#soap # Jeremiah 34 ## Title: Step One: Ownership ## Scripture: (Jeremiah 34:17-18) So I, the Lord, say: “You have not really obeyed me and granted freedom to your neighbor and fellow countryman. Therefore, I will grant you freedom, the freedom to die in war, or by starvation, or disease. I, the Lord, affirm it! I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to you. I will punish those people who have violated their covenant with me. I will make them like the calf they cut in two and passed between its pieces. I will do so because they did not keep the terms of the covenant they made in my presence. (NET) ## Observation: I once heard someone say that the first step toward freedom is to take an honest assessment of where you are. Many times we feel like a victim and “prisoner” because we feel out of control. The first step toward freedom is to take an honest assessment of where you are, what is within your control, and what is not. God is doing the nation of Israel a favor in telling them that judgment is coming due to their sin. He is showing them where they are so they know where to go from there. If they don’t know why bad things are happening, they are helpless to do anything about it. However, if they realize this is of their own making, they know what to do to fix it. They should honor the covenant and return to God. What does this have to do with us? Is it possible that the Lord shows us our sin, not because He is trying to rub our noses in it, but so we know the pathway to freedom? ## Application: Realize that the first step toward freedom is to take an honest assessment of where you are. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for showing us the way to freedom.