Author: Kristen Kansiewicz, LMHC

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1 Peter 1:6-7

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

God doesn’t do fake happy. You know, the smile you put on when someone says, “How are you?” and you say “good” as you keep walking? God has a depth of gladness for you that is supernatural. You know it’s not from this world because it is the result of going through trials. Wait, what? Deep gladness? From trials? As I said, it is supernatural.

Satan is out to prove that your faith is fake. We see this in the Bible with Job — Satan essentially made a bet with God that Job would turn on Him the second his life wasn’t working out for him. Fortunately, Job’s faith stood the test and God was sure to reward his incredibly enduring faith. What exactly is it that we are going for in this faith-walk of ours? A share in the glory of Christ.

Here’s your freedom for today: let your faith count for something.

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Here’s your freedom for today: let your faith count for something. Anyone can praise God when life is going well. Anyone can love the people who are nice to them. Anyone can go to church or read their Bible or pray when life is going along smoothly. It’s when we are tested that our faith actually means something (or doesn’t). If you are going through a hard time right now, fight for your faith. Cling to your faith. Don’t let Satan think for one second he can pry it out of your hands or out of your life. The hope of Jesus is the only hope there is. Don’t lose it in the midst of a battle, guard it with everything you’ve got.

The hope of Jesus is the only hope there is. Don’t lose it in the midst of a battle, guard it with everything you’ve got.

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1 Peter 1:3-5

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.”

Peter refers to a concept of being “born again,” words that are used several times in the New Testament but have been culturalized in some negative ways in American society. What does it mean to be “born again”? This was the exact question of Nicodemus in John 3, and Jesus describes a new kind of birth through the Holy Spirit. We now understand this more clearly in a post-Pentecost world as we know that every believer personally receives the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of salvation. It is your birth into the kingdom of God that is possible through Jesus’ resurrection.

When we are born into God’s kingdom, we become heirs to a great inheritance. God is keeping it safe for us and will reveal this prize on the last day. The world will know the one true God and every knee will bow to him in worship. In the famous book Great Expectations, a woman lives for years wearing her wedding dress after her wedding is called off. We live in clothes of mercy, kindness, gentleness, and patience as we wait with great expectation for a celebration that will continue for all eternity.

Here’s your freedom for today: God has written you into his will.

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Here’s your freedom for today: God has written you into his will. He isn’t going to die, but he has a great inheritance he wants to share with you. And his will is not a legal paper, but it is the ultimate desire of the most powerful God and King. You are in his will, your salvation and eternal life is in his will. But he is not a dictator. He is announcing here well in advance of the end of the world that he has this inheritance for you. He has invited you to follow him and to enter into his kingdom through a birth like no other. Just come to him to claim your true identity as a co-heir with Jesus.

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1 Peter 1:1-2 — NEW SERIES!

“This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.”

Those of you who have been reading Freedom For Today for a while will know Peter well from our Luke/Acts series. He was the impulsive disciple, by Jesus’ side more than just about anyone else, who turned into the bold and outspoken apostle. Peter doesn’t mince words now that he fully understands his mission (something he may have been confused about a time or two when Jesus was still on earth).

In these first verses of Peter’s first letter to the early Christians scattered throughout the Middle East and Asia, he doesn’t waste any time jumping into some complex theology. He lists five key truths that are too important to gloss over: God knew you long ago, he chose you, his Spirit has made you holy, you have obeyed in following Christ, and your sins have been cleansed. Gospel message in a sentence.

Here’s your freedom for today: God is on a mission to set you free.

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Here’s your freedom for today: God is on a mission to set you free. He knows you. He knows his church. He chose human beings to be his image-bearers and rise up to follow him. When you receive the Holy Spirit, you are made holy because his Spirit dwells inside you. Your body becomes his temple. In that temple, just as was true in the Jewish Temple, sins are cleansed through the offering of a sacrifice. Jesus became that sacrifice for all of us, which is why we no longer have to go to a priest with animals to be killed on our behalf. God has given us grace and peace. He wants to give you more and more of it. Walk in the freedom of his new measures of grace and peace today.

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Immanuel Series — Day 15

Matthew 2:1-12

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
    are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
    who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 1They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Although their journey likely took about two years, the days from Christmas to Epiphany represent the waiting for the wise men. Today we celebrate the arrival of the wise men, who were from “eastern lands” and who were smart enough for a jealous king to consider them potentially useful. These men knew the stars, and they had discovered the appearance of a new star in the sky. In those days, stars provided direction, light, and clues into the heavenly realms. What’s interesting is that these eastern men followed the star and worshiped Jesus. Their study did not detach them from the supernatural, but rather connected them to heavenly activity.

Here’s your freedom for today: Jesus reveals himself to all people.

The wise men were looking for clues in the sky, much like some look for “signs” today. Is there a God? How did we get here? What happens when we die? The truth is not limited only to scholars, and in fact Jesus appealed to the illiterate masses much of the time while he was on earth. It doesn’t matter who you are: Jew, Gentile, intelligent, uneducated, popular, rejected, or anything in between. Jesus came for you. And God has revealed himself and continues to reveal himself in multiple ways so that all may know him. As we move into prayers for the New Year tomorrow, I pray that you will connect with the Spirit more deeply and discover God’s truth in new ways in 2019!

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Immanuel Series — Day 14

Revelation 22:1-6, 17

Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. 

Tomorrow we celebrate Epiphany, representing the coming of the Wise Men to Jesus — the first non-Jews to encounter the Savior. Today we reflect on prophetic words from the book of Revelation, the last book in the Bible. Throughout this series we have taken note of the fact that God dwells with us in a new way since Jesus’ time on earth through the gift of the Holy Spirit to each follower of Jesus. We have walked through example after example of God’s effort to dwell with his people, albeit imperfectly, while sin and death created separation from God. Of course we know that even with the Holy Spirit given to us, we continue to live in an in-between world, full of sin and brokenness. This passage from Revelation speaks of a completion of God’s mission — a time when we will fully dwell with him once again.

Here’s your freedom for today: God’s not done yet.

It’s easy to wonder where God is in this chaotic and fallen world. Why hasn’t he come to rescue us? Is he allowing suffering, or even worse causing it? These verses give us a sense of the bigger picture: God’s kingdom flows with medicine that will heal the nations. The curse will be over. All who desire to come will be welcomed. God’s kingdom has doors that are wide open, and Jesus himself is calling all who are thirsty to come. How spiritually thirsty are you? Have you responded to this invitation from Immanuel?