On the Fourth of July we celebrate Independence Day, the day when America obtained her independence and freedom from Great Britain. As every military veteran knows, “Freedom isn’t Free.” Freedom costs something. The freedoms we enjoy were purchased for us by the lives of men and women in our military. Further, the cost of abiding freedom is eternal vigilance. Freedom must be guarded and treasured for, if it isn’t, it will be lost or stolen. I have printed a complete list of the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution below so you can know the freedoms for which the patriots died to guarantee.

What is true of physical freedom is equally true of spiritual freedom. Jesus Christ came to set us free. In His first public message, Jesus declared, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18, 19). Freedom was the centerpiece of His ministry. Jesus came to free those enslaved to sin. How? How would He free slaves of sin? Jesus told the believing Jews, “Hold to my teaching . . . then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free . . . if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:31, 32, 36). Men and women would know the truth; the truth that Jesus is Emmanuel, “God with us.” All who come to Him He will free from bondage to sin and those whom He has set free will be freed eternally. Freedom, especially spiritual freedom, isn’t free. Jesus paid for it with His life.

Just like physical freedom, the cost of abiding spiritual freedom is eternal vigilance. The devil would steal our freedom from us in a heartbeat! He wants to enslave us to sin. Wars are won when battles are won. To win the war for purity we must win daily battles against the enemy of our souls. Just like any army, we need weapons and supplies to win those battles. That’s where NCFP comes in. NCFP plays the role of quartermaster to the Lord’s army. Wikipedia says, “In land armies, quartermaster is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit, who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops.” That’s us. NCFP supplies the troops with what they need to fight the battles and win the war. That is our ministry.