Building Freedom

This past week, my younger sibling and I went to WinterJam. I won’t spoil anything, but only will say if you can go, do it. However, the part that started this post was not at WinterJam, but on the radio heading to the event.

Our local radio station recently started having artists play live on air whenever they stop by when they’re in town playing a gig. This time around was Building 429. The band leader was telling the story of how “Fear No More” came to be. I’m going to paraphrase and try to link the original here (the story starts around 17 minutes in). In short the lead singer was having a conversation with a member of his church shortly after being dropped by the record label. The church member asked how it felt to be free from the chains of the record label. Confused, the lead singer asked what the person meant. The reply was simple Now that the chains and restrictions of the record label were gone what would he do with it. She continued to ask what would he love to do if there were no limits. The lead answered that he would love to start a record label and then proceeded to give the information about the needed funds and whatnot. The person then gave that money needed with the stipulation that the band stay together and that they would run it God’s way.

That story blew my mind. Freedom is not something we obtain, but a mindset. We choose to be free. We choose what baggage we carry, what chains weigh us down. Paul speaks of this in Galatian 5:1 when he says “Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” He’s speaking to confused Gentile Christians to whom the Jews are insisting be circumcised to be a part of the church. Paul insists that doing so goes against the freedom that Christ gave when he died on the cross.

Freedom is a choice we must make every day. If your life is anything like mine, there are always traps that Satan has laid to try and snare me back into the sinful way of living. It’s not easy and never will be. This week make a conscious effort to live as though you are free, because in Christ you are.