Struggle & Triumph | Who God Says I AmSample

I Am Free

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17

Athletes experience many pressures. Some are from the expectations of others, some from themselves. 

When I was growing up, my dad was still playing sports and my brother was a standout athlete. I believed that since they were good athletes, I also had to be a good athlete to bring honor to our family name. I was never told this, but I expected it of myself.

Imagine every expectation in your life as a chain: My brother is a good athlete, so I must be a good athlete; I won this meet last year and I’m expected to win again this year; I’m on a scholarship or I am sponsored, and if I don’t do well this season, I could lose it. 

Each expectation is a chain draped over your shoulders.

How can you compete to the best of your ability with all these chains of expectations weighing you down? 

For followers of Christ, these pressures don’t disappear, but we can live free from their weight. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are given the Holy Spirit, and as 2 Corinthians 3:17 tells us, He brings freedom. 

When we daily depend upon Him, He will help us break free from those chains, allowing us to compete to our full potential. 

But we can be so used to being held captive to these pressures that even while we’re freed from them, we habitually live trapped. John 16:13 tells us the Spirit will guide us in truth, which we can find in the Bible. 

The more we focus on the truth and on who God is, the less we focus on our circumstances. This lessens the weight of the pressures we encounter.

What pressures are you facing today? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you break free from those chains so you can compete freely.

Application: What pressures are you facing today? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you break free from those chains so you can compete freely.