September 12, 2010
subscribe, view past issues and Get Releasing Kings
I don’t think
it’s possible to understand freedom apart from the freedom we have in
Christ.
Our founders understood the connection between the heart of
God and the
natural
yearning in the hearts of men and women to be free. We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that
among these
are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. (“unalienable” - cannot
be sold
or transferred) And
for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the
protection of
Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our
Fortunes,
and our sacred Honor. Roots of Freedom - Freedom is the
very nature of the
Kingdom of God; oppression is the essence of the kingdom of darkness.
Wherever
the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. Wherever freedom exists,
people
naturally gravitate toward Jesus. Spiritual and natural warfare is
always about
the enemy motivating an oppressed people to oppress others. God is
always in
the business of setting the captives free. We should not be too
surprised when
these forces collide and, as Christians, we shouldn’t be passive about
standing
in, and defending, freedom. It’s a Biblical mandate. God gave us a free
will
and some people are going to choose the wrong team and they are
demonically motivated
to take away your freedom. You will have to decide whether and when to
defend
the boundaries of your own freedom. Stand
fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do
not be
entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Gal 5:1-2 NKJV Religious
oppression - It can be even more complicated. There are
times when people on
your own team will encroach upon your freedom. "Religions"
(Christianity,
Judaism, Islam, etc.) do have a reputation for legalism (oppression of
the
heart) - getting people to do what they don't want to do. However, real
and
Biblical spirituality, premised on a relationship with Jesus, is
learning to
pursue your heart's desires and finding the will of God in the same
endeavors.
We live for a purpose larger than ourselves and we live to see personal
dreams
come true. It's exciting! The
creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.
For the
creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by
the will
of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be
liberated
from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the
children
of God. Rom 8:18-21 NIV But
whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord
is the
Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Cor
3:16-17
NIV The Cost
of
Freedom - Jesus came to set the captives free. Think about
that concept. Real
freedom costs money. You can be totally saved, spirit-filled and on
your way to
Heaven. But, if you live in poverty you are really a slave to a job or
a
handout, unable to attain your dreams. We don't deny the freedom that
comes
with salvation, the freedom we experience in worship, and the freedom
that
comes from loving relationships. Those things don't cost money. I'm
simply
suggesting that "abundance" includes the financial flexibility to be
"free" to ______. You can fill in the blank. "The
Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good
news to
the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and
recovery of
sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year
of the
Lord's favor." Luke
4:18-19 I
came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10 NASU Why some choose
poverty - I've
experienced the chagrin of
showing people ways to multiply their finances only to have them say,
"No
thanks." Why? Freedom is spelled r-e-s-p-o-n-s-i-b-i-l-i-t-y. The
freedom
to be entrepreneurial, multiply finances, take risks and pursue your
dream
always implies trying... with the possibility of failure. Risk is
something
many people won't tolerate. It feels safer to choose the path of least
resistance, lay low and do what we've always done or what others
expect. Some
actually choose religious or political oppression! Listen to what that
attitude
sounds like. All
the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly
said to
them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the LORD
bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives
and
children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go
back to
Egypt?" And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and
go back to Egypt." Num 14:2-4 NIV The
Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in
Egypt!
There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but
you have
brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to
death."
Ex 16:3 NIV Failure is good!
- Want to know a
secret? Failure can
motivate us to succeed. We can learn from mistakes. Truly free
societies are
always predicated on free markets where some succeed and some don't.
Breaking
the stronghold of poverty in a culture or a nation can't be done with
handouts
or trying to protect people from failures. We all need to learn
responsibility.
If we don't, poverty is a guarantee. Dictators, communists, and
socialists don't create wealth or freedom for their people. They
oppress them into
poverty and subservience. Let me say it
politically... the Kingdom
of God uses “free”
market capitalism to create the wealth that is used for ministry.
Socialism
pretends to have a heart for the poor, but reliance on the state
eliminates
wealth creation and discourages responsibility from entire cultures and
nations. People who have come out from under the tyranny of communism
are often
left still wanting their government (or somebody) to provide for them.
Freedom
from oppression doesn't automatically translate to personal initiative
and
responsibility. We have to embrace the responsibility that comes with
freedom. Suggestion - If you're
saved (and free), I can
assure you that you have, are, or soon will be exposed to the trials
and
discouragement that go with failure. You already know that. What you
may not
know is that those setbacks can be used to lay a foundation in your
character
for success. That's the genius of freedom. We can fail and succeed. You
are
guaranteed your fair share of failures - HELLO! However, all of
creation is
waiting with eager expectation to see you use your freedom to move
beyond your
failures and succeed personally... and then to use that success as
leverage to
help others succeed as well. It's fun and it includes finances. It's
ministry! And
not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that
tribulation
brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and
proven
character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God
has been
poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to
us. Rom 5:3-5 NASU If you take a
risk, encounter a few failures and stick with it, you will not be
disappointed.
God, Himself will promote you into things like wisdom and wealth and
influence
and long life for the sake of the Kingdom and because he loves you and
because
he loves the captives you will set free. You just have to sign up for
the cost
of admission. Bust a few doors down! It
was for freedom that Christ set us free... Gal 5:1 NASU PS: You may
also enjoy the video
version of this newsletter.
Desire to Destiny is available now at our store along with reviews. Not sure what your dream is? This book will help you pull the curtain back on your future. Newsletter - If your newsletter comes incomplete (filtered), you can always catch the latest version in our archive along with 200 others. 1800+ people from around the world get Kingly encouragement from our weekly newsletter. Invite a friend to subscribe - they will be blessed. How to Start a Small Group - Kings are increasingly getting involved in Bible study or mentoring groups to facilitate their "Release." Here are some helpful suggestions www.Releasing-Kings.com/Starting-a-Group.html. We've also updated our Vision Brochure with graphics to show how to become a King and how you can help Release Kings. Lastly we've created a guideline to help you take your dream to the next level by considering the elements of a business plan. See Write Your Business Plan. French Translation - Releasing Kings is now available in French thanks to the efforts of Cees Bakker and Support Ministries in the Netherlands. In France, copies can be obtained from Editions Menor or Librairie Chretienne CLC. The Title in French is “Libération des Rois pour le ministère dans le monde du travail”. Cees is also the guy who made the Dutch translation possible - available through his website. He can be contacted for Releasing Kings conferences in France and throughout Europe. Facebook - I'm posting more information on Face book at http://www.facebook.com/john.garfield1
|