On Father’s Day this year I attended the church that Harriet Tubman attended when she was in St. Catharines, Ontario Canada. It was amazing.
As many of you may know, Harriet was a freedom fighter. She escaped slavery, then returned to the south 19 times to help other slaves to freedom. Her trips were filled with danger. She could have been caught and arrested at any time, for no one who had slaves wanted them to be free. Those slaves belonged to the slave owners, and they had no “rights”. As a result, there were many people trying to catch Harriet, and there was even a 40,000$ bounty on her head.
Nonetheless, Harriet brought more than 300 slaves to freedom. She was a freedom fighter, even freeing her own parents who were in their 70s. Nothing could stop her!
And nothing should stop us from being freedom fighters as well.
We, too, should be living solely for freedom. So many of us, however, put burdens on ourselves, and this results is us being slaves to addictions and pet sins. The fugitive slaves risked their lives to travel thousands of miles to freedom. Isn’t it sad that we put ourselves in a prison that we cannot escape? Drugs, foul habits, addictions, listening to the voice of the evil one…The worst part of all is that most can never even hope to conquer these habits. We are truly in prisons of our own making, for the most, the addictions are far bigger than God Himself.
This is not how we were supposed to live. Though the fugitive slaves were also without hope, many people, like Harriet Tubman, came to their rescue. Freedom can be ours as well, but first we need our Heavenly Father. He is the One who will give victory. Truly, God is way bigger than all the addictions together: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 15:57, (NIV)
Consider the following truths:
“For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.” Galatians 5:13 (HCSB)
“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.” (Acts 13:38-39, NIV)
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1 (NKJV)
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17 (HCSB)
Just as Harriet Tubman was an encourager, God brings us hope. We don’t need to remain in our self-induced prisons, for: “If the Son sets you free, you really will be free.” John 8:36 (HCSB).
Rob Chaffart