by Colonel Julie Anne Louden
Territorial Leader for Leader Development
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
—Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
As we celebrate the birth of our nation this July, we pause to thank God for the freedoms we often take for granted: freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom to live out our faith publicly. These liberties are a privilege, and they offer believers a unique opportunity to serve the Lord without fear.
Yet even greater than our national freedom is the spiritual freedom we have in Christ. In their book Wild and Free, Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan beautifully declare that freedom in Jesus means we are no longer defined by striving, shame or perfectionism. We are free to live boldly and authentically in the identity He has given us.
William Booth once said,
“The chief danger of the 20th century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and Heaven without Hell.”
His words are a sobering reminder that true freedom in Christ is not a watered-down version of the gospel—it is the power of a transformed life. It is not a freedom to do as we please, but to live fully for the One who set us free.
As citizens of both heaven and earth, we have a dual privilege to walk in Christ’s liberty and to exercise our national freedom to share it. July is a fitting time to ask ourselves if we’re living in that freedom. Are we using the blessings of both our salvation and our citizenship to make Christ known? Let us not waste either.
And let’s not return to the yoke of fear or legalism. Instead, let’s be wild in our obedience and free in our worship, using every ounce of freedom—spiritual and national—to glorify the Lord.
