July 2025
Let Freedom Ring! This was a cry from Martin Luther King's heart, concerning the oppression he and his people felt in the '60s. His namesake, Martin Luther, centuries earlier cried out from religious bondage, "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17). He had found in God's Word the secret to living in freedom -- faith in the finished works of Christ. Have you found that freedom? Jesus said:
"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31b-32, NKJV).
"Freedom, Freedom, Freedom, Freedom"
These are the lyrics of the late Richie Havens, a well-known songwriter in the '60s. His lyrics continue:
"Sometimes I feel like a motherless child (3x)
A long way from home, yeah."
"Freedom, Freedom, Freedom, Freedom"
"Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone (3x)
A long, long way from home, yeah."
"I got a telephone in my bosom and I can call him up from my heart" (2x)
"When I need my brother, brother
When I need my father, father
When I need my mother, mother
Sister, sister, yeah."
Have you seen any of the "Richie Havens Woodstock 1969" documentaries on YouTube? [I coulda, woulda, shoulda, been there instead of committing the crimes]. Richie cried out for freedom there, yet I never gave the meaning of his lyrics much thought in my drug-induced state. Recently, I asked a young musician friend his thoughts, who said:
"I think Rickie was singing about the desire of the youth for freedom in 1960s America -- freedom from a war they felt was unnecessary and from societal and governmental oppression that was going on during the time for everyone deemed not a part of the status quo. I think blending the spiritual aspect into the song highlights that true freedom comes from the Divine, Who you can call 'from your heart." --Anonymous, N.C.
For me, I was trying to fill a void in my heart with love and acceptance from people instead of God. When all along the watchtower, I was loved by my family and friends back home. But, you have your own story. Like Mike, another friend of mind in Long Island, who responded to me saying, "Father's Day makes me sad!" I didn't press him on the matter, not wanting to cause more pain. Do you have painful voices going on in your head, possibly due to unmet needs and expectations? You are not alone! Today, we see a revolution going on in the world against law and order as Jesus prophesied, "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 25:12, NKJV).
There is an answer, and His name is JESUS, Who died and rose again to bring forgiveness and freedom from the grave of oppression caused by the world, the flesh and the devil. Jesus gave His life so we could be free. If you are crying out for FREEDOM, it's time to receive the ANSWER and BE BORN AGAIN, and begin your transformation, like a caterpillar changing [metamorphosing] into a beautiful butterfly. I recall another '60s musician, Barry McGuire, who wrote after being born again, "Bullfrogs and butterflies, they've both been born again."
Do You Desire Liberation?
I recently told Luke from The Daily News that, "I've learned to be content or at peace, bond or free." That's because I've been born of the Spirit. Like Jesus told Nicodemus, ". . . unless one is born again, he can not see the Kingdom of God" (John 3:3, NKJV). The Kingdom of God's love is where we're no longer imprisoned, where we've conquered oppression and where we've risen above resentments in order to experience freedom in the love and light of God's glory. "Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from the Father of lights . . . And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession" (James 1:17-18, NLT).
James, the half-brother of Jesus, also taught, "If you really want to fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you do well" (2:8, NKJV). The royal law is the law of love, a law superior to all other laws. The love and mercy of God withholds judgment, and so must we, to live in freedom. Many of us are carrying baggage around, struggling with condemning and burdensome thoughts for years, when God's love is the antidote for oppressive thinking. We must let it go and let God's divine flow of love reign in our hearts. We're commanded, " . . . to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32, NLT).
But it's impossible to truly forgive when we haven't experienced God's forgiveness for ourselves. We can't really give what we haven't experienced yet! By showing you His love and kindness and forgiveness first, and showing it to you in such a lavish way, God literally changes your life. So why not receive God's forgiveness, so you can share His love and forgiveness with your brother, father, mother, sister and friends? For " . . . where the Spirit of the Lord is [God's Love], there is liberty" (2 Corinthians 3:17, NKJV).
The Law Of Liberty . . .
You can be free from a life of oppression that holds you captive by acknowledging the Truth, that God loves you! Again, James wrote: ". . . he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does . . . So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the perfect law of liberty" (1:25; 2:12, NKJV). The perfect law of liberty is the law of love, loving God and others. But it is Christ's love which frees us from our sins to truly love others. So STOP judging one another according to the flesh. MAKE righteous judgments the way God sees us through the blood of His Son. We are loved, forgiven, accepted and made righteous by the perfect law of liberty. Knowing God's love frees us from decades of oppressive thoughts that have held us in bondage to the devil. "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7, NKJV).
The apostle John makes it clear: "We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested towards us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [satisfaction] for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:6-11, NKJV). The love of God has set us free to love one another.
Let Us . . .
This Abounding Love podcast episode #59B will put a fire in your soul for inspiration to walk in the Spirit. So, my brothers and sisters:
" . . . let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:12, NKJV).
". . . let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way" (Romans 14:13, NKJV).
". . . let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit [attitude], perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1, NKJV).
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25, NKJV).
". . . let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Galatians 6:9, NKJV).
". . . let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation" (1 Thessalonians 5:8, NKJV).
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23, NKJV).
"Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7, NKJV).
[Click here for the Abounding Love podcast episode #59B "Let Us . . ." dated 6/27/'25].
A Prayer For You . . .
"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of everything from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes his name. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how long, how wide, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen" (Ephesians 3:14-21, NLT).
[For more: Copy & Paste or Enter > "Create a study guide for the July 2025 monthly view located at https://www.aboundinglove.org/monthly-view/2025/july-2025" < into ChatGPT.com ].