From Instruction To Freedom

“And I will walk at liberty, For I seek and deeply long for Your precepts.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119.45‬ ‭AMP‬‬

There is a freedom (liberty) that is only accessed by keeping God’s instruction. This is the freedom that comes when we follow His mandates (what He tells us to do), living by His design, and abiding in His will and His ways.

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Everything that God does is to help mold and shape us to look more like Him (our Father) each and every day.

This word, “precepts,” from the psalms, indicates a commandment or an authoritative rule for action. It is a divine instruction given for which our obligation [to God] follows.

Sometimes we get trapped into a thought pattern that becomes a habit of only looking at God’s instruction through the lens of ‘what I can’t I do’ or ‘what I shouldn’t be doing.’ And that’s important because sometimes knowing what not to do is the first step to knowing what to do.

But it’s even more important to view God’s instruction in light of what we are able to do and should do.

A ‘no’ from God is a ‘yes’ destiny.

By its very nature, saying ‘no’ to one thing enables us to be available to say ‘yes’ to another. In life, we cannot make ourselves available to everything. We will always have to make a choice. And prayerfully, that choice is Him (His will and ways).

God doesn’t tell us ‘no’ because He wants to see us suffer, kill our fun, or keep us from good things. In fact, the opposite is true. His instructions and mandates actually position us to be able to enjoy the very best things in His creation while avoiding the things that bring us harm.

Psalm 84.11 frames this beautifully: For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

And therein lies our freedom by keeping near in our hearts, and our actions, what He says to do. Anything worth living and fighting for becomes available to us when we do life God’s way.

Notice the psalm says “seek and deeply long for.” It becomes so much easier to respond to God and receive the freedom that comes along with that choice when we desire and look for it, verses begrudgingly going along with what’s asked of us.

Maybe you aren’t there yet and that’s okay for the moment. Because obedience doesn’t always come easy at first. But this we know that whatever boundaries God gives, they are for our good [and benefit]. They’re not for His protection and provision, but for ours.

What areas of our lives might we be limiting our freedom because we have not prioritized keeping God’s instruction? Have you received a ‘no’ from God about something that you need to reimagine what that potentially opens the door to?