Topic: Free to Fly [Joyce Meyer Devotional 21 September 2020]
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The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound.— Isaiah 61:1 (AMPC)
Love offers people both roots and wings. It provides a sense of belonging (roots) and a sense of freedom (wings). Real love doesn’t try to control or manipulate others. Jesus said that He was sent by God to proclaim liberty. As believers, that’s what we’re meant to do also—to free people to fulfill God’s will for their lives, not to bring them under our control.
Have you ever seen parents push their children to do things they don’t even want to do, just to meet their own frustrated desires? Or maybe a person who’s clingy and emotionally smothering to a new friend because he or she is afraid to lose that person? Both of these are examples of a misguided, counterfeit kind of love that dominates rather than sets free—this is not at all the way true love works.
Love does not try to gain personal satisfaction at the expense of others. Love will always nurture and promote liberty. When we truly love God and others, we’ll gladly allow the people in our lives to follow His plan—not our plan—and see who they can be and what they can accomplish in Christ. A caged bird cannot fly, so cultivate liberty! Allow people the freedom to be themselves, and watch how they flourish.
Prayer Starter: Father, please help me be a person who loves others in a liberating way. Thank You for setting me free to be myself, and for giving me the grace to do the same for the people in my life. In Jesus’ Name, amen
