Renewing the Spirit | Walking in Freedom

article by Reverend RB Moore

As you know, this year we celebrate 250 years of freedom in the USA. With freedom on our minds, Psalm 119:45 teaches us how we may experience a life filled with freedom. There we read, “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.” We may translate the word for precepts to be, commandments, or rules. 

Speaking of commandments, as the story goes, it seems a little boy told his pastor, “My mommy taught me three of the Ten Commandments: ‘Settle down, act your age, and take that out of your mouth!’” Like the boy that was given three commands from his mother, we will look at three commands today that will lead us to freedom. These three precepts influence: our emotions (settle down), our behavior (acting our age), and our words (take that out of your mouth). Let’s begin with our emotions (settle down).

First off, Colossians 3:8 tells us, “But now you must get rid of all such things: anger, wrath, malice.” Allow me to hasten to say, it’s okay to get angry from time to time, even Jesus got angry. On one occasion Christ disagreed with the religious leaders of his day over their rule not to heal on the Sabbath. The Scripture says, “Jesus looked around at them with anger.” Then he healed the man with a withered hand. 

Our Lord got rid of his anger by doing something positive with his energy. We, too, have a similar choice. When we get angry, we can make the mistake of doing something destructive with our anger; or we can get rid of it by doing something constructive with our anger. 

On a second note, here’s one way you and I may behave (act your age). Ephesians 4:31 says, “Put away from you” … “all wrangling.” Wrangling refers to power struggles. Put away struggles over who is going to be in control in a church family. Ideally, let God be in control. God doesn’t need our sticky, grimy, fingerprints on everything. It’s best to “Let go and let God,” instead of wrangling with other believers. 

As a sidebar, I once met a lady who lists her occupation as, “Alligator Wrangler.” She told me she and her husband must fish the alligators out of their lake, to make sure they are not too small, before they harvest them. It may be appropriate to wrangle alligators to be served at restaurants in north Louisiana, but, in the community of faith, it’s inappropriate to participate in wrangling for supremacy. Struggling for dominance in a church setting fails to show we are acting our age.

Next, we come to the words we say (take that out of your mouth). The topic of how we speak to one another reminds me of a book called, “Eight Simple Rules for Dating my Teen-age Daughter.” Let me briefly share one rule from the book regarding our conversations. “In rule number 2,” the author, a protective father, says something like this to the teenage boy interested in his daughter. “Young man, please do not talk to me in complete sentences. The only word I want to hear from you is about what time you will be bringing my daughter home, and that word is, early.” 

Still, there may be better ways to have a conversation. For example, Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” 

To paraphrase, Ephesians tells us to take out of our mouths those words that may deflate the spirits of our friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbors, or even strangers that briefly cross our paths. Instead, when we have an audience of one, or a thousand and one, offer words that lift the spirits of the listeners. 

Again, as I said from the start, we emphasize freedom during this time of the year. Yet, the psalmist reminds us, freedom comes from following God’s precepts. Therefore, search God’s word and follow the eternal rules therein revealed. Then God will give you the gift of freedom. Thanks be to God. Amen.