PHILLIP BRASSFIELD

God is calling you, all of us, to be GREAT FOR GOD! I have always loved to read the inspiring stories of great people. People who have met extreme circumstances with a resiliency and the resolve to stand for what they believed to be right and true regardless of the consequence not-with-standing the political, economic, or social climate in which they lived. And if you study history, they are there. You can see them in every sector of human life from business and industry to Christian service, social justice, and government. But, often as I admire them, I wonder if I could ever muster the courage to do the same. 

TODAY, I declare that the answer is yes! And not just for me, but you as well. There is greatness in all of us waiting to be discovered and released. And there is no better time than today to allow that to shine through. In our generation, we are living in days that are demanding that we all, each in our own way, and within our own sphere of influence, arise to meet the challenges of our moment in history. You can be, you must be; we desperately need you to be great for God. 

So, what’s the problem? In my experience, it’s most often bondage of some sort. Life happens: a broken relationship, a sinful decision. You did it; they did it. Maybe it was intentional, or maybe by accident; maybe it was just the hard knocks of life. But, you wound up in chains as a result – bound to a circumstance. 

Satan’s anecdote for you living the life you were meant to live is to chain you up. Like the Maniac Gadara in Luke Chapter 8 who was out of his mind, naked, bound with chains, Satan wants to strip you of your dignity, chain you to some issue, and drive you into the tombs of regret. He wants to shackle you to the bad decisions of the past and throttle down the engines of your purpose. Satan’s plan is to limit your potential and destroy your destiny – to put you in a prison cell of loss, making your life a warning instead of testimony. 

It’s so hard to function when you’re bound. Bondage reduces your options, opportunities, and possibilities. Bondage reduces you range of movement and causes pain when you try to press beyond the limits and boundaries of your chains. This is why the enemy is so focused on tying you up.

But Jesus came and sought you out, and He has called you by name! He has come to set you free and to clear the pathway for greatness in your life. 

The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 5:1, “It was for freedom that Christ has made us free…” 

 In the freedom that Christ brings, you can discover the greatness inside of you that’s there already. Here’s three reasons freedom is the first step to greatness.

1. Freedom allows you to reach beyond the limits of your bondage and become what God has ordained for you to become! When God created you, He began with the end in mind. He knows His plans for you and for your life. Through His freedom, you can experience the joy and confidence of knowing that God always finishes what He starts. He is at work in your heart to bring you to the power of a limitless life.

2. Freedom releases you to realign with God’s destiny for your life and a partnership with God on mission! God’s plan involves freedom with a purpose. It’s not freedom from responsibility or duty. It’s not freedom for the sake of self-indulgence or selfish ambition, but rather it is freedom for participation in a greater good and a higher purpose. It is freedom for your lower nature and a release of the nobler you where meaning is found. 

3. Freedom encourages you to dream again! And imagine what amazing can look like for you? Freedom encourages you to step away from the “what ifs” and “I wish I had not” complexes and to choose to live in the powerful possibilities of your imagination where your dreams are only limited by the magnitude of God’s ability. We need dreamers in every sector, people who can look at possibility and say, “Why not?,” and, “Why not me?!”

The freedom Christ brings is your inheritance as a believer and your portion as a son or daughter of God. It is your “clean slate,” “starting point” to a life of significance. Freedom allows you to live in the reality of what Paul described in Philippians 3 verses 13 and 14 when he said, “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” 

Freedom won’t guarantee a life of fame, fortune, or earthly ease. No, in fact it may lead to the opposite. Godly freedom will almost certainly lead to a life of service and sacrifice, and sometimes suffering; but, it’s the way of the Master, and it leads to the door marked, Great For God! 

This article was originally published in the 2023 Fall Edition of the Destiny Magazine. You can find the online edition here.