Be-Cast Episode 3: BE FREE
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I used to think two things about freedom in regards to Christianity and Jesus: One is that I was free from hell for eternity (which was definitely, you know, whew); and the other was…well, that was really sort of all.
For the longest time, all freedom in Christ meant to me was free from sin and the consequences that came with it — death. Which in my mind then just equaled not doing sinful things.
It wasn’t until much, much, much later when I realized that freedom in Christ wasn’t the absence of the bad things but also the presence of the great things. (tweet)
Being still, sinking into and relaxing into God is what brings us true freedom. Because when we first pause to be still we learn to know by experience who He is. And when we know who He is, we trust who He is. And when we trust who He is, we experience true freedom.
And what is the truest freedom there is? Freedom from bondage.
- When we know God, we’re free from the bondage of worry, because we trust He will take care of us.
- When we know God, we’re free from the bondage of fear, because we trust perfect love casts out fear.
- When we know God, we’re free from the bondage of insecurity, because we trust we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
It’s the flip-flop that we always talk about — knowing Him first leads to trusting Him. We can’t trust Him until we know Him.
Jesus talks about this in John 8:32 when He says “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” But we tend to isolate that verse when it’s really part of a whole other idea. Verse 32 is it’s own verse, but not it’s own sentence.
If you back up to John 8:31, Jesus says, “If you hear my voice and abide in my word, you are truly My disciples [SEMICOLON]; you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, emphasis mine)
Jesus is saying to first hear His voice, then to abide in His word and by doing that we are His disciples (PAUSE); we will know the truth and then be set free. One sentence. Two ideas separated by a pause, not a stop. A Greek version of selah, if you will.
It’s as if those verses are the New Testament version of be still and know that He is God.
We’ll know the truth and be set free WHEN we first hear and then abide.
The thing about truly abiding with Christ and knowing He is God is that it changes our heart. We no longer view life through the lens of “I can’t” — instead, we see life through the lens of “I will.” (tweet) It’s no longer “I can’t do these things” but instead is “I will walk in freedom, unburdened by shame, guilt, fear and insecurity.”
As we do every week, we want to wrap up with practical application — ways to take the concept of being and funnel it down to put into your back pocket to use in everyday life. These applications will encourage us to learn how to BE in God.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
1. Identify an area you want freedom in. Find one Bible verse that will help you pursue freedom in that area, and put in on a card or sticky note and put it everywhere as a reminder to you that God desires freedom for you.
2. What is your story of freedom? Spend 10-15 minutes writing out as a prayer of praise to God a story of freedom in your life. Write about a time God delivered, restored or saved you and brought freedom into your life. Sometimes we need to remember how He provided in the past in order to trust Him for today.
3. What do you want your next story of freedom to look like? Who do you envision yourself being when your are free from _________? We all have that image of that woman we want to become in our mind’s eye — what does she look like? How does she carry herself? Spend 10-15 minutes writing out in detail what you envision yourself looking like being absolutely free. (Monica wrote a blog post about this recently; you can read it here.)
PRINTABLE: Download this week’s printable and put it up everywhere — the fridge, your bathroom, your car. Let it permeate your mind and heart and soul.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Here are a few other resources that we think are awesome regarding BE FREE:
- The Habits of Supremely Happy People. This is the article Monica referenced on the podcast.
- Breaking Free. A book and Bible study by Beth Moore. AMAZING in helping you break free forever from strongholds.
- Get Out of That Pit. Another Beth book. When it comes to freedom, she’s pretty much going to be your girl.
- Sara found this graphic and we just loved it — it’s the perfect illustration of what happens when we pause to be still and know; we can tell when God is speaking and when Satan is.
You are all amazing.
Monica
What do you think? Is the concept of true freedom one that is challenging for you to embrace? Leave us a comment at the bottom right and let us know your thoughts!