Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines freedom:  A state of exemption from the power or control of another; liberty; exemption from slavery, servitude or confinement.  Freedom is personal, civil, political, and religious.
   

    We have our freedoms as Americans but do we have our spiritual freedoms?  “...If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (Jn. 8:31-32)

    What is spiritual freedom?  Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. (1Pt. 2:16 )

    Didn’t Jesus come to set us free?  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,  because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Ro. 8:1-2)
   
    Do we have any responsibilities for our freedom? And what are they? “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!  Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?  But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.  You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.  I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.   When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.   What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?  Those things result in death!  But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro. 6:15-23)

    Is there  such a thing as abusing the freedoms that we have through the spirit (indulging)?  “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature;  rather, serve one another in love.” (Gal. 5: 13)

    We have the freedom to do whatever we would like to do, and it is our choice to do it, but there may be a price to pay.  We will be held accountable.  (Ro. 14:11-12, Ro. 1:20;  Jn. 15:22)

    Before we can be free, however, there are some needed steps that we have to take.  With almost every healing that Jesus did the one needing healing came to Jesus knowing that they had a bad spirit, and in some cases the parents or friends brought the person to Jesus. (Lk. 9:37-39; Mt. 9:2, Mt. 9:32-33)  The exceptions are Simon’s mother-in-law, even though Simon and Andrew brought Jesus there and told Jesus about her (Mark 1:29-34), the man at the pool that had been an invalid longer than Jesus had been alive (John 5:2-9), and, of course, the healing of the ear that Peter lopped off at Jesus’ arrest (Lk. 22:49-51, John 18:10).  They needed the healing so they had to do their part to receive it.  (Mt. 8:5-13; 9:1-2, 18-19 & 23-25, 20-22, 27-30, 32-34; 15:21-28; 17:14-18; 20:30-34).  Jesus puts the healing in the context of faith.  Even when the boat that the disciples were in started to rock and take on water they cried out to Jesus to save them. Jesus’ response was “You of little faith, why are you so afraid? (Mt 8:23-27) All they did was ask and Jesus calmed the waves and the wind, just because they asked.  That is all we have to do--ask. 

    How many of us do not receive what we have asked for because of doubt, fear, or even because the answer was not what we expected or in the manner we expected it?  That becomes our problem not God’s.  Now don’t get me wrong I am not a health and wealth teacher, but faith is the basis of our walk with Christ.  The question becomes, “do you believe or not”? Its black or white.  We can read in Lk 17:11-19 about the ten with leprosy, they knew who this man was and called out to him for their healing. Jesus replied “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”  By the text it is said that only one of them even came back to thank God.  It does not say if they went to show the priests or not, but my guess is they did not, they seem to have expected the healing without  gratitude.  How many of us are that way?  How many of us have been freed from something and just keep it to ourselves.  Hoarding what God wants us to share.

    I’ve heard the phrase Giants in our lives, and I like it enough that I’m going to refer to our handicaps, disorders, illnesses, addictions, phobias, superstitions, walls, hindrances, bondage's, or just plain old selfishness as Giants, David slew his Giant and so can we.

    Living in the past is a big Giant.  On most occasions, living in the past is a giant that causes anger, bitterness, and resentment.

    We have found that if these giants can be slain first, the battle is half over.  We try to hold onto these giants and make them our friends, we can’t, they must go.

    I am going to list just a few of the giants that I had to slay personally, as well as some giants in the lives of others who wanted to be free.  
        Religion, pride, fear, anger, bitterness, resentment, vanity, gossip, lying, stealing, selfishness,
        alcoholism, tobacco, drugs, work, laziness, family, friends, possessions, occult things, seeker
        of man’s approval rather than God’s, pornography, lust, superstition, food, music, movies, sports,
        T.V., soap operas, money, adrenaline rush, hate, racism, swearing, disobedience, separatism, anger,
        doubt, grumbling, lack of contentment, etc. 
None of these are from God.  Ask God to reveal your giants to you--He will, but expect to do your part. (Mt. 7:7-8)

  What are your giants you need to slay?
        1)   We need to recognize that we have giants in our lives that we must get rid of.
        2)   We need to want to be freed, God can’t or won’t free us if we are not willing to do our part.  You must be
               willing to confess with your mouth that you have these giants and that you need to be freed from them.  This
               must be done by speaking out loud. Confessing with your mouth.  (Ro. 10:9-10; Jas. 5:16; 1 Jn. 1:9)
        3)   Now a critical part, you must receive your healing of freedom, (Col. 2: 6) believe by faith that you are healed
              and free, and start walking in your new freedom.  (Mt. 7:7-12; 8:13; 9:22; 9:29-31; 14:36; Ac. 14:9-10;
             1 Pt. 2:24)  There is a caution you must be aware of, the devil is a liar and the father of lies, (Jn. 8:44) so he will
             tell you that you are not really free.  But you can now command him to flee and he must, in the name of Jesus.
             (Luke 10:19-20; Jas. 4:7)
        4)  You must testify to what the Lord has done for you. Speak it out every chance the Lord gives you. (Mt. 9:8;
             9:23-26; 9:33; Mk. 5:19;  Lk. 8:39;  Jn. 9:3 , 11:4; 2 Ti. 1:8)
 
    These healings, often times, were not necessarily just for the one being healed, but for those who had seen and heard about the healing. (Mt. 9:8; Mk.1:26-28; 1:44-45; 5:19-20; Lk. 5:14-15; 8:39; 17:14).  Jesus knew that the people had to see evidence of the healings, and was not necessarily pleased with their lack of faith. “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders...you will never believe.” (John 4: 48)  Jesus also explains that in the case of the man born blind that it is neither the sin of the man nor of his parents that caused his blindness “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:3)  Jesus said the same thing to his disciples, “...Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.  But let us go to him.” (Jn 11:14-15)   Jesus says again,  “...I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” (Jn. 11:42)  The Lord showed me this personally when my wife’s knees were healed.  God asked me to take a tear from my cheek and put it on her knee exactly where she needed healing.  I did this, reluctantly, for fear of what someone may think of me if they were to see me do that, but after seconds seeming like hours, debating with God, I put the tear on the spot that was still not healed.  Because of that act of obedience the Lord spoke to me, saying, “There were two healings today, one--Jenifer’s knees were healed and two--my faith was healed to know that God really is the healer and all it takes is the obedience of whom He has asked.  Since then God has asked me to do more and more impromptu actions, and I am getting bolder each time to do them.  It is a training ground, the more I do it, the easier it becomes.  I pray that the people who were there, and witnessed the power of God will use it to teach others about the absolute power of God as well as strengthen their own faith in His power.

    But why does Jesus also say not to tell anyone about the healings? (Mt. 8:4;  9:29-30;  Mk. 5:43; 7:36; Lk. 8:56)  Then Jesus explains why he did not want the man to tell anyone. (Mk. 1:44) As a result of the man telling people that he was healed, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. (Mk. 1:45)

     Jesus also asks us to do the testifying for him (2 Tim. 1:8).  The most important healing is the one who was crucified but whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you Healed!  “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.” (Mt. 8:17)  The price has already been paid, and He is giving it to us as a gift--receive it, it’s free.