The Mirror of the Word by C.E. White can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Word-Devotions-Reveal-Refine/dp/B0DFZS83C7  To learn more about this author and other words, visit https://cewhitebooks.com/

“And I will walk at liberty, for I seek your precepts.” 

—Psalm 119:45

Many people think following God is just a rigorous list of dos and don’ts. It’s true that if we’re following God, our obedience necessarily means there are some things we must not do and others that we must.

But in the truest sense, following God means freedom—freedom from man’s expectations, from insecurity, from the world’s definition of success, and greatest of all, from the slavery of sin and its consequences.

The guidelines God has set aren’t made to keep us confined and suppressed but to help us live full lives in his protection.

He’s like a parent who gives rules so we will be safe and healthy:

• No, you can’t eat more ice cream.
• Don’t touch the oven.
• Stay inside the fence.

A child doesn’t understand that without these rules, he may be ill, injured, or even killed. 

We also don’t understand all God’s rules, but we’re his children, and he put them in place for our good. When we follow them, we are more free to enjoy our lives, not less so.

Satan had Eve looking at the one thing she and Adam couldn’t have instead of all the wonderful things they could, and he still tries to deceive by convincing us that God is holding back something good and just wants to control us.

But a good parent doesn’t want control for control’s sake. They want their children to obey so they are protected from dangers they do not understand and cannot see.

Let’s remember that the “do nots” are God’s all–knowing hand of protection and keep our eyes on all the freedom he’s given us instead.

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