INDEPENDENCE

INDEPENDENCE

Yeah, it seems quite fitting and right to talk about such a topic today seeing that our great country, Nigeria is celebrating 57 years of its independence from the British rulership under which it had prior existed from the time of its inception. The British recognised that the independence drive had started to gain traction after World War Two, and they steered the country - then the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, toward a self-governance model.  Though many quarters of our nation today do not seem to reflect one who has been endowned with freedom so needed but we still do thank GOD for that liberty we received.

In simpler terms, independence is the state or quality of being independent. It is a freedom from dependence, an exemption from reliance on, or control by others. Independence refers to self-subsistence or maintenance, a direction of one's own affairs without interference and equally the state of having sufficient means for a comfortable livelihood.

Colossians  1:21-23 - "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;"

For from the very beginning, the ultimate plan of GOD towards us was for us to have total dominion over the entire created universe (Gen. 1:28), that all things were to be subject to us. The Lord started out this plan by placing man in the garden of Eden, a place where man's job was to supervise and have total dominion with just a simple order/instructions to follow/obey (Gen. 2:16-17), but this instruction man failed leading to our disapproval in the presence of GOD, causing us to become slaves unto sin. A position which still didn't sit well with our GOD for His purpose for our creation was for us to have fellowship with Him and being aliens to Him wouldn't make that possible. So He immediately started a way of our escape from slavery, a way leading to our INDEPENDENCE.

Now who makes us free indeed, by who do we get this much needed independence off this stronghold of sin? John  8:36 - "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." Notice also 2 Corinthians  3:17 which declares clearly saying - "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

I am always quite fond of using this illustration to show independence we received in JESUS CHRIST. Imagine that you are making use of an electric pressing iron and it has become so hot that once it has a ride across your fabric, it smoothens it out immediately. All of a sudden, there is a power outage and both the iron and the lights stop working, there exists pitch DARKNESS all around, the first reasonable thing that you would do would be to keep the hot end of the pressing iron away from where it could hurt anyone (FEAR) before you then go on to look for a source of light to make visibility easier.

But if as you stumble across your crowded room, being guided simply by a mental image of your room, trying to search out for an alternative source of light, the main power is restored, independence comes. You no longer are dependent on the mental image of your room neither are you restricted in movement due to uncertainty of obstacles along your path but you immediately are enabled with speed and accuracy to complete whatever tasks lie ahead.

We were once free, not hindered by any form of darkness or fear that the devil today leads us to, man fell as a result of the disobedience in the garden of Eden and DARKNESS and FEAR began to have an unending course over us until salvation came through CHRIST JESUS. He came, brought light at His appearing and destroyed that which was our restriction granting us INDEPENDENCE.


Acts  13:38-39 - "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." The law of Moses was used as a means to draw men to obey a set of rules, rules which men continued to fail in obeying from time to time, until the FATHER sent to us JESUS CHRIST who alone could become a perfect sacrifice, one to pay for all our unrighteousness so that we can become righteous (2Cor. 5:21).

Romans 8:1-4 - "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Perhaps you read through this today and are not sure how you can get this much needed independence, you certainly say to yourself that enough is enough, no more being a slave to sin doing those things which many times are not even convenient (Rom. 1:28, Eph. 5:4) and you would rather become a slave to righteousness doing everything to please the one who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light (1Peter. 2:9). The steps are very simple, just say this prayer to invite the Lord JESUS into your life so He can really show you what your life was intended to be - "Lord JESUS, I thank You for your love for me, despite how far I have fallen, your love still stretches deeper to draw me to yourself. I believe that you died on the cross of Calvary for me and I today forsake the life of sin and henceforth receive eternal life that You give. Thank You JESUS."

I congratulate you for saying that short prayer, welcome to the family of GOD, do find a Bible based and believing church so that you can grow unto the stature of the fullness of CHRIST.

Galatians  5:1 says to us today "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." A common mistake we make today is to abuse this independence and as it were act as one without responsibility to the privilege we have been afforded. Many people are of the school of thought that Nigeria still needs to be under the colonial rule simply because we have not been able to show signs of survival in independence (An idea I don't ever support though). Same also it seems like in the Christian fold how that the Lord has made us free, independent from the clutches of sin but we willingly get ourselves tangled to the very vomits we spat out.

Now this here is what our independence should entail:

PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR: Luke  4:18-19 - "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Isaiah  61:1-2 - "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;"

BEAR FRUITS OF HOLINESS: Romans  6:22 - "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."

REFUSE TO USE YOUR INDEPENDENCE AS A GARMENT OVER UNRIGHTEOUSNESS: 1 Peter  2:16 - "As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God." Galatians  5:13 - "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

The Lord says to you, child of GOD "enjoy INDEPENDENCE from Sin & Death"

GOD BLESS YOU.