Freedom Videos
Weekly videos
Week 8 - Freedom from Strongholds
November 7, 2021
Have you ever had a season in life that made you ask yourself, “How did I get here? Why do I do the things I do? What makes me continue to act that way? Why am I in this situation? The truth isn’t too complicated: each of us are in our current situation or current struggle because of one or a combination of three things:
Week 6 - Freedom from Rejection
October 24, 2021
Proverbs 18:21 says that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Obviously, words are potent and significant. With words, God spoke the entire universe into being. Words and language were His idea. He gave them to man and created man in His image so that our words carry power as well. Every time we open our mouth, we either build up or tear down. Our words can encourage someone or take the wind out of their sails. Our tongue can either advance the kingdom of life or advance the kingdom of death. God desires for us to speak words of life that build up, bring healing, and offer encouragement.
Week 5 - Freedom from Bitterness
October 17, 2021
Let’s start this week by facing facts. We live in a fallen, messed-up world. Things often won’t go as planned. People do stupid things. Hurting people hurt people. And in spite of what the age-old quote says about sticks and stones, words can hurt. To sum up this dreary opening paragraph, we will all face hurts and offense frequently in life. As with many other things in life, what happens to us is not nearly as important as our response to it. Offense can be difficult. Too often we end up harboring unforgiveness and getting bitter. Unfortunately, this does much greater harm to us than to the person we refuse to forgive. Offense is the bait that the enemy uses to lure us into bondage, and it causes us to build up walls around hearts. Walls may keep out the bad stuff, but they also keep out the good. It may protect us from the pain of hurt and rejection, but it also prevents us from experiencing love and life-giving relationships.
Week 4 - Freedom from Selfishness
October 10, 2021
The miracle of salvation (which is received by faith through grace) involves a radical transformation. As we discussed in last week’s lesson, the transformation occurs from the inside-out. Our sins are immediately forgiven, so guilt and shame have no claim on our lives. But what happens immediately on the inside has to be lived out day-by-day.
Week 3 - Freedom from The Other Me
October 3, 2021
God designed you with three distinct parts, and each of them are unique. We have a spirit that must be redeemed, a soul that must be restored, and a body that must surrender. At the moment of salvation, our spirit is made alive in Christ and immediately put in right standing with God (Romans 3:24, 5:1). However, the soul and body are not immediately on board. In reality, our bodies will never be on board. The soul will require time and effort to be conformed to the image of Christ, and then exercise influence on the behaviors of our physical bodies. This gradual process is called sanctification. God’s plan is that our spirits becomes the strongest part of our three-part design and be the “shot-caller” of who we are and what we do. This is spiritual order in the life of a believer. Body, Soul, Spirit. Our souls include our mind, our will, and our emotions. The soul enables us to experience relationships, think with great intelligence, and express our emotions in a variety of ways. Our physical bodies (flesh) are temporary shells that house our soul and spirit. Our bodies have appetites, cravings, and dishes. Some are good. Some are bad and immoral. Some are neither good or bad. Since our flesh wars against the Christian’s spirit, for this study, we will call it “the other me.” The secret to living in freedom is making sure that our flesh remains in submission to our soul and making sure that our soul remains in submission to our spirit. That is proper spiritual order.
Week 2 - Freedom from Shame
September 26, 2021
After consuming the forbidden fruit and falling into sin, Adam & Eve hid because they realized they were naked. They experienced what every one of us feels after we succumb to temptation - shame. Shame is relentless. It replays our failure in our thoughts every day. It causes us to run from the One who loves us. It causes us to hang our heads in humiliation. Even though Adam and Eve hid, God came looking for them. God is in love with sinful man and sent His Son, Jesus to rescue people. God didn’t cause the separation between Himself and Adam, but He took the initiative to be reconciled. When we see all that He has done for us and we see His heart for us, we should run to him instead of hiding from Him when we sin. Prior to Genesis 3, Adam and Eve walked with God and enjoyed His presence. The Word tells us God made these two humans in His image and gave Adam dominion over everything He had created. God gave Adam authority through the relationship that He established with him. Without their relationship, Adam would not have had authority. When Adam and Eve sinned, they forfeited this authority. Through deception and rebellion, the serpent took the authority and dominion that God had given to man. The Bible tells us that satan’s desire was to exalt his throne above the stars of God. (Isaiah 14:13) Until the fall of man, he lacked power and influence to set up rulership. Jesus called satan “the ruler of this world.” (John 12:31)
Week 1 - Freedom from Religion
September 19, 2021
From the beginning of human history, the desperate need for man to have fellowship with God is obvious. When Adam & Eve rebelled against God and fell to sin, that fellowship was broken. Man’s sin would forever estrange him from God--bar a miracle. That miracle came to us in the form of God’s Son, Jesus. He didn’t only show us how to live. He was also the Lamb of God who “takes away the sin of the world.” His sacrifice made reconciliation possible for “whosoever” would believe on Him. Man could be saved, not because of anything he did but because of what Jesus did for him. The story of Adam and Eve; however, shows us two options in how we approach God. They first tried to relate to God by covering themselves with fig leaves. They tried to have a relationship with Him based on their works. Another word for that is religion. God showed the better way. God provided a sacrifice that would atone for their sins and cover their nakedness. He would restore their relationship by what He did, not what they did. One is religion; the other is grace. You have to choose which one will govern your life.