May 8, 2024

Freedom

July 4, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv
The Star-Spangled Banner (final stanza)

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

I never knew how long The Star Spangled Banner was until I looked it up last week.  I was actually wondering if God was mentioned anywhere in the song.  You always hear just the first stanza sung at many events.  The complete song is four stanzas long.  The last stanza (as posted above) does refer to God.  So, two of my questions were answered: 1) Truly, how long is the anthem? 2) If there is more than 1 stanza, is God mentioned anywhere else in the song?

I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
Psalm 119:45

Our forefathers sought a life of freedom from oppressive governments and to be able to worship freely as they pleased. They did not want to have to answer to one particular “denomination” as we now call all the different types of worship in Christ. Our forefathers wanted to be able to live a life where they would be free to seek the Lord and live unoppressed by the monarchy. They found it in the land that, following the American Revolution, would become the United States of America.

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty;
only [use] not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Galatians 5:13

For those of us who were blessed to be born here, or blessed to become citizens here through naturalization processes, we have been called to liberty. We are called to be free from the wants of the flesh. We are supposed to love one another and serve another in the eyes of God. God brought us to this free nation, and we are to serve free from the sins of the flesh. We are to use our liberty from oppression to serve God.

We praise and serve God for our freedom through different actions. There are those who serve selflessly in the Armed Forces. Let us thank and remember those who are currently deployed fighting to protect and sustain our freedoms. There are those who serve here at home through emergency services or working in some other capacity. Then we also serve our Lord by helping others and our neighbors. This is just part of the liberty that God has granted us. Let us praise Him and thank Him for our freedom. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for blessing our nation and giving us the freedom to worship You. Thank You for those who serve to protect that freedom and die for it, if that is their destiny. Thank You for our freedom from the consequences of sin. Thank You for Your love and protection. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Freedom

May 28, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

 

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17

Freedom isn’t something most of us have to worry about.  Frankly, it’s a privilege that is easy to take for granted.  Simple freedoms like the ability to worship whom we please…freedom to aspire to do as we please…freedom to make choices like where we will eat, work, live…freedom to choose who we will or will not associate with…freedom to pick what kind of car you will drive. Given some of these freedoms may take a little work, but they ARE possible.

Let them praise the Lord for His great love
and for the wonderful things He has done for them.
For He broke down their prison gates of bronze;
He cut apart their bars of iron.
Psalms 107:15-16

The Lord isn’t a fan of us being bound!  In Matthew 8 and 9 alone, Jesus

  • healed the leper,
  • healed the centurion’s servant,
  • healed Peter’s mother-in-law,
  • healed many demon-possessed,
  • calmed the storm,
  • raised a dead girl,
  • healed a sick woman,
  • healed the blind,
  • healed the mute.

Jesus came to give us a rich and satisfying life (John 10:10).  Please don’t be mistaken though!  This applies to your mental and spiritual life just as much as it does your physical, tangible life.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim
that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.
Isaiah 61:1

We can take heartache, fear, guilt, doubt, struggles, addictions, condemnation, shame, mistakes, questions and any type of burden you can think of to the Lord!  Trust him and do as He says in regards to the matter…and behold!  The new creation He makes.  God can make anything useful for His purpose if we will only give it to Him.  Emotions tend to hinder our willingness to believe this truth, but our God is a God of newness. He can make new that which was old and clean that which was dirty.

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Thank You, Lord for making me free. Thank You for taking that which I feel is untouchable and making it into something beautiful and useful. May I never take for granted the freedoms You have provided and may I never sit bound and crippled by the schemes of the enemy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,