Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
This passage of scripture exhorts us to be steadfast in the freedom that God has given us. The Bible teaches us that if the Son shall make us free, we shall be free indeed, and the freedom that is here referred to is the freedom from sin. The yoke of bondage has to do with the sinful habits we were once shackled with, those sinful desires that we were once slaves to, but now the blood of Jesus has given us freedom.
This freedom that has been purchased so expensively on our behalf, should be held by all Christians as being the most valuable asset ever given us by God, for it keeps us from being the sport of circumstances, and the sins by which we were so easily overcome, lose their stranglehold on our lives. In order for this new found freedom to be maintained, there are certain steps we will have to follow in cooperation with God and by His power, for it can slip away if we are not mindful of the terms of its retention.
The most important point to be observed is praying without ceasing. Victory and spiritual freedom can only be maintained through prayer. In other words, we will need to seek God's face every day, for a fresh renewal of power, in order that we might live victoriously. The Christian wins his battles on his knees, and therefore it is absolutely necessary that we stay connected with the source of our strength, for most of the assaults of satan are designed to take us unawares. However, if we have been girded previously with the armory of heaven, sudden attacks by the enemy will not cause us to stumble, for we would have already taken the necessary preemptive steps to avert the evils.
This is what Peter failed to do just before Jesus was arrested. In the garden of Gethsemane, while the disciples should have been preparing for the onslaught of temptations from satan, they were instead found sleeping, and so in the hour of darkness, when human agencies motivated by evil angels proceeded to handle Christ roughly, Peter flew into a sudden rage and drew out his sword, and cut off the high priest servant's ear. This scene could have been averted if he had prayed without ceasing.
In our day, there are many people who on the spur of the moment, do things they would not ordinarily do. One day, a mother opened fire and shot her two children dead, because they had answered her rudely. She is now charged with first degree murder for a crime that could have been easily avoided if prayer was made without ceasing.
As Christians, we should not wait for sudden temptations to come upon us before we pray, but we should rather take proactive steps in seeking God in the quiet hours, so that He can show us some of the evils that are coming our way, before they arrive. Let's read:
Proverbs 23:3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reminds us where our strength comes from, and we earnestly encourage everyone to avail ourselves of the abundant help that has been promised so that our spiritual freedoms can be maintained. Let's read:
Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
May the Lord enable us to put the highest esteem on our freedom, and may we ever cherish in our hearts, a deep gratitude to Christ for purchasing it on Calvary. "Good night" and God bless!