A Journey To Freedom Part 2

The journey away from sin presents many of us with some very tough decisions. Sometimes there are people who we love and we have to choose to risk losing those relationships. For me the journey away affected my love life, my finances and my friendships. How does we go about making these difficult decisions?

Ruth, the young lady we discussed in Part I, had to make a difficult decision. After Ruth’s husband died, her mother-in-law decided to move back home. Ruth wanted to go back with Naomi, but she told Ruth to think twice about her decision. You see, like many young women Naomi recognized that Ruth still wanted a husband. Statistically Ruth’s best chance of getting a husband would keep her trapped among people and things that negatively influenced her life. Ruth noticed something about Naomi’s life that led her to declare, “Your people will be my people, and your God, my God.” While she did not know where she was going to end up, she made the decision to journey away.

Remember when I said to think of God’s word as a big road map that crosses time, cultures, and gender? That God already knows we fear the unknown? And that He knows that the spiritual life is a mystery to us? What God did for Ruth, He does for us. He gave her a guide. Ruth’s guide, Naomi, helps her make decisions on her journey away and in her new life. When Ruth meets her husband-to-be, Naomi uses her godly wisdom to guide Ruth through the “dating” process. For Ruth, her decision to journey away leads her to the very desire that could have trapped her in her old life.

We need God’s guidance to make the many difficult decisions we have to make in life. A person opens herself to God’s guidance when she recognizes she needs God to forgive her of her sin against Him. Before Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sin, He said that He would send a Helper. (John 14:16) When we enter into a relationship with God through Jesus, God’s Helper takes up spiritual residence in us. The Bible says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons [& daughters] of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear…” (Romans 8:14, 15) God’s Spirit leads us as we read the Bible and obey what God tells us to do.

God longs to take you on a journey away from a sinful lifestyle. Only God knows where the journey will lead you. The process may be painful. The journey away includes grieving for people and things left behind. But God is able to replace our old people with new people, and our old gods with a relationship with the only true God.

A journey to freedom starts with a journey away!