Episode 20: Freedom: The Choice That Changes Everything

FREEDOM: "The Choice That Changes Everything”

Change Chasers — are you chasing goals but still dragging old chains?  

•   Fear
•  Perfectionism
•  People-pleasing
•  Control

You can’t chase real change if you’re still tied to what God already set you free from.  

In this episode, we’re talking:

 What true freedom is

 Why we struggle to live free

 How choosing freedom unlocks your next level

#ChangeChasers #FreedomMindset #LetItGo #GodSizedDreams #GrowthMindset #PodcastDrop

Faith in Action // Change in Motion

Transcript

0:17

Well, hey, hey, hey, change chasers. Welcome back to another episode. I'm Mandy, your host, and y'all, I am pumped and excited and thankful to be able to be with you guys again. So I say thank you, thank you, thank you for the gift of your time today. As you know, as being a change chaser, y'all we're all about talking about real life, real growth and real change. And so with that said, I'm excited about today's topic because it's the foundational. Idea, I'll say a belief for every change Chaser out there. And you might be going, all right, hit me with it. Tell me what you got today. Mandy, y'all. Today we're talking about choosing freedom. See, chasing change isn't just about chasing new goals. It's about breaking free from what's holding us back. Breaking free from fear, from guilt, from perfectionism, from the lies that we believe for far too long. Change requires freedom, and freedom is a choice. So today we're going to be talking about what freedom really is, why it's essential for growth, and how you can start choosing freedom every single day. And yes, I did choose this topic because here in America we are getting to celebrate. Being the land of the free for the 4th of July, and so this is 4th of July week, and so this episode dropping that is part of the why we're talking about freedom, but I also believe that it truly is for some sustainable growth as a change chaser of thinking about such things as how do we keep growing as we're going, right. Well, hot take number one. We're gonna be talking about what is freedom. So starting there, I believe that freedom isn't the absence of responsibility. Freedom isn't doing whatever you want, whenever you want. We may see that, you know, it's like if I didn't have a job that JOB makes me have to be this place and this place between this time and do it, all of the things, right? And we think, oh, if I didn't have to do that. Absence of responsibility, but no, that's not the type of freedom we're talking about. Real freedom is the ability to fully walk in who God has created you to be without the chains of fear, shame, or people pleasing. Hmm. Okay. Holding us back. It tells us in Galatians chapter one, so Christ has truly set us free. Now, make sure that you stay free and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law. Now, you may ask, okay, why you throwing that verse in there? Well, here's why. Friends is, that's a sweet reminder for each of us, myself included, of knowing that we're gonna find what we're looking for. And what I mean by that is if we're looking for positive things, we're gonna find positive things. But if we're looking for negative things, y'all were gonna find negative things. We get the choice of how are we going to allow our mind to think and what we are going to allow. To occupy precious real estate in our mind. So if we're always looking for a fence, we're going to find a fence, right? And so going through and thinking about this verse is that to make sure that we stay free so that we don't get tied up again in the slavery by the law or in modern day. With that, I'm gonna say some stinking thinking for a change Chaser freedom looks, I think a lot like dreaming boldly without fear of failure. Speaking up without worrying about approval, making choices rooted in faith, not fear moving forward even when you don't have all the answers. That's a good word for me. Maybe it is for you as well, but I also just really, truly believe that freedom is living untangled and so that makes me jump right on in though to saying. Well, why is freedom? Why does it feel so hard? And so for hot, take number two, that's what we're gonna talk about. Why freedom feels hard. I mean, we hear all the time that freedom is so good, right? We'll even have freedom and people see it. We wear it on shirts this time of year and all the things. But why do we struggle with it? Why do we struggle to feel like we really have freedom? And I think it's because comfort loves control, because fear whispers what if, because old habits feel safe, comfortable, even good, right? Old habits feel safe even when they're toxic crud, because sometimes y'all, we don't realize that we're still carrying chains. Some of us are free positionally in Christ, but not practically in our daily lives. We carry the weight of perfectionism, past regrets, fear of what people will think, comparison and guilt for maybe even wanting more. But hear me out if you will please. I'm gonna say this and some of you might wanna kick me in the shins, and if you do, then sorry. But I feel like this is a word from the Lord is that the reality of it is, is that you can't chase real change if you're still dragging chains. I'm gonna say that again. You can't chase real change if you're still dragging chains. Maybe that's a good little word for you to remind yourself. Might even wanna pop that somewhere where you have a reminder of knowing that we can't keep, we can't drag everything around with us forever. Right. So thinking about having a freedom mindset, how do we get there?'cause we want to, right. It's, it's a got to and a get to both. Likewise the same together because a freedom mindset is a gift that we give ourselves. And so hot take number three. That leads me to thinking about how do we get that freedom mindset? Well, I think that choosing freedom starts as it says in Romans 12, two in our mind. It says, let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. No stinking thinking, right? And so thinking about three ways. Y'all know how, I like to just do little snippets of things, little nuggets of stuff that hopefully will be a quick little listen and for you to be able to expand upon this as you so desire. But some three ways to adopt a freedom mindset. Number one, release the outcome. Number two, drop the labels. And number three, say yes to progress over perfection. And what I mean by release the outcome, y'all, we gotta trust God with the results you're responsible for obedience. Not outcomes. Freedom comes when you stop micromanaging God's job. Number two, drop the labels. You are not your past. You are not your mistakes, and you are not what others say. You are a new creation. You are chosen, you are called, and you are equipped. And number three, say yes to progress over perfection. Freedom doesn't mean flawless y'all, it means forward. Every messy, imperfect step forward is still progress. So stop waiting until you feel ready. I wanna encourage you start now, even if it is a pivot in your perspective of. Being guarded about what you're allowing to occupy precious real estate in your mind, because again, as I've already said, we're going to find what we're looking for. So if we're looking for a fence, if we're looking for fear, shamed, doubt, any of those negative things, unfortunately we're gonna find it. And so guarding our hearts and our minds renewing our minds daily and given ourselves the opportunity to truly walk and talk and live in freedom. So hot. Take number four, y'all. What Freedom unlocks, and I put this together from what I've noticed, that God has been gifting me whenever I'm choosing right to walk in freedom to receive freedom. I believe that he's been so gracious to unlock creativity because the thing about creativity is that because when we're not paralyzed by the what ifs, right? We get to be more creative and then also. Choosing Freedom unlocks boldness because you trust who God says that you are. Choosing freedom unlocks joy because you're no longer striving for approval and choosing freedom unlocks peace because you've surrendered control. Freedom fuels your momentum as a change chaser. And that fires me up y'all, of thinking about what are we allowing to fuel us as we continue to make. Movements every single day. Those moments that turn into movements to momentum. I mean, all those cool, awesome things that happen in our lives based off of the daily decisions that we make. Right? And so then when I go through and I think about the verse from John chapter eight, I love it because it is so, so good, and I'm sure. When I say it, you're gonna be like, oh yeah girl. I love that verse too. Is is that he who the son sets free is free. Indeed. I'm hoping you were saying that with me, right? He who the son sets free is free indeed. Because whenever we know that verse y'all and whenever we allow it to be real heart posture change, we can finally move with confidence and knowing who we are because we are set free by the sun. Jesus. And so with that, I have so much gratitude and I'm so thankful and I hope that you are as well. And I hope this was just a little bit of a pep in your step to remind you in the sense of that the power you have to build to pursue the gift of freedom in your own life, and thinking about how do you want to continue to navigate your days? And so as change chasers, every week, we, come in hot with a change chaser challenge a C3 time. And so with this one this week, it is something that I'm personally doing and so know that as well as that identifying one chain that you've been dragging. And so that's one thing I'm doing. So I wanna encourage you also on our C3 time as sweet friend, identify one chain you've been dragging. Name it. Call it out loud. I want you to choose freedom. I want you to surrender it to God so that you can choose the freedom that goes with this action, but then take one bold step forward and so identify what is that one chain that you've been lugging and tugging and dragging along that you need to surrender it to God. Whatever it might be. And so with doing so, it makes me stop and think about, I have this big sign on my living room wall that I made years ago. It's the verse two Corinthians three 17, and it is where the spirit of the Lord is. There is freedom. That verse fires me up and I love it. And so my encouragement to each of us this week y'all, is to know that where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So let's invite Jesus into whatever it is you've been dragging around. It's been slowing you down, it's been holding you back. Maybe it's even causing some pain, and you're just not able to make as much forward progress. My encouragement to each of us is. To allow yourself to walk and talk and receive the freedom that is your birthright as a child of God, because unfortunately, sweet friends, I'm gonna hit you with something that maybe you might even wanna kick me in the shin for saying on this, or hopefully not worse, but in all seriousness, as I remind each of us, this is for me as well, is that we get to remember that freedom. Is our birthright as a child of God, but living free. Living free is your choice. It is my choice. And so I am closing out with that statement of that remembering that freedom is your birthright as a child of God, but living free is your choice. All right. Thanks for joining me today, sweet friends. If this episode spoke to you, then I hope that you'll share it with a fellow change chaser who needs a sweet, sweet reminder that freedom is available right now today, and hey. What you have to say might just encourage them as well. So I do hope that you will share, share, share, and as you do share, it is my hope that you will keep chasing change, keep choosing freedom, and keep living with purpose. Goodbye sweet friends.