The Mindset of Freedom
The Call That Changes Everything
Every Memorial Day, fitness enthusiasts across America tackle "The Murph"—a punishing workout honoring Lt. Michael Murphy, the Navy SEAL who made the ultimate choice under relentless enemy fire. He left cover to make a desperate satellite call for his embattled team, giving his life to save his men.
Would you make that call, or would fear talk you out of it?
Murphy's sacrifice reveals a hard truth: fear always produces reasons why you shouldn't do the most obvious thing. It doesn't play the long game, and the decision it produces is always detrimental.
In our spiritual lives, fear functions like a jailer. A wise man once told me that fear means you are overestimating yourself—operating under the assumption that you're doing something in your own power, not God's. This overestimation infects everything: how we give, how we spend, how we lead.
True freedom begins when we break fear's chains and step into the mindset that declares: "Fear Not."
Fear's Surgical Strike
Fear doesn't announce itself. It whispers reasonable excuses for avoiding the obvious, righteous thing to do. For the watchman, this creates an internal war that compromises the very freedom we're called to guard.
Reputation damage: Speaking out against bad doctrine could ruin your standing, dismantle your "little fiefdom." When your reputation propels other areas of life, silence becomes a form of survival.
Institutional retaliation: Entrenched systems with bylaws stacked against truth-tellers. The prospect of exclusion and false accusations paralyzes action.
Golden Handcuffs: The terror of losing your house, car payment, or family security. This keeps you trapped in toxic situations you know aren't God's calling.
These aren't external threats—they're internal saboteurs. The cost? An unfulfilled life, a mission unreached, and situations that inevitably worsen for everyone involved.
Learning Trust the Hard Way
In my youth, I learned the cost of fear firsthand—financial trouble rooted in vanity. I'd miss payments to keep up appearances—the result: car impound, repossession, regret. Fear drove me to focus on all the wrong priorities. I didn't know the Lord then—I was young and stupid. But looking back, I know what's true.
Breaking fear's grip always starts here: Trust God. Trust that He will supply your needs, fight your battles, and sustain you—even if it means letting go of your little plans.
Scripture anchors this truth: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). God's answer to fear is always His presence—His strength, His help, His unwavering support.
Seeing Patterns, Not Just Problems
Remember "connect the dots" puzzles? Random points on a flat paper that revealed a shape when connected in order. You needed the higher perspective to see the pattern.
Pastor Dennis Keating calls this SBIGO: "Something Bigger Is Going On." Before you douse the immediate fire, run to the balcony. Gain perspective. Seemingly isolated problems might all point to the same underlying issue. Finding the right target might not only resolve one crisis, but many.
Bad actors—driven by fear, lust for control, or spiritual agendas—always stick to a predictable playbook. They use crafty words to steer large crowds, even when leading everyone off a cliff. If you only see individual problems, you react in fear. However, if you recognize the pattern, you can counter their strategy.
This higher vantage helps others gripped by fear's chains. Their current reality is often a construct—one they, or a spiritual enemy, have created. They can't see reality. Arguing won't break that illusion. Instead, follow Jesus' model: reframe reality (It's Him), reframe identity (It's Him in us), reframe mission (It's Him in us, working His will).
Three Essential Drills
Face Your Fears
When fear whispers defeat, remember the Cross.
Even in Gethsemane, when Christ cried tears of blood in unimaginable anguish, He bore our burden fearlessly. Your current fear might feel insurmountable, but remember the One who paid it all and never flinched.
When fear whispers defeat, bring that specific burden to the Cross. Name it, acknowledge the pain, then fix your gaze on Christ's unwavering resolve. Ask: "Did Christ flinch at this?"
Practice Generosity
Fear thrives on clenched fists; faith operates with open hands.
I once faced a $350 car repair I couldn't afford. Days later, an IRS check for $353 arrived—an overpayment refund. The Lord will take care of you.
Identify one attachment where your grip is "too tight"—a financial worry, a relationship you're controlling, a reputation you're guarding. Open your hand and state: "Lord, I might lose this, but I trust You to rectify the situation."
Audit Your Attachments
True freedom begins when we confront and overcome our hidden fears.
What are you hanging onto? What are you afraid of losing, and why?
Take inventory. Is the potential loss due to your mismanagement or circumstances beyond your control? Can you shore up weaknesses, or are you overextended? Take these fears to the Lord in honest prayer, willing to act on His guidance.
Order Matters: The Big Rocks Principle
Picture filling a jar with rocks, pebbles, and sand. If you pour sand first, nothing else fits. But place the big rocks first—your non-negotiable spiritual and relational priorities—and everything else finds its place.
This is foundational wisdom every watchman can test. When your life is ordered with His priorities at the forefront, everything else falls into place by divine design. A misordered life—where fear, comfort, or reputation come before faith and obedience—inevitably collapses under pressure.
This Week's Challenge
The core of your mission: remember that who the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). You're called to freedom Christ paid for, not lifelong bondage to fear.
Your steps this week:
Cast off every hindrance: Paul urgently commands in Hebrews 12:1—"throw off everything that hinders." Identify and remove anything that binds you.
Shore up obvious holes: Complete your "Attachments Audit" honestly. Address foundation weaknesses that create fertile ground for fear.
Seek light in blind spots: Ask the Lord to reveal what you cannot yet see. Trust Him to illuminate where fear hides.
Order your priorities: Place the big rocks first. Faith, obedience, and calling must take priority, or nothing else will fit properly.
Your Life, Your Story
Remember: a life built on compromise will be burned away. Don’t bury your calling out of fear—risk your time, talent, and treasure for the One who already won your freedom.
The grave couldn't hold Him. Is anything too big for our God?
Every Memorial Day, thousands honor Murphy's courage by pushing through physical pain and exhaustion.
This week, freedom is a choice. Will you finally step out from fear's shadow and make the call that counts?
Every day, the call comes—will you answer with faith or hide in fear? This week, let your answer be freedom.
Next Week: "Who the Son Sets Free is Free Indeed"—Walking in Practical Liberty.
