The freedom that Jesus gave us freed us from ourselves, from our sins; therefore, it was the greatest gift we could have received (John 8:36). The salvation provided for us is something we would never have obtained if it weren't for the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Son of God, who paid a high and eternal price, taking our place on the Cross. Therefore, those who have tasted God's love should not stray from the Way. If they do, they will not be saved (Hebrews 6:4-8; 10:26-31).

The good work initiated by the Lord in your life started when you recognized Jesus as your perfect Savior and only Lord, but it continues in your daily life whenever you repent of the wrong things you do. Your conscience will be clearer with your confession (Proverbs 28:13; James 5:16), and soon the temptations that try to bring you down will no longer have power, because self-control, a fruit of the Spirit, will be generated in you (Galatians 5:22).

Let the Lord perfect what He has begun, and you will receive the eternal reward. Your spouse, for example, cannot take the place of your Savior, because he or she is flawed. You cannot save him or her either. So if you see something wrong in him, speak to him gently until God's work is completed, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1.6).

Those who abandon the Lord's plan open the door to the devil; then, prayers and supplications made to God will no longer be answered or will be hindered if such a person does not repent and persevere in the faith. God allows this to bring them to repentance and to seek Him, which would not happen if He answered them in that state. “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1.16).

Another important factor that weighs heavily on those who do not do God's will concerns the attitudes taken out of fear in the face of extravagant offers, for this is tantamount to signing over to the devil. Now, the enemy only waits for a person to surrender to sin to attack their health, for example, and lead them to despair. For those who remain steadfast in the faith, the Word declares: I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one (1 John 2.13).

In the midst of difficulties, it is good to remember the times when the Lord helped you, healed you, or sent someone to give you biblical advice, and that brought you a solution. God speaks to those who have ears to hear (Matthew 11:15), for in His Word there is power: So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55.11). He is faithful!

It is a great mistake to place ourselves under the yoke of bondage from which we have already been freed by listening to God. This is your position in Christ: And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them (Deuteronomy 28.13).

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares