My friend Gene was in prison for 37 years for a murder that someone else committed. The day he was released, he immediately took a plane to Texas. He didn’t check the weather or wonder if his baggage would make it or hang around for just one more cup of penitentiary coffee—he was free! When you’re free, you get out of there!
Freedom is exhilarating…an atmosphere and attitude of joy…an unrestrained life.
Freedom is the amazing gift Jesus Christ has given to every believer—so why would we keep hanging around the prison? Paul wrote:
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5).
Christ has set us free…to be free! When you’re free, you get out of there! Paul wrote:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9 NKJV).
Jesus gave you and me freedom—part of that freedom is a faith that sets us free from fear. Faith always defeats fear. The attack of the enemy is to bring fear continually against us. We’re negative by nature so it’s easy to shove us into fear. DON’T GO THERE! You’re out, so stay out!
God said to Israel and says to us, “Fear not for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10).
Freedom is bold. Freedom is about doing what we’ve been set free to do.
Jesus said the man with faith can speak to every great obstacle of his life with the word of God:
Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:22, 23 NKJV).
We are believers. Believers in what? Believers in every word Jesus taught us. So, what part of his Word do you not believe? If we believe everything Jesus taught, then we must not only be believers, we must be disciples. What does a disciple do? Disciples do the work!
If you didn’t fear failure, how bold would you be in your decisions for 2019?
Get bold!! Speak in faith. Negative complaining is the language of failure. Positive believing is the language of overcoming power. Declare the words of the Lord over your life, like this: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13).
Years ago a wonderful friend motivated dozens of young men to follow their dreams into their destinies. I thought Dr. Ed Neteland must have a special formula, a depth of counsel that was otherworldly. One day I asked him, “Ed, how does that happen? How do you advise them?”
He said he would simply sit the young man down in his boardroom with a piece of paper and a pen—then ask two things:
What would you do if money were not an issue?
What would you attempt if you knew you would not fail?
“Then,” he said, “I tell them to come back to me when they have their answers written down. That starts the process of reframing their goals and dreams.” This exercise invigorates faith—it makes us truly stand up and see what God is capable of, not just us.
I stood on the ski slopes of an Olympic practice run in Calgary, Canada with Jim Hunter, an Olympic medalist and world champion skier. It was icy, dangerous. I felt that at any moment I could lose my balance and roll to the bottom of the mountain. Yet, Jim was about to ski down that course as fast as possible—sometimes exceeding 70 miles per hour.
I asked Jim, “How do you get the guts, the nerve to do that?” He said, “Paul, when I’m getting ready, I begin to trust my training, my equipment, and my skill. Then, I ski with reckless abandon.”
I never forgot that … it’s the key to going after the dreams, goals, and visions that God has put into your heart. Trust your God, the equipment of His Word, and the gift he’s put inside you, then GO DO IT WITH RECKLESS ABANDON.
This is not just something for “A-list” people, or some famous guy or some man with great charisma. This is for every man including you and me!
The Spirit of God has anointed you and me with the same anointing that was on the life of Jesus Christ. He has sent us to set free captives and make a declaration of freedom and faith over our family, our business, our friends, our giftings, our talents, and our entire life.
What to do in 2019? GO BOLD
