Your name goes here, ______________, you're free!
As soon as you say, "I believe in Jesus!" its just like this scene from Disney's famous movie, Aladdin. Click here to watch. When Aladdin releases the Genie from his bottle his life was completely changed from that moment. He could now be free. Free to do whatever he wanted to do. Free from the duty of fulfilling other peoples wishes. Is that true for you? Are you free? Are your chains gone or are you all bottled up? Do you believe it to be true? Are you living freely?
I'm not but oh how I wish I was. I say I believe that I'm free but my behavior, my stress level and my life SCREAM something different! I spend most of my days trying to please those around me or worse, please myself. The older I get the more aware I become of my shortcomings and the more aware I become of trying to be someone I'm not.
I used to love to dance around the living room when I was little. I come from a family who loves music. Dancing in our front room was just something we enjoyed doing together. It was fun, there was no pattern to it we just did it. As I got older I no longer wanted to dance freely. Sure, in my bedroom while no one was watching, but in front of everyone else? No thank you. Then one day I was introduced to line dancing. I loved it. You told me the steps to do then all I had to do was learn them, practice them and then dance. I'd really like to do life this way. I want you to tell me the steps and then I will follow them so maybe I won't embarrass myself or do something wrong. I also want my freedom in Christ to be this way, but the older I get and the more I try to follow the steps that everyone says I need to follow to be with Christ the more I feel chained and bottled up.
So what are the steps to being free, truly free in Jesus Christ?
Well, I hate to tell you but Jesus is not a line dancer. He is a freestyle kinda guy. He has to be. Do you realize how many people want to dance with him and how different they all are? There is no way that Jesus can be a line dancer. Jesus is not going to give us all the same steps. Jesus is going to take you by the hand and then you are going to have to trust him to lead you in a freestyle dance that is just fit for you. Your dance with him will look nothing like the dance he is doing with someone else. If you want it to, then you are just creating chains for yourself. You will just feel like I do, chained and bottled up. Jesus has shown me that I'm living my life trying to follow other's peoples steps and it is keeping me from being truly free. I am the Aladdin in this story. I'm the one keeping myself bottled up. The genie needed Aladdin to set him free. Jesus already set me free when he died for me on the cross. All I have to do is say Elizabeth, you're free. Are you doing the same thing to yourself? Are you keeping yourself in chains based on your expectations of yourself or the expectation that others have placed on you? Release yourself because Jesus already has. Be free and put your name in this blank and say _______________, your free!
I'm not but oh how I wish I was. I say I believe that I'm free but my behavior, my stress level and my life SCREAM something different! I spend most of my days trying to please those around me or worse, please myself. The older I get the more aware I become of my shortcomings and the more aware I become of trying to be someone I'm not.
I used to love to dance around the living room when I was little. I come from a family who loves music. Dancing in our front room was just something we enjoyed doing together. It was fun, there was no pattern to it we just did it. As I got older I no longer wanted to dance freely. Sure, in my bedroom while no one was watching, but in front of everyone else? No thank you. Then one day I was introduced to line dancing. I loved it. You told me the steps to do then all I had to do was learn them, practice them and then dance. I'd really like to do life this way. I want you to tell me the steps and then I will follow them so maybe I won't embarrass myself or do something wrong. I also want my freedom in Christ to be this way, but the older I get and the more I try to follow the steps that everyone says I need to follow to be with Christ the more I feel chained and bottled up.
So what are the steps to being free, truly free in Jesus Christ?
Well, I hate to tell you but Jesus is not a line dancer. He is a freestyle kinda guy. He has to be. Do you realize how many people want to dance with him and how different they all are? There is no way that Jesus can be a line dancer. Jesus is not going to give us all the same steps. Jesus is going to take you by the hand and then you are going to have to trust him to lead you in a freestyle dance that is just fit for you. Your dance with him will look nothing like the dance he is doing with someone else. If you want it to, then you are just creating chains for yourself. You will just feel like I do, chained and bottled up. Jesus has shown me that I'm living my life trying to follow other's peoples steps and it is keeping me from being truly free. I am the Aladdin in this story. I'm the one keeping myself bottled up. The genie needed Aladdin to set him free. Jesus already set me free when he died for me on the cross. All I have to do is say Elizabeth, you're free. Are you doing the same thing to yourself? Are you keeping yourself in chains based on your expectations of yourself or the expectation that others have placed on you? Release yourself because Jesus already has. Be free and put your name in this blank and say _______________, your free!
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