Before I begin, please read this excerpt on Freedom by John Piper and the Bible:
Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”(John 8:31–32)…
…Here are four things that need to be true if we are going to be fully free.
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If you don’t have the desire to do a thing, you are not fully free to do it. Oh, you may muster the willpower to do what you don’t want to do, but nobody calls that full freedom. It’s not the way we want to live. There is a constraint and pressure on us that we don’t want.
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And if you have the desire to do something, but no ability to do it, you are not free to do it.
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And if you have the desire and the ability to do something, but no opportunity to do it, you are not free to do it.
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And if you have the desire to do something, and the ability to do it, and the opportunity to do it, but it destroys you in the end, you are not fully free — not free indeed — when you do it.
To be fully free, we must have the desire, the ability, and the opportunity to do what will make us happy forever. No regrets. And only Jesus, the Son of God who died and rose for us, can make that possible.
If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36).
Jesus has all power and authority to set you free. After reading this from John Piper, I really took some time to see what this looked like in my life. For me, bondage looks like distraction and shame. But God. “because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3.
I am so thankful for the freedom God has given me and Christ, and that He wants to give you, as well! Freedom to be joined with Him in His amazing plan for redemption. Freedom to be a part of His story. That, really, is what the World Race means to me. As I prepare to leave in less than 2 weeks, I remember that (1) God has given me this desire to go. (2) God has healed me from infirmity that previous held me back from going to make me physically able. (3) God has opened door after door as funds have come from places I never would have known, and will continue to do so as I still have more than 30% left to raise (click here to donate). (4) God has given me faith to know that I will not be torn, broken, or shaken to the point of destruction that Satan wants of me as I go. God is here. God is with me. I am ready to go!
Be free, friends.
