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The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant . . . the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.¹

On June 12, we commemorated Independence Day in honor of the many martyrs who fought for our liberties—the Battle of Mactan in 1521,² the Igorot’s Revolution in 1601,³ the Philippine-American war of 1899-1902,⁴ the Philippine Resistance Movement against the Japanese during WWII.⁵ These battles are a few of the historical events that preserved our heritage.

Yet there was a far more valuable moment in our history that not merely set us free but also secured our identity—For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.⁶ Yes, those who believed in the finished work of Jesus Christ were set free. Not by works of the law but by grace through faith in Jesus. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.⁷ See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. . . . Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.⁸ And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.⁹

Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, . . . for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ . . . I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.¹⁰ . . . “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.¹¹

Yes, the impossible God will do. By grace our salvation is secure if you believe in what Jesus had done in our behalf; yet, if we persist in old ways, we may lose our freedom and be bound again by the hardness of our hearts. Thus, we are called to encourage one another.¹² We need a community to free us from the things that keep us bound. When Jesus came to the burial site of Lazarus, he said, “Take away the stone.”¹³ The stone may depict our environment, our poverty, our addictions, bad company, or wrong mind sets that keep us chained. Then he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go”¹⁴ Although we may have gone from death to life, but unless we continuously confess our sins to one another, we may not heal.¹⁵

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.¹⁶ “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.¹⁷