Worn and FREE

"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." ~Galatians 5:1

 On Thursday, I got the opportunity to attend Winter Jam. I haven't been there for a few years so it was good to go back. My friend, Jessica, and I had some pretty memorable moments besides getting to worship our God with some awesome bands as one body of believers. We were blessed and COMPLETELY shocked to have been chosen to meet Lecrae. Ahh, it was crazy good!! :) "From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another." ~John 1:16 (NLT)

Lecrae shared with us (and about 15 others) backstage what living unashamed is all about. Romans 1:16

I really appreciated Tenth Avenue North and the grace-filled messages they shared between their songs. The one song in particular "Worn" is a good reminder to let "heaven flood our eyes". In the midst of being tired and worn out from all that life and the world throws at us, our cry to the Lord is that He would "let us see REDEMPTION win". The struggle will end. We win through Him. Here are the complete lyrics to this song:

Worn- Tenth Avenue North
I'm tired 
I'm worn 
My heart is heavy
From the work it takes to keep on breathing

I've made mistakes 
I've let my hope fail
My soul feels crushed
By the weight of this world
And I know that you can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left

Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That you can mend a heart that's frail and torn

I want to know a song can rise
From the ashes of a broken life
And all that's dead inside can be reborn
Cause I'm worn

I know I need 
To lift my eyes up
But I'm too weak
Life just won't let up
And I know that You can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left

Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That you can mend a heart that's frail and torn

I want to know a song can rise
From the ashes of a broken life
And all that's dead inside can be reborn
Cause I'm worn

And my prayers are wearing thin
I'm worn even before the day begins
I'm worn I've lost my will to fight
I'm worn so heaven come and flood my eyes 

Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That you can mend a heart that's frail and torn

I want to know a song can rise
From the ashes of a broken life
And all that's dead inside can be reborn
Yes all that's dead inside will be reborn
Though I'm worn 
Yeah I'm worn

Another one of my favorite songs from the band is "The Struggle". My favorite line in the song is "Hallelujah we are free to struggle, we're NOT struggling to be free. Your blood bought and made us children, children drop your chains and sing!"

Bottom line: We are FREE! We are children purchased by the only One who could pay the cost. The perfect One. Jesus. He gave up everything to make us FREE. We don't have to struggle to be free. The chains that have kept us bound are broken by the only One who could break them. Jesus. Our own efforts to break the chains of fear, past failures, rejection, pride, self-righteousness and sin will amount to nothing. We have nothing on our chains, but we have EVERYTHING in the One who has already broken every single one. 

So the choice comes down to, will we walk around living like we're still bound or will we throw off the chains and walk in freedom and victory in Christ who has broken every chain that was and will be. Even when we walk around acting like we can do life with chains on, God in His great mercy and grace is waiting. He's waiting for a complete surrender. I love the way He forgives always. Forgives me when I try to be my own hero. Patient when I think I can break my own chains. God is love. He desires for us to walk in His freedom and love all the days of our lives.

We will still feel worn, crushed and tired day-to-day or through seasons, but we are not overcome. We can choose to throw off the chains that once bound us. Christ has made us completely FREE. Holding onto the chains is exactly what Satan wants us to do. He knows that if we're caught up in those we will not be able to move forward. We will be worn out with no will to fight. Christ says amidst our mistakes "we are more than conquerors through Him". Amidst our weak moments "we are more than conquerors through Him." Amidst our feelings of insignificance "we are more than conquerors through Him." We are free because of nothing we have done. We are free because of everything Christ has done. 

We can be worn, but we are FREE!

We're all free in Christ together. In it together for the long haul. Let's live it. To God be the glory!

Here's the video to The Struggle by Tenth Avenue North. Enjoy!