Freedom

We have mighty power available to us through Christ in us, the hope of glory, as He is described in Colossians 1.  He enables us to put to death the power of sin because of what He did for us through
His death and resurrection. Romans 8 says:
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

When we accommodate sin, we denying the teachings of the Scripture that there is nothing is impossible with God.  When we consider that Jesus died so that we might have freedom in Him, we can experience His power to resist temptation and walk in holiness.  We should never be settled in our own sin, but should always be in a process of rejecting and resisting sinful desires, because Christ took care of every sin on the cross and gave us victory in Him.

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In order to live the life that God intends for us, it is important that we reject the desires of the flesh
and realize that we have overcoming power available to us. Galatians 5 reminds us:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

The shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando was a tragic event in which 49 people died; Pulse was a nightclub that catered to the LGBT community, and gay activists have used that tragedy as a rallying cry in their movement.

Well, a group of Christians gathered in Orlando recently for a different sort of rallying cry - to declare freedom in Jesus Christ from the bonds of homosexuality!  It's called the Freedom March, the first of which was held last year in the nation's capital and replicated this year. The Christian Post reports that organizers plan another march in Georgia next month and a return to Washington next year.  That article states:

Each march is meant to share their transformation in Christ, equip the Body of Christ on how to reach out to the LGBT community and offer a safe place for those in the LGBT community to come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

This stands in contrast to the movement within some churches that affirm homosexuality and essentially exalt gay identity over Christian identity and the possibility of change through Christ.

The Freedom March in Orlando drew an estimated 400 Christians to Lake Eola Park.  According to the article:

Angel Colon and Luis Javier Ruiz hosted the event and led the sharing of testimonies of salvation at a bandshell before the group marched around the park. Both men are survivors of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in 2016 and have since left homosexuality and started a ministry called Fearless Identity to help churches effectively share the love of Jesus with the LGBT community.

Testimonies included:

• Edward Byrd, who led worship, "who used to identify as androgynous before finding freedom in Christ and accepting his identity as a son of God."
• Jeffrey Mccall, the Freedom March founder, who "shared how God brought him out of a life living as a transgender prostitute."
• Laura Perry, who "shared that she battled with gender identity so much so that she surgically removed her body parts to become a man only to find that nothing changed on the inside." As the article said: "Instead, it was her heart that was missing a savior."

According to the article, "The group proclaimed to the crowd that God 'loves gay people' and it’s important that people come to know Jesus as their Savior before trying to change their lifestyle."

But, their lifestyle can certainly change; the Bible is clear that nothing is impossible with God.  If a person's identity is in Christ, that means he or she should not be identified with a particular sin or area of temptation.   And, should be willing to crucify sinful desires in order to experience God's measure of freedom.  Remember this: Never, never underestimate the transforming power of our Savior.

But, the question is: does a person want to change?  Or would he or she prefer to accommodate or offer safe haven to sinful desires?  When we allow the presence of the indwelling Christ to enter our lives, we should be open to whatever He wants to do in us.   We can be confident in Jesus, who conquered the power of sin and offered us the chance to experience His freedom.