Saddle Up!

“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…But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope…You, my brothers, were called to be free.” Galatians 5:1, 5, 13

Boy, do I need these verses this morning! Through the toil and strife of the night I managed to pick up my burdens of the past and allow them to take me to places of uncertainty and slavery. I know that some of you have heard that my daughter has relapsed in her slavery of drugs. It has been three weeks of devastation and dashed security landing me right back on old battlegrounds. I have to remind myself that Christ broke both my daughter’s yoke and my own yoke of fear and despair previously almost 6 years ago.

Satan has resurrected a powerful stronghold in the life of our family. He holds no power over the eternal for us so he must use the here and now to try to manipulate our circumstances and lessen our ministries. Satan attacks where success has been had before so the importance of me maintaining my freedom in Christ in this situation is paramount.

Upon leaving my daughter’s house yesterday pleading with her to go into detox, I received a phone call from a friend whom I haven’t talked with in about a year. Her husband had just relapsed on cocaine and will not leave the home. She has dealt with this off and on for over 18 years. As soon as she told me her situation I couldn’t help but to feel the presence of God in a mighty way. Oddly enough, her phone call resonated in my spirit that God is in complete control. He placed us together through similar circumstances in an effort to recognize that in our chaos there is perfect order.

Through the night I had to “take every thought captive and set itself up against the knowledge of God.” (2 Cor. 10:5) The Greek translation for set itself up is “to hoist up as a sail…to lift up the eyes.” Spiritual sails determine the direction for which we will guide our focus and power our minds. In order to stay free in adversities that enslave we must continue to focus and hope on the righteousness of Christ which will be present in all of our circumstances.

We must stand firm in our faith to receive the medal of freedom apart from our circumstances. As the song states, “Saddle up your horses, we have a trail to blaze!”

Please pray for our family and the victory will be ours!