Freedom is a beautiful thing...

I woke up this morning with "freedom" on the brain. That theme was supported by a screaming Mel Gibson in the clip below:

I don't know about you, but now I want to run through a wall. It's the "wild at heart" theme within my soul that clamors for victory in many battles. I want the chance to wield a sword. I want the chance to charge an enemy in emphatic passion fueled by a cause so deep, so worthwhile. I want to be able to scream the word "freedom" so loud that there isn't a soul who wouldn't hear it. I want a victory.

Now that the adrenaline is pumping at 96mph and my heart rate is ridiculous, I hear a whisper. Its a whisper that says: 

"You can't fight without Me. You are smart but not strong. You are devoted but not determined enough. The enemy you face is darker and more desperate than you could imagine and you cannot take him down out of sheer willpower. Do you want your freedom? Then you must trust Me. You must lean into Me. You must follow Me. I am your advocate, I am your only source of strength. I will charge wickedness and evil with a vengeance so powerful and pure that you need not do anything.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I have personally gone ahead of you. I will be with you, and will never fail you or abandon you. Remember - where my Spirit is, there is liberty."

I kind of get the visual of a parent shielding their child from something dangerous, as the frightened toddler buries their face in the back of their parents' leg so as not to see the "monster" approaching. Let me explain what I'm getting at: 

The battle of my life and for my life, isn't mine to fight, it's His. If I could fight it and emerge victorious, then its pretty much a guarantee that I would tout my successes to the world while centering the spotlight on yours truly. 

Therein lies the point.

Whatever battle I fight within myself (whether it be a struggle for sexual purity, selfishness, conditional love, or the abandoned feeling of unworthiness and shame) He wants me to know that it will be taken care of. He will do the "dirty work" and the heavy lifting. He asks me to just stand behind Him, bury my face in Him and shift my fighting focus. I need to shift my focus to fight for my relationship with Him. I need to fight for my closeness with Him. I need to relentlessly pursue a lifestyle that points others to His grace. 

That is my fight. 

The rest is His.

I will funnel my desires, my dreams, my passions, my insecurities, my weaknesses and my strengths directly through the grace of my loving God, and He will obliterate all things that oppress, discourage, destroy and devastate. He has promised it, and I hold Him to it. He has never given me a reason to doubt Him, and I'm convinced He never will.

Thank you God for your grace. Thank you for my freedom.