I was 19, a few months away from 20, when we celebrated America’s 200th birthday. I admit I don’t remember many details. I remember a lot of promotions occurring on television and radio. But my teen and early-twentysomething years are memories I don’t seem to have many of.

I was not a Christian then. I believed in God. I read the Bible. I tried to be as much of a “good” person as I could. But believing doesn’t make you a Christian. After all, Satan and his demons believe, and they are enemies of all that speaks the truth of God.

No, you have to know Jesus, believe in his great gift of salvation, accept it, and speak of your choice to accept. In voicing that, you not only share with others your choice for freedom, you acknowledge your choice to God himself, and you also declare to Satan that his bondage on you is now broken. An unaccepted gift can’t be appreciated, cherished, or loved. You can then grow in the knowledge of what you’ve accepted and live a full and joyful life as a Christian. A life of true freedom.

If you’ve ever felt the bondage of the different clutches of sin, you’ll know what freedom is. And you’ll appreciate all that your faith can bring you, helping you live the life God wants for you.

2 Corinthians 3:17 tells us, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Galatians 5:1 tells us, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

As we continue to celebrate our commitment to Christ our Lord and to His teaching, let us remember, on this Independence Day, what Leviticus 25:15 says: “Proclaim Liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”

That Biblical verse was inscribed on the Liberty Bell. At the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Bell rang out, proclaiming, 250 years ago, what would change history for us all.

Have a blessed Independence Day – Vicki