Praying for the homeless leads me to pray over the concept of freedom. One of the biggest strongholds over the homeless is their understanding of freedom. I have spoken to many homeless on the streets and have usually found that they want help but they don't want to go to the mission. I realize that I only see what I would call the "permanent homeless" (I will not tackle the recent homeless that have been put on the streets because of the economy. We must pray for them to get back on track) The permanent homeless are the ones on the street corners and in the tent cities. Many of them, when confronted with opportunity to get off the street through a program will turn it down. The most common reason they tell me is that they don't want to loose their freedom. They confuse being able to go and do what you want whenever you want as freedom. Free to wake up late. Free to roam. Free to smoke or drink. But this is a fallacy or lie.
False freedom leads to eternal death. True freedom leads to eternal life. False freedom allows you to pursue your own fun, typically to your own destruction. True freedom leads you to laying your life down for Christ. False freedom lies to you and tells you that you can do whatever you want. True freedom is found in the heart.
I lost my false freedom when I gave my life to Christ. I traded in the false freedom of partying, running around and traveling to Mexico for the true freedom sanity, wholeness and sobriety (and eternal life). When I got married and had children I gave up even more of my false freedom. I lost selfishness, pride and much of my personal agenda.
But false freedom will lead to destruction. No matter how pretty it looks it is based in our sinful nature. True freedom brings a heart joy that carries you into eternal life. I may not be able to do what I did before but I cannot put a price tag on the freedom I have in my heart. I am now free to serve, free to lay down my life for others, free to pray, free to fast, free to give. We must break this stronghold over the homeless population to see any change happen.
Phil 2: 5 have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Great message... :)
Posted by: Maureen Deidrick | January 13, 2012 at 06:37 PM