“In [Christ] and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Ephesians 3:12, NIV)
When you put your trust in Jesus as your Savior, He gives you three great freedoms. The first is a clear conscience. He forgives your sin and wipes away your guilt.
The second great freedom is personal access to God. You’re His child, a part of His family, and you can talk with God anytime, anywhere — 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It’s a myth that the whole world has direct access to God. It’s just not true! God gives direct access to Himself only through His Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “In [Christ] and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Ephesians 3:12, NIV).
Do you limit freedom to only a national declaration? Can you be free while under a totalitarian government? Which freedom is most costly, spiritual for eternity or the here and now? Free in Christ cost God everything. That’s what eternal love does. That’s the kind of freedom you get when you’re in the family of God. God gives you an all-access pass to Him. You don’t have to get an invitation or a special introduction. Because you’re His child, you’ve got direct access to God throughout the day, every day.
Sometimes people will say, “Rick, please pray for me,” as if my prayers are better than their prayers. But that’s not true. They have the same personal access to God that I have. They can talk to God anytime and for any reason. You don’t need to use fancy words or bow your head or even stop driving or working. You just keep a running prayer going throughout the day, picking up where you left off. I do that with God all the time.
What an incredible freedom it is to know that we can “feel free to come before God’s throne … And we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it” (Hebrews 4:16, ICB).
When you become part of God’s family, you have the freedom of a clear conscience and personal access to God. Tomorrow we’ll look at the third freedom: The power to do what is right.
Ponderings:
- What keeps you from taking advantage of your personal access to God through prayer?
- In what ways do you complicate your prayers?
- What kinds of things can you talk to God about as you keep a conversation with Him going throughout your day?
Prayer
Father, in my human failings, I don’t always come to You in prayer. Help me to reach out to You whether I am joyful or in pain, whether I am troubled or in celebration, but always lead me to reach out to You constantly.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
