought about by the evil one. When Christ made us a new creature, we still have the responsibility to fight the old nature. Because the ruts of the old life are so deep, it is easy to fall back into old patterns. If we stand firm by the power of the Holy Spirit and of the Word of God, we will not be caught in the trap of being captive to sin, losing our freedom.

Heavenly Father, Your mercy toward us is everlasting. Help us have hunger for the fullness of Your Holy Spirit and for the Word so that we will have the weapons to fight the old nature and not get tangled up in the old ways. We humbly ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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GOD'S GRACE FOR EVERYONE

Jesus Christ is the Divine Favor (Grace) of God sent to provide
salvation for everyone, everywhere, at all times. No one is excluded
except those who choose not to receive His free gift. Those who
receive the gracious free give of salvation are freed to be able to
turn away from all impurity, immorality, and ungodliness.

Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for Your grace that
gives us eternal life and the freedom to live Godly lives. In Jesus' name.

Read Titus 2:11,12

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
It teaches us to say 'no' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to
live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age." (NIV)

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." (KJV)

  ©2010

SET FREE

God's Word is clear that, as Christians, we are set free from the mastery of sin to become slaves of the Master. There is no middle ground, where we can be our own masters. We are slaves of sin or we are slaves of Christ. The lives we live will reveal who our master is.

Heavenly Father, we thank you that your yoke is easy and your burden
light. We thank you always that you bought us as slaves with your blood and we are free from sin. In Jesus' name.

Read Romans 6:18

"You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
(NIV)

"Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." (KJV)

    
©2010

REMEMBER WHAT GOD HAS DONE

We can become so comfortable in our earthly possessions and our lives
that we forget about the fact that it all belongs to God and it is by His
grace and mercy that He has allowed us to experience it. We must watch
our attitude about our prosperity and worldly possessions that they don't blind us to who we really are in God's eyes.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the many blessings you have given to us. We pray that you help us to never allow these blessings to become more important to us than our relationship to You. In Jesus' name.

Read Deuteronomy 6:11b,12

".......the when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." (NIV)

".......when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou
forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt,
from the house of bondage." (KJV)

    
©2010

FREEDOM

Before we accepted the free gift of Christ's salvation, we were slaves,
captives to our own sinful nature. His sacrifice on the cross gave us
total freedom to not sin and to turn our backs on our old sinful nature.
Warning! It is so easy to slip back into the old ways. Then we are again
slaves and captives to sin.

Read Galatians 5:1

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yolk of slavery." (NIV)

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us
free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (KJV)

THE SPIRIT IS OUR LAW

The law is a set of rules that govern a community or group of
people so that order is maintained and the rights of people are
not violated. Being governed by the Spirit is an attitude of the
heart to obey God. In doing so, by His nature, we will be orderly
and respectful of others. If we allow the Spirit to lead us, there
is no need to worry about breaking any laws.

Read Galatians 5:18

"But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." (NIV)

"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (KJV)


  
Daily Grace
Bobbi Craigmyle
drbobbijo@yahoo.com
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