You Are A Winner #4 of 5

Thanks for traveling along with me as I share on how to be a "Winner" or why you are a "Winner"-whether you feel like one or not. I am convinced many do not live at the level of winner because they are content at being a loser. We can not be reluctant or complacent when it comes to living a winning life. There is a way that seems right to sinners but is not right for "Winners".

Some people place their faith in Christ, while others believe what Jesus preaches and don't taken the next step--which is placing their faith in Him. This is not ignorance, that I talked about yesterday. Some are not arrogant either, because they recognized a need for Christ, but they are unwilling to surrender to the Lordship of Christ. It is one thing to have fire insurance, and a totally different thing to surrender yourself to what He tells you. By this I mean He becomes the Boss, and He calls the shots in our life. It is like this song, "Jesus take the Wheel."

A little bit of freedom is to some acceptable, instead of trusting Christ for abundant freedom and radical winning. Attending a synagogue or church service, offering some sacrifices or bringing the full tithe, and celebrating the traditional "holy day" festivals like Christmas is okay for most people. However, Jesus offers true freedom from the top shelf instead of settling for the cheap prizes at the bottom shelf. The chains of poverty and being stuck as a loser have been broken.

A friend shared the story of taking his four-year-old daughter to Chuck-E-Cheese. On previous visits she won a few tickets and was limited to choosing prizes from the bottom shelf at the redemption center. But on their last visit to Chuck-E-Cheese, the daughter hit the jackpot on one of the games winning a large number of tickets. As they were going to the redemption center to claim her prizes she said, "Daddy I don't have to choose from the bottom shelf this time. Today, I have enough for the good prizes on the top shelf."

I am convinced most individuals who call themselves "Christians" live complacent lives choosing blessings from the bottom shelf, when abundant freedom is available. However, I also believe there is an Army of Believers rising up with broken chains held in victory over their heads declaring they are winners! They know the power in the name of Jesus.

Jesus identifies a process for experiencing true freedom with the words, "If..then." The process should not be confused with a legalistic formula. He does not say, "If you have a daily quiet time with thirty minutes of prayer, tithe faithfully, and only miss Sunday School twice a year, then you can be free." While Jesus does not prescribe a formula, His words do reveal a way in which things operate in His kingdom. For example, you are free to watch the sun rise each morning, but you must do two things to see it. You must get up early in the morning, and you must face east. If you sleep until ten o'clock and look west, you will miss the sunrise even though you are free to watch it. Why? Because there is a way things work.
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The little word "if" is a big concept in the kingdom of God. The word represents an invitation. True freedom will not attack you; rather you must respond to God's invitation to accept His complete freedom. As we have already discussed, most do not accept God's offer.

ACTION STEP: What about you? Whose driving your life? Who is in the front seat holding the wheel and calling the shots? You? Then, today make the decision to move on over into the passenger seat. Decide that where He leads you will follow, what He feeds you will swallow. Yes, I know sometimes it's a huge pill to swallow to say, "I'm sorry or,  please forgive me." But, if you want to be a winner--this is what it's going to take. Dying to self, and sacrifice are normal occurrences for Winners.