Freedom

by Howard Partridge.

Driving to Destin I noticed a large motor home with a huge silver panel that simply said “FREEDOM”.

I’m sure that “freedom” means different things to different people, just like “success” does.

Yet, as Americans, we open our eyes each day with a FREEDOM that no other country enjoys.

Yet most Americans are SLAVES.

Slaves to work, slaves to debt, slaves to lust, slaves of our own negative thoughts, slaves to dysfunctional relationships.
We live in a PRISON of our own making.
Why do we do that? In a place where we can wake up and be whoever we want to be, and do whatever we want to do, we put ourselves in these incredible prisons and we feel like there is no way out.
But the fact is that we are already FREE.

One of the elders of my church spoke about his late father who was a prisoner in a Nazi camp. One morning they woke up to find that all of the guards were gone and the gates were wide open. They were free. But what did they do? They sat down. “Is it a trick?” they thought? “Will the townspeople ambush us?”

Because of the FEAR of the unknown, they just sat there until the U.S. rescued them.
What about you? Are you accepting your freedom? Are you taking action, or are you waiting for someone familiar to rescue you? Are you afraid of the unknown?
On July 4^th, I walked outside to the beach. I spent the entire week re-reading Napolean Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” word for word.  (Just for the record, I think the steps in that book are powerful – except some of the later chapters that get a little weird).
On that day, July 4^th – “Independence Day” – “Freedom Day”, I opened the book and to my surprise, there was a story about that day and how the Declaration of Independence came about.
The chapter was on DECISION. In that chapter, Hill told the amazing and inspirational story of a DECISION that two men made. John Hancock and Samuel Adams (if I recall correctly) made a DECISION to form a MASTERMIND with the colonies. Specifically to discuss the treatment of the colonies by the British.
It was because of that DECISION that 2 men made that paved the way for the FREEDOM you enjoy TODAY. The DECISION those two men made that day changed the history of the entire world.
Will you DECIDE for FREEDOM today?
You are FREE. Accept it.
Sure, everyone has problems and challenges, but that is what makes us grow. It gives up “perseverance” and “proven character” and “hope”. And “hope” doesn’t disappoint.
Perhaps you have some real challenges. My friend Ray Davis who died of MS this year, laid in a bed for years. Every time I went to see him, instead of complaining, he lifted me up. He wanted to know about my life. He encouraged everyone around him.
I have a picture in my study of an American slave that I took out of LIFE magazine. Judging by the picture, the man was about 80, and was most likely snatched out of his everyday life in Africa. Put on a slave ship and separated from his family. Sold to the highest bidder.
And do you know, that no matter what happened to him, that there were two places in him that NO ONE could touch… His heart and his mind. They belong to him and God alone.
So, I have that picture to remind me of two things: One, no one can get to my heart or mind without my permission. And second, no matter how I may be tempted to view my life, I will most likely never experience anything as horrible as some.
We should all be grateful for what we have. We should be grateful for the sacrifice that our armed forces are making at this very moment.
I work with lots of small business owners and the challenges that they face put them in an imaginary prison. So each day, you have a choice:
“Will I live in a PRISON?” or “Will I DECIDE that I AM already FREE?”
Every day when I wake up, I don’t feel too good until I get a little Starbuck’s in me. So, I’m thinking about the things I need to do, the things I don’t want to do, and so on. Of course there are those times when something amazing just happened or is about to happen and you spring out of bed full of inspiration, but most often it is a CHOICE. It is a DECISION.

So, I remind myself of the FREEDOM I have.
I remind myself that life is about L.I.F.E. (Living In Freedom Everyday) and every moment. So, I DECIDE that I will set my MIND on things above – things that are pure, things that are lovely, things that are holy. I will focus on the POSSIBILITIES instead of the PROBLEMS.
Sure, problems have to be solved, but it is a choice to THINK about the solution rather than just wallow in the problem.
So wake up Living In Freedom Every day

Bring LIFE to everyone you meet
And you will find that you can Live In Freedom Everyday
Yes, bad things happen. But good things happen too. You cannot live your life by CIRCUMSTANCE. If you do, your life will be a roller coaster , and depending on how you look at things, you may be “down” more than you are “up”.
So, take on the FREEDOM that you have and don’t turn that FREEDOM into a PRISON of your own making.
Live LIFE by making a DECISION
Special Note: I am a believer in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. I don’t believe that you can live in TOTAL freedom without the Holy Spirit guiding you each day and every moment. I am not here to preach, but just for the record, so you know where my inspiration comes from. So, just another suggestion: If you don’t know Christ, He is ready to unlock the gates of the Spiritual Prison.
We can have the Freedom we have as Americans, but there is only one way to Spiritual Freedom. Jesus said “I AM the Truth, I AM the Way, and I AM the LIFE”.
Are you I AM?
 

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