Every year in the US on July 4th, we gather together for parades, fireworks, hamburgers, and watermelon.
In 1870, the US Congress made the 4th of July a federal holiday. This holiday reflects our nation’s patriotism regarding our freedom.
As Americans, we celebrate the anniversary date that the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence, which was on July 4, 1776.
Did you know that it was seven years after the Declaration of Independence was signed that Americans were actually set free from British rule?
A peace treaty that formally recognized the independence of the United States was signed on September 3, 1783.
I find it interesting that we do not celebrate September 3rd as the anniversary date that the United States became its own nation, but instead we celebrate the anniversary date that we declared it before it actually came to pass—July 4th.
That reminds me of Romans 4:17, “… God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (NKJV).
And Job 22:28, “You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you.”
Interestingly, this is what the forefathers of our nation did. They declared some things in writing to the Supreme Judge of the world. They wrote:
“We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right out to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown…”
Then they signed it.
We can learn and apply spiritual lessons from the actions of our nation’s forefathers.
First, they wrote out their declaration and signed it. They were no longer able to live as God intended for them to live under British rule. So they declared God’s ways to be more sovereign than the king’s ways.
In the spiritual realm, the enemy subjects us to his rule through fear, worry, anxiety, poor health, lack of provision, captivity and so forth. If we are under the enemy’s influence in any way, we can write out our declaration of independence from his tyrannical rule and declare our freedom.
Revelation 12:11 tells us that we overcome the accuser by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. We have victory by the Blood of Jesus Christ and the Word of God, which is our testimony. But we need to declare it!
Second, we must fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12). Like our nation’s founders fought for years before the peace treaty was signed and freedom became reality, we must fight in the spirit realm as long as it takes trusting God to bring His promises into our reality.
And lastly, we must celebrate our declaration and never give up hope in what our God will do. Immediately after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the colonists celebrated. Then the following year in the midst of an ongoing war, they celebrated with concerts, bonfires, parades, and firing of cannons, with public readings of the Declaration of Independence.
As believers in Christ, we must continue offer up praise, celebrating our God who sends forth His Word through our declarations to accomplish what He sent it to do His will (see Isaiah 55:11).
So as you celebrate our nation’s freedom on the 4th of July, I encourage you to:
- write out your declarations of freedom from the enemy based on the word of God
- continue to fight the good fight of faith by continually making your declarations and never give up hope
- offer praise to God to celebrate the freedoms He gave us through Jesus Christ
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1 NKJV).
