Despite slavery being illegal in every country in the world, there are now more slaves than at any time in human history. More than 27 million people are entrapped by this tragedy. Humans desiring to control other humans has been around since there were just two of us. Slavery is the ultimate corruption of this eternal desire. People want to feel in control. They are not so interested in self-control, a fruit of the Spirit. The lack of self-control or self-leadership leads a corrupt heart that wants to control others.

The control issue originated with the devil himself. In his prideful heart he assumed that he could overtake God and control the throne of heaven. He failed miserably and has taken the desire to control to humanity as he imposes his hellish plan on unsuspecting men and women across earth.

You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.
Isaiah 14:13-15

The children of Israel were slaves multiple times but not because God wanted them to suffer. They made wrong choices including enslaving one another which eventually led to other kingdoms ruling over them. Even their own kingdom was outside the plan of God. In 1 Samuel 8, He warned them that having a king would result in their sons being taken away from them, their possessions being used and their animals taken for the kingdom’s purposes. Instead of working together the Israelites began working for a king who many times did not have their best interest in mind.

Satan ran around earth for a few thousand years causing trouble and enslaving as many as possible without much resistance. That all ended when Jesus the Messiah showed up. His name meant salvation and that was what He was bringing. In one of His first public speeches He proclaimed is mission statement out of Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19

You will notice one of first things listed is “to proclaim liberty to the captives.” As far as priorities go, this a major one for God. Set the slaves free! Satan’s reign is over. Now God’s Kingdom is advancing.

There is an innate desire in man to have dominion. It is a God created desire. He created the earth so that we could expand his Kingdom on it and see it flourish. He wants to work with and through us. Through the fall, sin entered into the hearts of man and distorted the original purpose. Instead of having dominion over all that God had given him, man now tries to exercise control over each other. The most powerful thing that God created was man. The unredeemed man will see this power in his fellow man and try to control it in some fashion.

This lie of controlling others to gain power is actually binding the enslaver more than the enslaved. They think they have power but they cannot enjoy anything they have. Peace is absent. Joy is unable to be found in their hearts. Keeping others from what they were created to be actually shrinks the world of the slave master. Their view is clouded by lies and greed and can only be set free by the saving grace of Jesus.

God gave man to each other to partner together – first as man and wife, then as a family and finally as a community. This unity creates great power especially under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Limitless power is available to us through partnering together, championing one another and fighting for righteous causes side by side. The blindness of sin keeps the world from seeing this so they default back to trying to control each other.

When we are actively working together building the Kingdom of God, we assist each other in awakening the God dreams inside of us. We are supposed to have dominion over the ground God has given us. It starts with the seed form in our hearts and continues on until we are walking in our promise land. With the ability to lead ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit, our dreams will move forward. Otherwise we will begin to focus outwardly and how we need other people to do something in order for success to come. With God as our focus and heart set on His purposes, the right people to help us will come alongside of us.

Slavery may be in larger numbers than ever today. The enemy may be trying to control the hearts of man more than ever but every single day he loses. Every day the kingdom of God wins. It is advancing. It is advancing through you as you follow hard after the ways of God. It is advancing through your family as your purposes are multiplied together. It is advancing through your church as a unified body of sold-out believers realizes the potential inside them. It is advancing in your community, city, state and nation as churches see that we are not separate. We are one body called to reign as righteous rulers.

The United States declared its liberty 235 years ago and the world has never been the same. Through the providence of God, America was established to be a beacon of freedom to every country. No other nation has ever seen the unprecedented prosperity, ingenuity, equality and liberty that the U.S. has experienced. The unique quality of America is that she has provided the opportunity of success to anyone that chose to pursue it. Our land is filled with inspiring stories of men and women who came from nothing and made something great of their lives.

For those of us that have been blessed to only know American freedom, it is hard to understand its magnitude. The uprisings this year in the Middle East remind us that many people around the world are far from the liberty we enjoy. Ordinary citizens are willing to sacrifice their lives for a chance at freedom. That is how our country was formed. Because of that fight for freedom, today ordinary citizens are able to build their businesses, raise their families and pursue their dreams.

Sure, America has its issues and has not always done the right thing, but Independence Day is about celebrating the victories of freedom that greatly outnumber the defeats. Those that choose to look only at the negatives will always have poor vision. America has faults because it is made up of imperfect people. We may be flawed but we are free.

We are free to choose what we do, who we spend time with, where we live and who we worship. Unfortunately, many in other parts of the world cannot do these things. The Fourth of July is a time to bring to the forefront the reality that we are blessed to have these freedoms. Celebrate it, cherish it and most importantly do not ever forget to enjoy it. Enjoying freedom means taking advantage of its opportunities. If you don’t like something, change it. If you have a dream, make it happen.

America is beautiful. Not just because it is the good ole USA. But because it is made up of a diverse passionate people who are free to live life to the fullest. Celebrate freedom every day. Fight for it everyday. Live it everyday. Freedom is everything.

Have a blessed and happy Independence Day!

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!