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There Is Freedom In Christ

Tracy Graves Stevens

As the United States just surpassed its most recent Independence Day and looks ahead to honor the 250th anniversary of its freedom from the rule of Great Britain in 1776, it is also a time to acknowledge the sacrifices that had to be made to achieve this liberty. Blood was shed, and courage was demonstrated to make this bold move to another continent and an unknown territory. This is something the United States acknowledges every July 4th, and lives through constant challenges and threats to its freedom and democracy daily.  It is something to not only cherish but to protect as well.

A Sacrifice That Allows Freedom

Biblically, the journey to walking in faith as a Christian has similar merits. Sacrifices were made in the death of Jesus on the Cross and His ultimate resurrection. It is a bold move for every Christian to make the first step to accept Jesus as their Savior and to walk in this “newness of life” (Romans 6:4) that is afforded by the decision. It, too, is a freedom that we must acknowledge and protect daily because of the privilege and cost associated with the salvation it brings.   For those who answered the urging of the Holy Spirit, it is a decision that opened the door to true liberty that can’t be taken away.

Salvation is the unshackling of the soul, where grace breaks every chain and love restores every name. It’s the moment exile ends and belonging begins—a freedom not just from bondage, but into purpose, into peace, into the eternal embrace of mercy.  The freedom experienced as a Christian is fully dependent upon the authority and power of a Savior who desires to guide your every footstep so you can have true independence…true freedom.

Choose True Freedom Today

Today, choose Jesus Christ.  In doing this, you will choose a freedom that is not an escape, like the early founders of America built upon, but an arrival to a destination that was created out of love, just for you.  There is freedom in Christ, so let’s celebrate the liberties that were intended for your life.

Warfare vs. Authority – What Are You Walking In?

Tracy Graves Stevens

Note:  This blog entry was written towards the end of Summer 2021.  It was started, re-written, and modified a couple of times as the impact of the 2020 pandemic wore on.  Though my faith was tested by my personal life experiences, I am glad to say ‘God kept me’ as I journeyed through.  The question in the title of this blog has new meaning on the other side of Covid-19 2020 confirming that, although things may have changed, God, and His promises, stayed the same.

A Shift Has Occurred

We all can admit, this past year has been a tough one.  It seemed as if everything we knew took a shift.  A shift that impacted how we looked at any plans going forward.  This included our livelihoods, finances, religious practices, and even our health.  What was going on?  Would things get back to normal?  The year 2020 seemed to create more questions than answers about the trajectory of the future and as the year wore on, many, even those of faith, felt anxious.  It highlighted the question we all face when challenges come our way – when the foundations of our lives shift – what foundation do you stand on?   Do you fight the battle in fear or authority?  Let’s take a closer look.

Spiritual Warfare or the Authority of the Holy Spirit

For Christians everywhere, the topic of spiritual warfare is one that is mentioned in many Sunday sermons, Sunday School, Bible studies, and Discipleship training. The Bible tells us that it is real and something we should expect as Jesus leads us as our Savior.  It is like the anxiety you feel when hearing of a scary movie that you haven’t seen yet but already have a funny feeling in your stomach as you sit down to watch it. 

We believe warfare exists, but how to fight this fight is still a little murky.  Why? Because the force behind it is invisible.  Yes, it may manifest physically but that unknown is real and unpredictable.  That is what 2020 felt like for me.  I consider myself on the ‘seasoned side’ of faith, but the enormity of the pandemic left me with that butterfly feeling deep within. For much of the year, I felt like I was in an ongoing defense posture trying to keep the other team out of the end zone. 

The reality of what I was feeling though came to light in the Fall of the year as my daughter was faced with the continuation of virtual school and the inability to play sports.  The heaviness of the year, the closeness the family had to experience as the walls seemingly were closing in, and the inability to plan outdoor activities and visits with family took their toll.  That was when God spoke to me about choices.

Choices – Warfare or Authority

During this season I also had trouble sleeping at night, so I decided to make the most of the time by seeking God’s voice in the middle of everything I was feeling.  I would ask God ‘how should I respond?’ and ‘How can I support my family as they faced their own uncertainties?’  They looked to me (because I am a Minister) but I could only look to the Lord because I was in my feelings too.  God would send me to His Word and remind me that yes, spiritual warfare is real and invisible (even if physically expressed) as the familiar verse,

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV) says:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

But God also reminded me that the authority within me as His child was real too. 

Matthew 10:1 (ESV) says:

“And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.”

In this verse, Jesus reminds the disciples of what they can do in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit.  It is also a reminder to us of the power and authority we have as believers in Christ.  Authority is real, and it can take over and shift us from a posture of defense to offense mode.  This is the choice we are faced with every day – we can fight on our power when challenges come our way or, let the Power of the Holy Spirit fight on our behalf.

God Wants to Fight for You

The reality of spiritual warfare can seem scary to us but that is not the intent as we see in Matthew 10:1 when Jesus gave the disciples the same authority He relied upon in the Holy Spirit.  An authority to stand – and not be afraid of the unseen spiritual bumps in the night.

1 Corinthians 2:12 reminds us –

12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

And ultimately, as we journey through the growth of our faith, the Bible reminds us that God is always ahead of us, no matter what we are feeling. 

Exodus 14:14 (NIV) says –

14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

We can only ‘be still’ if we know a greater Power is handling ‘our business’.  This is comforting and prompts me to trust God deeper, get out of my head, and move as He directs me. 

This is the point where Authority eclipses Warfare.

As You Social Distance – Don’t Distance Socially

Tracy Graves Stevens

Don’t Distance, Socially

Friends – this entry is being written in the eighth month of the Covid-19 pandemic where we are being told to ‘social distance’. It is also during a time of political anxiety due to the upcoming elections and racial unrest that is creating divisions throughout our nation. It is being written during a time where there are hybrid models in place guiding everything from how we shop, to how our children are being taught. There are also ongoing safety concerns limiting how we socialize and even worship. While inconvenient, these precautions are intended to help us avoid the impacts of catching or spreading this insidious virus wherever possible. Unfortunately, it also creates an underlying risk of a subtle isolation as part of the new ways of engaging.

In recent months we have seen protests, protests of the protests, hurricanes, economic swings, and much more. I must admit, I am weary. I am weary from Covid-19, weary from the challenges of keeping my child engaged during these quarantine months, and weary from recent events that have pinnacled into an apprehension of allowing my family to step outside for anything. As we are being urged to ‘socially distance’ to stay safe, I have to admit, I miss the engagement and interaction of the pre-Covid19 days. I am a hugger by nature, so it feels awkward to wave or air-bump elbows. I am getting used to it, but I feel some days like a disconnected soul looking for another soul to connect to.

And this brings me to my topic today – as we social distance to stay safe, let’s be mindful not to ‘socially distance’ from each other.  

Love Neighbor and Yourself

Friends – as tensions escalate due to experiences relating to race and injustice, I am just as weary.  I am old enough to remember times in my upbringing when I have been called names by departing residents as the complexion of the neighborhood changed in the 1970s. Over the years, as my faith grew, my heart opened to a greater empathy for all because that is what the Bible says to do. I was fortunate to have a mother who, despite racial injustice in her own life, taught me to love unconditionally. She would always say “Let love prevail” and so, that is what I learned to do. While all relationships are not so genial, this has kept peace in my soul in all of my interactions over the years. To this day I am grateful for her lessons and I have gained some awesome relationships as a result.

But today, I am weary. I feel like these recent months, also during a medical pandemic, have served well to beat the emotional life out of me. Almost like running a marathon on a hot day with little water, I want to finish well but my energy is getting low. That is when I am reminded of one of my favorite passages in the Bible in Mark 12:30-31 (New International Version) –

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.

Let’s Connect

As life tries to widen the areas that connect us all, make every effort to not become distant in the core areas that bring us together. In our humanity, we need each other – and that is what God intended when He said to ‘love your neighbor’. But don’t miss a critical component of this edict and that is we must love our neighbor as ourselves. This requires self-love that expands beyond the individual being. The love of ‘self’ begins when we see how much God loves us.  We matter to Him! When the dots of this love connection all play out, we are all better in the end. That sets the stage for a peace that is directly tied to our social relationships.

So again, as you ‘social distance’, please don’t distance socially. Let us stay connected, in Jesus’ Name!

The Red Sea Didn’t Move – God Did

Tracy Graves Stevens

Move Red Sea, Move

Why am I thinking about Moses and the Red Sea?  Maybe it’s because the movie, The Ten Commandments, just made its annual Easter appearance on television.  Maybe it’s because current events are reminding me strongly of that scene where Moses and the newly freed Israelites, while being pursued by Pharaoh and his army, suddenly found themselves on a cliff overlooking a vicious body of water with nowhere to go.  You see, as this blog is being written, we are in the sixth week of self-isolation in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.  For some reason, this week feels like a Red Sea scenario, where the pandemic has no intention of showing those of us, caught up in the pandemic’s fray, favor. 

The novel Coronavirus has impacted every continent in this world.  As of today, it has claimed approximately 166K lives amid almost 2.4M reported cases worldwide.  These numbers, along with smaller, more detailed numbers for our local communities, have become an ongoing byline to every news program or headline being broadcast.  Sadly, during this week six, there appears to be no way out as we dangle on that cliff, waiting for something to make it end today.

But It’s Hard, Lord

And so, I think about Moses.  I am pretty sure he was being yelled at, questioned, and cursed (because the Bible says so) by the very people for which he had just facilitated freedom.   In these days of selfies, Moses probably would have been hit in the back of the head with sheep dung if he turned his back on this angry crowd to take a picture, or worse, pushed into the roiling waves of the Red Sea.  It is also during these times that I wonder about all the ‘wonderment’ in the Bible and why the story of the Red Sea is so endearing.  I think it’s a reminder to us that God came through during an impossible time. A time that truly was the difference between life and death.

God Knows

God could have only come through for the Israelites if He was mindful of the imminent need.  He wasn’t off toiling with something elsewhere He could have missed their cries.  God was very aware of their need and was present in the moment (read Exodus 14).  Likewise, when we cry out to Him, God is a very present help already aware of the need (Psalm 46:1).

This COVID-19 season is a tough one. Tough because all the endings are not happy ones.  Many are dying and there is no logic as to why some survive.  The Red Sea is still being the vicious body of water that it always was, and it seems God is not willing to move it so we can get on with the rest of our lives.  Inherently, I believe, that is the point.  When we look at scripture, time and time again, we see God doesn’t necessarily remove the situation; He moves in the situation.  Yes, we see lepers healed and sight restored in the Bible, but these miracles usually happen when the person is already dangling on that cliff crying out for an intervention.  The ‘red sea’ is still there, looming in the background hoping to swallow up the person’s hopes and dreams – and then we also see, God is still there. 

We are reminded that, just like Moses and the Israelites, God does not necessarily move our ‘Red Sea Situations’ out of the way. Instead, He moves in them.  God moves in ways that give us a better understanding of His love and His power.  Much like Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross, He didn’t make the cross go away. The movement came, through Jesus’ death; and that movement continues to today in lives again and again.

Give Your ‘Red Sea’ to the Lord

As this pandemic continues to make moves across this nation and this world remember, God is still moving in ‘Red Sea Situations’.  God is moving in your situation.  He is a very present help in times of trouble.  God is our refuge and, more importantly, God knows your circumstances and what you are going through.  Keep seeking God’s face and keep your faith.  Like Moses, wave your staff (e.g. through prayer) and let God move in your life.  God’s movement always has a plan (Proverbs 19:21) that can overcome any circumstance and is backed by a love that is greater than anything we could imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

#LivingTheRedeemedLife

When Life Hits Hard, Get It Together!

Tracy Graves Stevens
God Guides the Crossroads of Life
Photo by Zane Lee on Unsplash

Coming Apart At The Seams

There are times in life where we can hear God telling us to ‘Get it Together’!  Much like the perpetual slap on each cheek or being picked up by the scruff of the neck when we get overly anxious, God must, at times, step in to stop us in our tracks – before we head over the figurative cliff just ahead. 

The momentary detour may protect us from that path we are most familiar with that seems to lead to the same old outcome.  There can also be detours to make us reflect on a path that we are terrified to take because it is unfamiliar or unknown to us.  Whatever it is, if you are a believer, God is constantly trying to get your attention to remind you of your purpose and His plan in your life; to help you ‘get it together’. God manages everything and will help you manage the issues of life.

God Holds Everything Together

In the Bible, there is a reminder in Colossians 1:17 that says –

“He is before all things, and in him, all things hold together.“

The verses preceding this verse provide a more detailed context but verse 17 is something we should keep in the forefront of our minds – the fact that Jesus is our Sovereign Lord and knows everything we are going through.  When we feel our lives are spiraling out of control, He is aware and knows how to get it back together.  How?  Because “in Him, all things hold together.”

On Safe Ground

So, when you feel the pressure to conform, give in, fight or get frustrated remember your faith.  Your faith, along with the voice of the Holy Spirit, will guide you to peace and understanding.  You never walk alone, and you never walk without a guide or directions to ‘get it together’ – if you have Jesus Christ as your Savior. There’s also peace in knowing that God works in ways that don’t make sense to others anyway. Again, God holds everything together and will help you manage the issues of life.

#LivingTheRedeemedLife