Freedom

Freedom to sin and freedom from sin are completely different.

One takes desire and action.
The other takes surrender and submission.

Any guesses? Yeah, the first is freedom to sin, the second is freedom from sin. Both types of freedom are given by God, but only one is true freedom. Remember the post I did about surrender? Explaining that surrender is what equals freedom? Well that lines up with this. 

We have freedom to sin. God gives every person the freedom to sin, we are given "free will", which means that we can do what we please with our lives. We can go get drunk every night, we can go do drugs every night, we can go have sex with multiple people (all of which I've done, so don't think I'm judging!) and it feels like freedom. Its freedom from rules and regulation... But is it really? Freedom to sin just rips a gaping hole in our hearts. Every time we choose to walk towards sin and away from God we lose a part of what we were made to be (which can be/is fully restored the second we decide to turn around and walk back towards God)

Then theres freedom from sin. Freedom from sin starts with surrender. Surrendering to God and his will for our lives (which really is more glorious and entertaining then all of the sin we could commit... I mean, look at the stories in the Bible: epic battles and wars, even epic romances... Thats what freedom from sin makes way for) God's will for our lives is not to restrict or wall us in. It is not to oppress us, like freedom to sin will say it is. God's will for our lives is to provide an adventure, and give us the opportunity to play a role in his grand plan for humanity. Why would we ever want to give it up?! Is there one story in the Bible thats boring? No! Every person that submitted to Gods plan got to live an adventure (yeah, some of them were hard... but wouldn't it be worth it?) 

I'm experiencing real freedom from sin (sins like craving and lusting over things, small or big) because I asked God to teach me surrender. I didn't ask anything about freedom, but that's where surrender leads. It takes losing our life (which really, we all complain about lives that are full of the world, so logically it makes sense to lose that life) to gain life (life in Christ, and dwelling in his presence is where all of us really long to be. duh, we want to lose the world and gain heaven!). 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2)