FreedomSample

THE LIFE OF FREEDOM (MODULE 4)

Freedom is not just a moment but a lifestyle. It may come in an instant, however, the life of freedom requires daily decisions and commitments to live differently. This gives us hope for our future, knowing that we don't have to live bound and stuck, but we have the opportunity to walk in freedom every single day of our lives. So now that you have experienced freedom, where do we go from here? What happens if our old way of life starts to creep in? And more importantly, how do I stay free?

CLOSENESS

Staying close to God is one of the most important keys you will ever have in your life. We can never underestimate the power of reading our bible, praying to God, and spending time in personal worship. This personal time with God is the fuel for every area of your life. If you imagine your life as a tree, and the branches of the tree being the different areas of your life (for example being a parent, being a spouse, being an employee, being a volunteer, being a friend etc), then the only way to bear fruit in each branch is to make sure the trunk of the tree is healthy. I'm here to remind you that the trunk of your tree is your relationship with God. It is the thing that gives life and sustains every other area. So if the trunk is healthy, so is the tree.

In the last decade, a study was done amongst Christian leaders who had either fallen in ministry or been removed from leadership. The only common denominator amongst over 90% of those leaders was the decline in their personal relationship with God. Over time they had stopped investing in their walk with God, and their relationship with God had moved down the priority list as they began to focus more on other things. It is funny that even after 15 years of ministry, the most important thing we do in our lives is the same thing we did when we first started following Jesus: spending time with Him.

Matthew 6:33 reminds us to seek first His kingdom, and everything else we worry about will be added to us. This tells me that the most important thing in my life is to seek God before anything else. In fact, this has become my personal priority in my daily life. Despite being a night person, I am a big believer in having a quiet time in the morning. At a minimum, I try to spend 30 minutes with God every morning to pray, to read and to spend time in worship. I find that this sets up my whole day, it keeps me sharp, it keeps me clear and realigns what I value most. In the same way that we build relationships with people, developing habits and instilling rhythms into your life where you prioritize time with God has been the key to developing a close and intimate relationship with Him. Our job is to make room for God in our lives.

COMMUNITY

Another key is finding a strong community. This is because the biggest mistake we make in our lives is trying to do everything alone. If you have ever lifted weights at the gym, you would understand the importance of community. The further you go in your workout, the harder things can become. As you get towards the end of the set that is where the pain begins to set in. Your arms start to burn, your hands begin to shake, your muscles begin to sting, and the weight becomes unbearable. It is at this point that you need what we call a ‘spotter’. A spotter is someone who assists you in lifting the weight when it becomes too hard to lift on your own. A spotter will not only support the weight but they will make sure you use the right technique to protect you from injury. And this is a picture of what community should be for us. When we are struggling in life, we need someone who is going to come and take the weight. We need community because we WILL face challenges, and things WILL get hard, and we all need people in our lives who will cover us, protect us but also help carry us in different seasons.

There is so much scripture that reminds us how much we need community. Romans 12 tells us that we are all a body made up of different members that need each other. Ecclesiastes 4 tells us that 'two are better than one'. Proverbs 27:17 reminds us that 'iron sharpens iron', reminding us that we need each other to sharpen and grow together. Galatians 6:2 tells us to 'bear one another's burden'. Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us to 'never neglect meeting one another', instead instructing us to encourage each other.

This is why we need community. To get to where God wants us, we need to have people in our lives that will help get us there. This is why being a part of a church community and even committed to a connect group is key. The church is our community of 'spotters'. We exist to serve each other, encourage each other, and build each other up in Christ. The moment things get hard, we rely on each other. When sin starts to creep in we get accountable with each other, and when you feel like you can't go on, this is where we speak life to each other.

CONSISTENCY

Consistency is the value that ties this all together. Like any area of your life, consistency is the key. The key to a healthy marriage is consistent communication. The key to weight loss is a consistent diet. The key to fitness is consistent training. The key to musicianship is consistent practice. In every area of life, consistency is the key.

I recently spoke to a professional athlete about his training. At an elite level, most of his time is not spent in the weight room working on the big muscle groups but is spent doing band work, where he stretches and works on improving his body's capacity to function 1-2% better than it did before. Elite athletes are not working on big drastic changes, but they work on small incremental changes that will improve their performance over time.

Being consistent in your relationship with God will change your life. Lasting change doesn't come in the big moments but in the daily decisions. The choice to read your bible when you first wake up, the choice to get to church even though the weather isn't great, the choice to not watch that movie so you don't end up in a cycle of sin, the choice to not send that message that will position you to make a regretful decision, the choice to not spend time with those friends that will keep you in a toxic environment. These consistent choices change your life.

Freedom is your inheritance, freedom is your call, but freedom is also your choice. You now have the tools to live in freedom, and our prayer is that you would not just walk but run in the freedom that Jesus died to give you. Sin has no power over you. You are more than a conqueror. And what used to hold you, doesn't hold you anymore. WELCOME TO FREEDOM.