“It Costs Too Much To Get Free”

In many ways, this is the most tragic lie of all. And we know the Enemy is desperate when we get to this one. He is pulling out all the stops to keep us from deciding to walk like we believe God's promises. We have reached the point of decision. We are so close, and the Enemy knows that his foothold in our life is almost over – he's out with yesterday's trash if we make this choice.

Anybody can say “I believe” and give lip-service to head-knowledge. But if we really did believe, in our heart, God's promises to us, what He says about our identity and who we are to Him, how would we walk? The excuses go away. We would be willing to live with the consequences.

“I can't stop sleeping with my boyfriend – I'll be lonely.” Then be willing to be lonely. Once you make that choice, Jesus will meet you with such a ferocious passionate love you will never be lonely again. You will realize you were always lonely before, with someone or not, and were just trying to hide it from yourself. You will realize you'd given yourself over to a counterfeit love, and never having experienced real love, couldn't tell the difference. But after your choice and God crashes in, you will never again sell yourself out to a lesser love.

“I can't tithe – I'll lose my house.” Then be willing to lose your house. Accept the consequences of following God. You may or may not actually lose your house, but after you make the choice to follow God anyway, He will teach you (1) how to handle finances, and (2) about His provision. Whether or not you lose your house for a season (and it will only be for a season), He will provide for you in a miraculous way.

You can get saved and keep your sin, for a season. But at some point, Jesus will force a choice. You will know the Holy Spirit is prompting you in your heart to die to something that's been part of you. It's part of a false identity that's deceived you and has kept you from becoming and stepping into who you really are.

You will be stuck until you decide to die to that false part of yourself. If you buy the lie “it costs too much to get free” God will send you round the track again, turning up the heat and making it worse, and then give you another chance to make the right choice. You can go around the track as often as you want, but you won't go forward in life until you choose to really believe God and walk it out. God will have it no other way; your freedom and your true identity mean too much to Him. He loves you too much.