“Stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage (slavery).” ~ Galatians 5:1 NKJV ~
“He delivers me from my enemies: You lift me up above those who rise against me; you delivered me from the violent man.” ~ 2 Samuel 22:49 NKJV ~
“He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never sound retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgement seat; O be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet! Our God is marching on!
“Glory! Glory hallelujah! Glory! Glory hallelujah! Glory! Glory hallelujah! Our God is marching on!”
~Battle Hymn of the Republic~
It has been said that freedom isn’t free. There is always a price to pay; a cost to be counted. In this imperfect, sometimes downright evil world, being free means an enemy has to be conquered.
So who is the enemy? It could be argued there are many different enemies who show up in our life and the course it follows. And while that’s correct, the rock-bottom truth is there is one enemy of this world and the people that inhabit it. Satan is that enemy and he is called the Prince of Darkness (Eph 6:12), The Enemy (Psalm 89:22), The Adversary (1 Peter 5:8), Father of Lies (John 8:44), Evil One (1 John 5:29), Lawless One (2 Thes 2:9), Devil (Rev 12:9-12), (John 8:44), Deceiver (1 John 3:7), Murderer (John 8:44), Tempter (Matt 4:3), Serpent (Gen 3:14-15), Accuser (Rev 12:9), and Beast (Rev 20:10). I hold to a Biblical worldview, and referenced above is scripture that uses these names and descriptions for Satan. It is not complimentary, by any means!
At first glance, in the tedious, routine conduction of our daily lives, we might not recognize his menacing ways: the whispers of self-criticism (or hyper-criticism of others) that creep into our thoughts and often set up camp, or the daily struggles that we all experience that might consume us unless we fight back: low esteem, sickness & disease (including physical, mental and emotional pressures), financial difficulties or job loss, divorce, death of a loved one, domestic abuse, addictions, or homelessness. Any of these and more, while they might be part of what we experience in life, can be made worse by the common enemy we all share. His many names are listed above. He is the enemy. But we have victory in Jesus!
We are instructed in 1 Peter 5:8 to “Be sober-minded and watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Yet just prior, in verse seven, we are told, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares for you.” Friend, you do not have to be a slave to the enemy or captured by his advances. He has the power to try to derail your joy, your success, the good things in your life (or use the inevitable unfortunate circumstances of life to make you feel worse), but the truth is, he has already been defeated. He lost at the cross when Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, shed His blood, died and rose to life again. In that act, that battle, Jesus secured our future once and for all time. This world, this earth, this universe has been in a fallen state since mankind first sinned and allowed evil to be brought into creation’s history. And it will still be in a fallen, cursed state until Jesus comes a second time. He came the first time as a baby, a lamb to be sacrificed. That happened, when as an adult, he hung and died on a cross. But when He comes again, it won’t be as a baby, meek and mild. He’s coming as the Lion of Judah, to rid this world of evil and redeem His creation…all of it: the earth and all that is in it, the galaxies with their stars flung to the far reaches of the Universe, and most prized of all, His people…His beloved children…restored to perfection.
In the meantime, the bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” As a teenager in the 1970s, I first memorized this verse the way the Living Bible Paraphrase puts it: “When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!” Our newness begins in that moment. God no longer sees us as the mish-mash of mistakes that our life has become, but sees us only through the filter of the perfection that is His Son. When we admit we can’t do it on our own, when we put our faith in Jesus and choose Him…to love, to follow, to pattern our very life after…we become brand new in His eyes. We belong to Him; we are His beloved child. We may look the same on the outside, to the physical eye, but we are not the same…we belong to Jesus and that newness of belonging is all that will ever matter.
There is freedom in Jesus. The first words in the first sentence of this blog post are “freedom isn’t free.” And it isn’t. Jesus paid the price with His body and His life. He gave it willingly because He knew that was the cost of freedom…a perfect, sinless sacrifice. We could never meet that standard of perfection to do it ourselves, even if we wanted to. “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever (you and me) believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) It cost God His Son, it cost Jesus His life, so that we could have His Holy Spirit save us (rescue us) from tormenting captivity. The Bible says this is the free gift of God, and not something any human could ever provide, (Romans 6:23 & Ephesians 2:8). It’s free to us for the asking and receiving, but it was far from free for our Savior…and that’s why He is our Savior and has the right to be called such…because there was a cost and He paid it!
I was an abused woman. Enslaved. I was married to a mentally, emotionally and verbally abusive man. For the better part of 35 years, I existed under his controlling ways. It’s often too painful for me to recall the extent of his control, his lies, the gas-lighting and the projection of his own shortcomings and guilt onto me. And I don’t think the nitty gritty details are even necessary for me to recount in this moment. The point is, we can be easily deceived, taken advantage of, and held captive by those who do not have our best interest at heart. I recall often wishing my then-husband would haul off and hit me instead of tormenting me with his words and passive-aggressive behavior. Not because I wanted to be physically injured, but because I knew it was a sure way out of the hell I was in, where no one would fault or blame me. It would have been a “get out of jail free” card, like in the game of Monopoly. And at one point I guess I missed my opportunity. He was admitted for a 28 day in-patient rehab (for alcohol addiction), and being required to make amends to those he’d injured, he confessed to and apologized for “slapping me so hard” he left the red imprints of his hands on my body. I didn’t know what he was talking about, and to this day the only memory I have is of the apology…but he continued to insist that it was true. I mentally blocked out the event. It’s one of the ways our mind protects us when trauma occurs; it’s one of many protective mechanisms. So in that moment my brain chose the amnesia route because Lord knows I had all the pain I could handle with the prior and ongoing verbal and emotional abuse that I certainly did remember.
But since he “confessed” this physical transgression, the staff at the rehab center said it was my responsibility to accept his apology and start anew with our relationship. They promised all would be well since the alcohol was gone from our marriage. What they didn’t prepare me for were the violent outbursts that came when he could no longer self-medicate (with alcohol) the anger eating him up inside.
What anger, you may wonder? You name it, he was angry about it. He had an explosively abusive upbringing and I had given him a free pass because of this, telling myself and him, that he was just a wounded little boy in an adult body. I’ve now learned that while that may be true, there is NEVER a time when the insolent degradation of another human being is ok. Especially toward one you’ve vowed for life to love and cherish, or to the ones who are the children of that bond. It staggers the imagination that anyone would ever think cruelty is permissible, but it happens.
No one in life had ever taught me that abuse could be anything other than physical. My mind and body, my thoughts and feelings, however, knew this marital life I was living was not right. Yet I had taken vows before God, and in my innocence I thought I had to wait for physical injury for justification to leave. My friend, let me say right now: God doesn’t need you to wait! The offending person in your relationship has already broken vows, broken covenant with you, and broken covenant with God by way of inflicting harm (physically, mentally, emotionally, verbally or spiritually) on you, God’s child. You do not have to wait for further abuse. Your cry for freedom was heard in the heavens and Jesus says you are free. “So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.” John 8:36
It took me years to “hear” this truth. It took me decades to understand that the violence and immoral behavior of my then-husband had already broken our marriage covenant. My leaving, with my children, to a safe place, was just the public declaration of the private, hellish truth; that the marriage had long since been destroyed by abuse. The choice by my then-spouse to be unfaithful by way of bringing violence and immorality into our marriage, destroyed everything: the love, the trust, the companionship…the privilege to share life with me and our children.
Friend, do not be confused! You are a beloved, cherished child of God and your cry for freedom has been heard and recorded in the heavens by the Lord of Lords. He has set you free and made a way for you out of your wilderness of pain and suffering, to stand in freedom, to never again be tied to slavery, and He has delivered you into an open and safe place of restoration. Please read and cling to the following scripture:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. Your rod and staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23 (NLT)
If you are in an abusive relationship, situation or circumstance, please reach out to a friend, organization or loved one that you know to be safe and trustworthy. Do not suffer in silence and isolation any longer. Believe me when I say that you need an objective person on your side to help you think and work through your circumstances in the safest way possible.
In the battle with you,
Tami
“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He has loosed the fateful lightening of His terrible, swift sword. His truth is marching on!”
~Battle Hymn of the Republic~