Now we are free

"Do not treat prophecy as if it were unimportant. But test everything. Keep what is good" 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21, NCV

"I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me." John 15:15, NLT

In 2009 I took a conscious decision to put everything I thought I knew about God and being God's child to one side and start from the beginning by asking questions. Jews believe that a man shows his wisdom not by what he says but by the questions he asks. So, I am questioning everything, especially myself. Just as an example if I say to myself "I am more than conqueror through Christ" (Romans 8), I've trained my mind to ask an immediate question "What does that mean?" If I can't answer myself straight away, I stop right there and start seeking. I always question myself because I want to know what I believe not just believe something because it sounds good. I don't know what this life holds for me. But I know the only way I will stand tall in what I believe is if I understand it. Apostle Peter writes in his first letter to churches "Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have" (1 Peter 3:15) How could I possible answer someone who is asking me why I believe what I believe if I don't understand it myself? And trust me working with lawyers means that I am being asked some difficult questions and they are not the type of people to accept generic phrases.

I wrote once in a blog posting: “I believe being faithful is just as simple as saying always no matter what "I love you, Father. You are the best Daddy in the world." I don't believe it means not doing anything wrong anymore, not sinning anymore and not landing on your face. That will happen no matter how badly you try not to. But faithfulness will make you look to Him always from where ever you landed and believe He is who He says He is and He means all He said, even when you don't have any evidence around you."

Today I asked myself "If you don't believe being faithful means no longer doing anything wrong, or sinning, or falling why did Jesus tell people after forgiving them or healing them "Go and sin no more"? Surely, He knew that being human, that comes with the territory no matter how hard you try?
For many years, I kept thinking somewhere in my heart (I never acknowledged it out loud) that sometimes whilst reading the Gospels it almost looked as if Jesus was contradicting Himself (not to mention Jesus and Paul in his letter to Romans). One day they tell us to rest and stop trying on our own. Then they tell us "sin no more" How on earth am I meant to do that?

Then I saw the movie "10 commandments" from 2006. In the movie, Moses is gathering all the Israelites to go and fight the Amalekites who kept attacking them. Everybody was getting ready for battle, except a young man who was sitting down and looked like he was praying. Moses went to him and asked him what his name was. "Joshua, son of Nun," came, the reply. Moses asked Joshua why he wasn’t getting ready for battle like everybody else and Joshua answered he was waiting for the Lord to fight for Israel, that he will not disobey God by trying to fend for himself. And no matter how much Moses tried to explain to him, Joshua son of Nun, would not move. Some men tried to move him, but Moses shouted: "Let him be. He's still thinking like a slave, not a free man." At that point Joshua grabbed the sword and charged at Moses. After overpowering him, Moses looked straight at Joshua smiling, and told him "You might stand a chance after all."

It's about our minds all the time. The difference between a free man and a slave is the power to choose. One has it, the other one not. A slave will allow things to happen to him, because he thinks he doesn't have a choice. A free man on the other hand, instinctively chooses. You will hear him straight away "I'm not putting up with that." In other words "I choose to get out of this situation." It took the Israelites 40 years to stop thinking as slaves. It takes some people a whole lifetime and sadly some of them leave this place thinking as slaves. Jesus was after our minds all along. "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32) What truth? That you have a choice. In everything you have a choice. "Do I do that and please myself even though I know it's wrong, or do I say no and keep myself clean? Do I accept God and His ways even if I don't like all of them, or do I reject Him?" This was the truth all along. He made us in His image free from the moment we took our first breath. He did not stretch His arms on that cross so that we would carry on having ours chained.

Jesus said he confided in us as in friends because He told us everything. That He didn't treat us like slaves anymore because of what we now knew. In complete faith Jesus began to treat us as free men before we even did anything with the truth He entrusted us. He treated us as free, because He came to give us our freedom back. Freedom from what? From the mentality "I don't have a choice. I want that and I must get it." Ionel, a friend of mine said to me once "What you have to have, has you." Our freedom gives us the power to say "no". 

Since I mentioned movies, I love a scene from the movie "The Matrix". From the moment Neo's mind was set free, he was told when faced with an agent there was only one thing he could do- run as fast as he could. Basically he was given no choice. One day comes along and he is faced with the much dreaded agents. But instead of running, Neo turns around and begins to fight them. When eventually he tries to escape them, back to his reality, he gets shot. The scene I love depicts Neo, standing up after being shot. Something is dramatically changed in him. The agents begin shooting at him again, but Neo stretches out his palm and says very calmly "NO". The bullets fall to the ground as pebbles.

Apostle Paul said, "Sin is not your master anymore". When tempted, you don't have to follow blindly just because you feel "the need". You can always stretch your palm out and say "No". I believe that is what Jesus meant when He said "Go and sin no more"- "Go and choose to say no" Act like a free man. Change the way you think.