#012: The Law of Liberty

Welcome, Family

We've been wrestling with something all week: In a world that calls boundaries "toxic" and calls God's law "outdated," how do we live as people under the law of liberty?

Between cultural debates about absolute truth and AI ethics dominating our feeds, we kept coming back to James 2:12. The Spirit was highlighting something we can't ignore: we're called to speak and act as those who will be judged under the law of liberty.

Not legalism. Not license. Liberty.

🍞 This Week's Bread

• ⚖️ The Sign: What AI ethics debates reveal about our need for absolute truth

• 📖 The Word: James 2:12 and why the Ten Commandments are freedom, not restriction

• 🌍 The Witness: The 1960s "Summer of Love" and what happens when we reject God's boundaries

• 🔥 The Work: 3 reflection questions for living under the law of liberty

• ⚡ Midweek Power:Wednesday night prayer and breaking through moral confusion

• 🙏 Prayer Corner: Breakthroughs and intercession from the community

⏳ The Sign

Every day brings new debates about AI ethics, deepfakes, and who gets to decide what's "right." Tech leaders are scrambling to create guidelines for artificial intelligence while simultaneously rejecting the idea of absolute moral truth.

We're watching Silicon Valley try to build ethical frameworks without acknowledging the One who authored ethics in the first place.

The irony isn't lost on us: a generation that rejected God's law is now desperately trying to create their own version of commandments for machines. But you can't build lasting ethics on shifting cultural sand.

📖 The Word

The Ten Commandments aren't God's way of ruining your fun. They're His way of protecting your freedom.

Think about it: "Don't steal" protects property and trust. "Don't lie" protects relationships and society. "Don't commit adultery" protects families and hearts. "Honor your parents" protects generational wisdom and stability.

These aren't arbitrary rules from an uptight deity. They're the operating manual for human flourishing.

James calls it "the law of liberty" because real freedom comes from knowing the boundaries. A fish is free in water, not on land. We're free when we align with how God designed us to live.

The world tells us rules are restrictive. God tells us rules are protective. When we speak and act knowing we'll be judged by His perfect standard, we're not walking in fear—we're walking in wisdom.

🌍 The Witness

In 1967, San Francisco's "Summer of Love" promised freedom through rejecting traditional boundaries. Young people flooded Haight-Ashbury, believing that love without limits would create paradise on earth.

The movement started with idealistic goals: peace, love, and breaking free from societal constraints. But by 1968, the district had become a nightmare of drug overdoses, violent crime, and exploitation.

The promise of "if it feels good, do it" led to broken lives, not liberation. The rejection of moral boundaries didn't create freedom, it created chaos.

Local pastor Leon Harris watched it happen. He later wrote, "They came seeking freedom but found bondage. They rejected the law of God and discovered the tyranny of their own desires."

We're seeing the same pattern today. A culture that calls God's commandments "oppressive" while drowning in anxiety, depression, and moral confusion.

The tragedy isn't that people want freedom. It's that they're looking for it in all the wrong places.

🔥 The Work

Three questions we're wrestling with, and we invite you to join us:

1. How do I speak and act differently knowing I'll be judged under the law of liberty? This isn't about fear, it's about intentionality. Are your words building up or tearing down? Are your actions reflecting God's character or your own impulses?

2. Which of God's commandments have I been treating as "suggestions"? Be honest. Are you honoring your parents? Speaking truth? Keeping God first? The law of liberty requires we take all ten seriously, not just the ones that feel convenient.

3. Where am I seeking freedom in the wrong places? Maybe it's relationships without commitment, success without integrity, or pleasure without purpose. True liberty comes from alignment with God's design, not rebellion against it.

⚡ Midweek Power

Wednesday night prayer (July 16th, 8-9 PM ET) has been breakthrough central for navigating moral confusion.

We've been seeing people get clarity on decisions they've been wrestling with for months, receiving wisdom for situations where the world offers no clear answers.

There's something about bringing our moral struggles to God in community. He doesn't just give us rules, He gives us His heart behind the rules.

Come ready to pray for discernment, for courage to live differently, and for breakthrough in areas where compromise has crept in.

🙏 Prayer Corner

We're interceding for:

• Wisdom to live under the law of liberty, not legalism or license

• Young adults struggling with moral confusion in a relativistic culture

• Leaders in tech and media making ethical decisions without biblical foundations

• Our community members seeking God's heart behind His commandments

Reply with your prayer requests. We read every one and carry them into our midweek gatherings.

📅 What's Next

Friday, July 18 (8-10 PM ET): Virtual Bible Study on Zoom: Link here

Missed Friday night? Reply "REPLAY" and we'll send you the June 27 session recording.

📣 Take Action

Forward this to someone who's been confused about God's law vs. God's love.

Follow @mogakaeventsministry on Instagram for daily encouragement and biblical clarity.

DM us for prayer or if you need wisdom about a specific moral decision.

✝️ Final Word

God's commandments aren't chains, they're guardrails. They're not meant to limit your life but to protect it. They're not restrictions on your freedom but the very foundation of it.

In a world that's lost its moral compass, we get to live by true north. We get to speak and act as those who know we're accountable to perfect justice and perfect love.

The law of liberty isn't about earning salvation, it's about expressing gratitude. It's not about fear, it's about freedom. It's not about performance, it's about partnership with the One who loves us enough to show us how to live.

With you always,
Mogaka Events Ministry

P.S. P.S. Don't let the culture convince you that God's boundaries are bondage. The same God who gave us the commandments gave us His Son. His law flows from His love, and His love fulfills His law. You're not under condemnation—you're under construction, being shaped into the image of the One who is both perfectly just and perfectly merciful.

Come As You Are is a Spirit-led devotional for young adults hungry for God's presence. Written by Ravi Patel and Chris Mogaka.