Toy Soldier

We Got Your Six-Teen

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Date: 08/13/19

AO: Chop, Milton, DE.

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 20 IC

Cherry Pickers – 20 IC

Bolt 45’s – 15 squats to halfway down.   15 squats halfway to full down.  15 full squats

Windmills – 20 IC

Imperial Walkers – 20 IC

Mosey .5 miles to “Oh Hill No”.   

The Thang

After a 10 count, PAX completed a “Toy Soldier Set” of 50 LBC’s, 30 E2K’s each side, and 20 Big Boys. Extra credit for completing the set on the incline of “Oh Hill No”. Next, we partnered up and completed the Burp Back Mountain routine as per the Exicon, but modified for time. One PAX Nurs up the hill and runs down the hill 5 consecutive times while the other completes burpees AMRAP. The switch was made so all could enjoy the burn.

F3 message – see below  

Mosey .5 miles back to CHOP. 

Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers. 

F3 Message 08/13/19 – Calming the Storm with Him Always Watching Your Six

Life is a journey of many trials and tribulations that shape and molds us into the person that we are or that we are to become.  As men, we try and we do find some success in handling many of the smaller life issues on our own.  Sometimes we develop an attitude that we can handle all or most things on our own.  That is until the raging storm comes that is completely out of our control.  We give everything we have on our own and we still aren’t handsome enough, young enough, wealthy enough, smart enough, or strong enough to overcome whatever situation that we may be going through.  We don’t understand why God allows these storms to come, but we gotta trust and believe and have faith that God has a purpose that is far beyond our understanding.  We have to remain steadfast in our faith and Let Go and Let God calm the storms of life that we encounter. He always has our “Six”.  Allow Him to restore us to where He would have us to be, not where we think we should be.  Faith as defined by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website is as follows –“ In the Bible, “faith” means believing in God, and in what Christ has done for us to make our salvation possible–and then committing ourselves to Him.  In other words, faith has two parts to it, and both are equally important. The first part is belief–belief that God exists, and that He loves us and sent His son into the world to save us. Faith isn’t a vague hope that God might exist; it is a definite belief that what the Bible says about Him is true.  The second part of faith is commitment–a definite decision not only to believe in our minds that Christ can save us, but to put our lives into His hands and trust Him alone for our salvation. True faith not only believes Christ can save us, but actually trusts Him to do it.” 

God did not intend for our faith in Him to only be present in the best of times.  He wants us to trust Him with all that we are even when we are facing the fiercest storm or the strongest adversary. He has our “Six”  

Joshua 1:9 New King James Version (NKJV)

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 New King James version (NKJV)

8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

Psalms 107:28-31 New King James Version (NKJV)

28 Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
29 He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
30 Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalms 9:9-10 New King James Version (NKJV)

9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You

As defined by the non profit organization “Got Your Six” and gleaned from their website.

“In the military, “got your six” means “I’ve got your back.” The saying originated with World War I fighter pilots referencing the rear of an airplane as the six o’clock position. If you picture yourself at the center of a clock face, the area directly in front of you is twelve o’clock. Six o’clock is what lies behind you. On a battlefield, your “six” is the most vulnerable. So, when someone tells you that they’ve “got your six,” it means they’re watching your back. By extension, that person expects you to have their back as well. “Got your six” is now a ubiquitous term in the military that also highlights the way military members look out for each other.”

Isaiah 58:8 New King James Version (NKJV)

8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Bovine/Gump VQ Scissor board abs

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Gump VQ 8/8/19

Bovine VQ warmup- 20 SSH, 20 morocan nightclub, 20 cherri pickers, 20 windmills.

The Thang:

20 Slaughter Starters a.k.a 20 Burpees to go!!

Mosey 1/3 mile and meet back at AO

PAX Circled up for Hurricane HoeDown! 7 Hallelujah flutterkicks, 7 slightly reclined flutterkicks, 7 regular flutterkicks, and 7 LBC flutterkicks. The PAX then did 6 of eack, then 5,4,3,2, and held flutterkicks during the last set..

PAX circled up for F3 message from Colossians 3:

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who  is  our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must  do.  But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

After our short break we started Baatan death march aka burpee catch me if you can: PAX mosied while the last man in the like did 5 Burpees. After the 5 burpees he ran to catch up to the front of the line while the last man dropped back and did 5 burpees. it took us 2 laps to get thru the group

Bear Crawl Merkin Inchworm.

Pax broke up into 2 groups. Both groups formed a line head to toe in the Plank position while 1st man did bear crawl merkins to the front of the line. Once he reached the front of line the HIM that was now at the back of the line did the same. Until everyone in line got a turn.

We finished the gloom back in a circle doing Baycity Scissors. 8 count scissor kicks until 0600 we ended with COT.

    MACV-SOG

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    Date: 08/06/19

    QIC: Chappie

    A dirty dozen PAX threw off the Fartsack and won THAT FIRST BATTLE to post for what turned out to be one of the workouts for GORUCK’s August rucking challenge. YHC had two options on his Weinke: On one side, the Bearmuda Triangle. On the reverse, the MACV-SOG workout put together by the cadre at GORUCK. The choice depended on whether YHC could get other PAX to bring rucks. Thanks to all who brought rucks! We had extras…which means we’ve got a good crew of ruckers. (Let’s get some of the GORUCK events under our collective belt.)

    Here’s how we started the day:

    WARM-O-RAMA

    • SSH – 18 IC
    • Apollo Ohno – 18 IC
    • Swartzjacks – 18 IC
    • Crabflippers – 18 IC
    • Superman/Pull! – 10 count/5 rounds
    • Shoulder-Tap Merkins – 10 IC

    PAX counted off by 2’s then partnered up for the following MACV-SOG workout (YHC had a bunch of extras in case we fell short…who was “I” to doubt GORUCK?)

    MACV stands for Military Assistance Command Vietnam

    Between the 100 No Push-Up Burpees, what the F3 Exicon calls Flying Squirrels, (50 per partner) YHC shared this 3rdF message:

    We need to constantly push ourselves to understand what we [PERCEIVE] to be our limits. Until we do, we haven’t reached, or begun to reach, our full potential. Often times, EXTREMES are required to push us past our limits, to make us stronger, better, or produce growth where we need it most.

    ▪ We can push ourselves past our limits, this requires self-discipline. Or, at least the willingness to places ourselves in positions where we know we’ll be pushed past our limits. That’s the treasure of having different Q’s lead us through a workout! …

    ▪ I.e. Others, who do not know OUR limits (or probably don’t care what our limits are) will push us past our limits… These situations are mostly in reference to the physical workouts or challenges we face, but they easily translate to the mental and spiritual aspects of life as well, because…

    ▪ Lastly, and most importantly, Christ, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2), will push us past our limits. And this is often through our testing, which includes suffering (suffering ALWAYS pushes us past our limits) and in God’s economy He allows this for our good, like burning away the dross and purifying us like gold, and He does this for His glory. (Our good, His glory!) So…DEQ! (Don’t Ever Quit…cleaned up version of DFQ.)

    BIBLICAL EXAMPLES:

    • ABRAHAM in Gen. 22 was tested by God to take his son, Isaac, and offer him as a burnt offering. Poor Isaac even had to chop and carry the wood. When he asked his dad about the offering, Abraham replied “God will provide for Himself a lamb...” And when Abe was about to plunge the knife into Isaac, God said “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to harm him; for NOW I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, YOUR ONLY SON, from Me.” You can guarantee this extreme test pushed him past his limits!
    • JOSEPH, by the end of Gen. 42, was sold into slavery by his brothers! He ran from Potiphar’s house in his boxers after Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him (he ran because he feared God), and ended up imprisoned. The story continued for numbers of years in Egypt where Joseph experienced the favor of God, rising to leadership where he was 2nd only to Pharaoh! Point being, his life was full of consistently being pushed beyond his limits, but he never once used his personal circumstances as an excuse NOT to live for God. As a result, he rose to power in Egypt. He knew God’s purposes were higher than his personal suffering. He not only reached the full potential of his faith, but as a result, the nation of Israel was preserved! There was a greater purpose to it all!

    Peter referred to all of this when he wrote: “Brothers, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share in Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed…” (1 Pet. 4:12-13)

    So, we push ourselves to understand what we [perceive] to be our limits, others push us beyond our limits, AND God pushes us past our perceived limits. ALL for a purpose: For our GOOD but ultimately for God’s GLORY. So…DEQ!

    PAX wrapped up the very last exercise at 5:59, which left no time for the extra’s YHC had planned: Wall work, Jack Webb, & Mary. With a minute spare shared a little further about the ruck workout carried out in honor of America’s Special Forces.

    Time called.

    COT/BOM:

    • Announcements: Chattahoochee working on method to collect school supplies.
    • Prayers: The family of Katie West, grieving her tragic death; Chattahoochee’s daughter, Taylor, having surgery on 8/7

    That’s about it. Always honored to lead. And, yes, what a great way to start a day!

    ~Chappie, out!

    Chumbaburpees!

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    Thursday August 1, 2019.

    F3 Workout at CHOP n Mlton, DE

    Warmup: All IC 25 SSH 18 Cherry Pickers 18 Windmills 18 Moroccan Night Clubs 18 Mountan Climbers

    The Thang 1: Mosey Union to Tobin to Mulberry to Willow to CHOP via back driveway

    Chicken Peckers With feet high on wall touch opposite shoulder (BTW shoulder taps)

    Tunnel of Love: Broken into 2 groups. While Pax plank side by side, one by one someone crawls under the tunnel of planking pax. 2 rounds followed by 1 round with all Pax forming Tunnel.

    Chilly broad jumps with pax holding elbow plank 5 feet apart whle someone broad jumps over each pax

    Chumbaburpee SSH while Chumbawumba’s Tubthumper plays and do burpees on I get knocked down. About 27 burpees

    Brief message about sticking to what you know is right even if it is not easy. Road less traveled may not be an easy route, but if you know it is the best route you should follow what you believe and take it.

    The Thang 2: Coach (modified) – Groups of 3. P1 Hold bottom of merkin in down position while P2 encourages P1 as P3 sprints a lap around parking lot. Switch when P3 lap is done.

    Clowney: 4 jump lunges IC 4 Merkins IC 7 Times

    Number-o-rama and COT. Prayers for Toy Soldiers friend, West family, Semi vehicle situation, and any unspoken prayers.

    Video link below…
    https://youtu.be/tLm5ge7Feug

    Gtown beatdown

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    Qic Semi

    Warm-a-Rama
    20 semi wave. i/c
    20 ssh. I/c
    Nur to opposite side of circle
    20 plank Jack. i/c
    20 seal Jacks. i/c
    Side shuffle to opposite side of circle
    20 should taps. I/c
    20 Windmill. I/c
    Side shuffle (opposite side) to opposite side of circle
    20 mountain climbers i/c
    20 Cherry pickers. I/c

    Thang
    Mosey to church on Bradford street

    10 swerkins
    15 leg lifts on bench
    X 3

    Mosey to wall on other side of the tracks

    5 derkins, hop wall, 5 urkins
    X 5

    Mosey to Domino’s

    5 chicken merkin
    I/c 8 count

    Mosey to parking lot by court house

    Semi suicides
    Nur, side shuffle, jailbreak, bear crawl, lt Dan, crawl bear, mosey, and lt danger

    Mosey to circle

    Round of Mary

    15 Superman plank i/c, 20 reverse crunch, 20 e2k, 25 flutter kick i/c, 20/10/5 toy soldier set, 15 hello dollies

    10 HIM showed today: semi, bovine, doubtfire, nugget, Fireplex, Chattahoochee, toy soldier, Waterfall, Vanilla, Wildwing

    Number Rama
    Name rama
    Cot

    3rd F. All in
    1 kings 18:20-40
    Prophets of baal defeated

    Sally Loves Burpees!

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    Tuesday July 23, 2019

    Location: CHOP

    Q: Chairman

    PAX: Chattahoochee, Fireplex, Gump, Leatherman, Nugget, Ruxpin, Summit, Toy Soldier, Vanilla, Waterfall, & Ying Ying

    Warmup: All IC 25 SSH, 18 Cherry Pickers
    18 Moroccan Night Clubs, 18 Windmills, 18 Mountain Climbers

    The Thang Mosey around the block
    Bring Sally Up with Burpees on Up (30)
    Mosey around the block
    Burp & Merk Pyramid up to 10 and back down. Start with 1 merkin 1 burpee, 2 merkins 1 burpee, 3, …100 merkins 19 burpees.

    Mosey around block
    Cptn Therkin 1 Big Boy 4 American Hammers 5 Merkins, up to 5 Big Boys & 20 Double Count American Hammers with 5 merkins each time. Mosey around block

    Brief message about F3 encouraging us all to win the 1st battle each morning by posting and how we all benefit from surrpunding ourselves with other HIM.

    Number-O-Rama and COT.

    COMEBACK BEATDOWN

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    Chattahoochee on Q

    5 HIM posted for my Comeback beat down at the circle on this beautiful saturday morning

    WARM UP– 25 SSH, 25 windmills, 25 MNC, 25 cherry pickers, 25 imperial walkers.

    The Thang- Mosey out west market street to the bank at 113 cut thru parking lots to possum point players.

    15 diamond merkins 10 SSH

    15 Ranger merkins 10 SSH

    15 Finger tip meekins 10 SSH

    15 wide arm merkins 10 SSH

    15 Merkins 10 SSH

    Mosey to steps on the east side of GMS for Aiken legs 20 Squats, 20 box jumps on steps, 20 Lunges each leg, 20 split Jack’s (4 count)

    Mosey to Armory 25 Flutter kicks IC, Toy soldier set 35 LBC, 20 E2Ks each side, 20 box cutters.

    Mosey to circle 20 forward arm circles, 10 backward arm circles, IC 20 seal claps, 20 overhead claps.

    Every set back is a set back for a comeback God wants to bring you out better than you were before. Unfortunately failure and setbacks are a part of life. No way around it, gotta go through it. However just because folks are experiencing a personal setback whether it be an injury, illness, job loss, financial pitfalls or just hard times in general it does not mean you are forever doomed. It is important to remember that a setback is just where a person is right at the moment not where they will always be. With time, patience and trust in God it is possible for everyone to comeback one way or another both physically and mentally

    Route 66

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    Beautiful weather for lots of Burpees!

    Q: Waterfall The PAX: Toy Soldier, Summit, Ruxpin, Ying Ying, Chairman, Gump, Doubfire, Chattahoochee

    The Warm Up: 20 SSH IC, 20 Diaper Pickers IC, 20 Moroccan Night Club IC, 20 Windmill IC, and Superman Banana! Superman Banana starts in the superman position. When Q yells BANANA you roll over on to your back in a reverse of the superman so you are curled up like a banana. When the Q yells SUPERMAN you roll back. Rolled back and forth like a bunch of crazy people a few times.

    The Thang #1: Route 66 and a bag of chips. We did the Route 66 from telephone pole to telephone pole. We did it decessending from 11 burpees at the first telephone pole down to 1 burpee at the last telephone pole for a total of 66 burpees. For added suck we also did LBCs ascending. I’m calling the additional exercise “and a bag of chips” since it was added on.

    The Message: The story of the Rich Young Ruler. His good works weren’t good enough. Jesus invited him to follow him. But the young man went away sorrowful because he wouldn’t give up his lavish lifestyle to follow Jesus.

    The Thang #2: Waterfall likes the wall! Wall of Burpee for an additional 3 burpees. Each PAX takes the chair. We go down the row doing 1 burpee each. Then we went down the row again doing 2 burpees each. Next we did Mexican jumping beans and overhead claps ascending up to 10 jumps and 40 claps. With a few minutes left we ended with some Mary.

    Good push by all!

    FIRST WATCH BEATDOWN

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    July 9, 2019

    July 9, 2019 Doubtfire on Q

    Gloom Factor 05:15 67° and clear

    12 PAX  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkqeUhszaBE

    WARMARAMA: 20 Moroccan Nightclubs IC , 20 SSH IC , 20 Copperhead Squats IC, 20 Cherry Pickers IC, 20 Mountain Climbers, 15 SSH IC

    The Thang 1: Mosey to Shipbuilders Village and partnered off. Partner 1 runs to Spinnaker Lane and nurs back while partner 2 is doing merkins and then switch. Then Partner 1 runs to Genoa Ln and nurs back while partner 2 is doing side plank leg lifts switching sides at 10 counts. Then switch with partner.

    Thang 2: Mosey to Post Office circle. Same partners. Partner 1 bearcrawls halfway around circle and crawlbears the second half of the circle while Partner 2 does 80/40/20 super toy soldier set. Then switch.

    3rd F – First Watch Psalm 143:8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

    I have struggled all of my life with a shallow relationship with my heavenly father.  I have tried since I was 15 years old to have a daily quiet time with him. I have had spurts of success, but never sustained.  Some events in my life over this past year have caused me to reflect on that issue and I have made some major changes accordingly.  I belong to a Christian business leaders group called C12 Group. About 5 years ago I was at a C12 conference in Orlando the founder, Buck Jacobs gave a stirring message about how important it is to have a consistent daily time in the Word of God and prayer.  He said the best success for that time is the first hour of every day, no matter what you do. Make it non-negotiable. At the prompting of a very good friend of mine, Herb Troyer, whom I ironically introduced him to C12 4 years ago, he suggested I revisit that message.  I did, and I have successfully adopted this routine into my life now 138 days straight (Buck is on day 10,000+-). I would encourage each of you to consider this to be part of your life, a non-negotiable start to your day. God will redeem your time and rest.  

    Apart from Christ, we are all creatures of our fleshly desires and habits. Even though He promises that our salvation is secure, our commitment to living under the Lordship of Christ must happen one day at a time as we react to the many challenges and temptations which come our way. Our ability to provide Godly leadership stems solely from our daily intimacy with Christ. Unless we abide in Him by routinely accessing His means of Grace (i.e., Bible, prayer, worship, fellowship, witnessing), it is easy for us to get off track and be compromised in our ability to be ambassadors and make disciples.

    Start small, 10-15 mins everyday.  Routines become habits, habits become part of us, good or bad.  This will change your life, I promise you.

    Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

    Ephesians 6:13 ..put on the whole armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

    Mosey back to AO for Namorama and COT

    Blame it on the Milkshake

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    Date: 07/04/19

    AO: CHOP, Milton, De.

    QIC: Fireplex

    Warm up

    SSH – 20 IC

    Plank Jacks – 20 IC

    Cherry Pickers – 20 IC

    Ballerina Toe Squats – 20 IC

    Mountain Climbers – 20 IC

    Windmills – 20 IC

    The Thang

    Patriot run .5 miles to “Oh Hill No”. 

    PAX partnered up for B.O.M.B.’s on the Hill.  One PAX Soldier Crawls (Spiderman Crawl) up the hill and mosey’s back down while his partner completes a series of exercises.  Each team completed a total of 50 burpees, 100 Overhead Claps completed as SSH’s, 150 Merkins, 200 Big Boy Situp’s, and 250 Squats.  However, Q had each PAX carry his own weight and complete half of that total exercise amount before moving on to the next exercise….25 Burpees, 50 Overhead Claps completed as SSH’s, 75 Merkins, 100 Big Boy Situp’s, 125 squats.  A little chatter in regards to the pain station prompted a response by Q to blame it on the milkshake he indulged at the fireworks display last night.

    F3 Message – See below

    Mosey .5 miles back to CHOP by way of the Patriot Run.

    Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayer.  Save travels and a shout out to Bovine and Chappie as they were completing a 17.76 mile Ruck during this morning’s beat down. 

    F3 Message 07/04/19 – Excerpts were utilized by Q from the re-post below from Christianity Daily as well as Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

    Happy Independence Day 2017: Bible Verses and Quotes To Reflect On What Freedom Means In America

    JUL 02, 2017 07:26 PM EDT

    From Christianity Daily.com

    Fourth of July marks the moment in history when representatives of a new government uprising signed the Declaration of Independence in the United States on July 4, 1776. The document listed grievances suffered by the U.S. colonies under British monarchy and justified a desire for liberty. It was penned by Thomas Jefferson. Also known as Independence Day, it is an annual holiday that symbolizes freedom. It is celebrated nationwide in 2017 on Tuesday, July 4.

    Although declared in 1776, Americans were not delivered from bondage until 1783. The high cost of freedom was paid for in blood, in what historians estimate to be the death of 25,000 American Patriots. It took eight years, four months, and fifteen days of war between America and Great Britain during the American Revolution to be fully attained.

    The Oxford dictionary defines freedom as “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.” It is also defined as the “absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government,” and “the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.” Christianity Daily compiled a list of Bible verses and quotes that shed light on the true meaning of freedom.

    4 Things the Bible Says About Freedom

    By BGEA   •   July 1, 2019   •   Topics: Holidays, Lifestyle

    By Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

    As the United States of America celebrates Independence Day on July 4, it’s worth noting the nation was founded upon the idea that God created human beings to be free. The Declaration of Independence states that people “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

    But what is “liberty,” exactly? Is freedom based upon the country where you live, or can it have a deeper meaning?

    Here are some key ideas from the Bible about freedom—including how to find true freedom in your life.

    1. People have been searching for it for thousands of years.

    The quest for freedom is a theme found throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Just three chapters into the story of God’s creation, humanity gave up its freedom by choosing to rebel against God. From that time forward, the perfect freedom God created in the Garden of Eden was gone, and the long-term effects were both physical and spiritual.

    The Old Testament of the Bible records how God’s people lost their physical freedom time and again as various empires overtook them (most notably the Egyptians, as recorded in the book of Exodus).

    The loss of physical freedom was often tied to spiritual disobedience like worshiping false gods. But time and again, the one true God forgave His people and rescued them. When God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He was foreshadowing the arrival of Jesus Christ, who came to free humanity from sin—the spiritual slavery that leads to death.

    Today, many people are living in spiritual slavery without realizing it. They chase false gods of money, success, personal comfort and romantic love—only to realize they still have an emptiness that can’t be filled by any of those things.

    >> Everyone worships something. Read Billy Graham’s short answer about the definition of an idol.

    2. God’s answer to our loss of freedom has always been Jesus Christ.

    When Jesus began his short period of ministry on the earth, He announced He was the One that God’s people had been waiting for since the fall of humanity. He did this by reading a particular passage from the book of Isaiah—a passage his listeners knew was referring to the Messiah, or the Savior of the world.

    The words had been written hundreds of years earlier and spoke of a new freedom that was coming in the future. When Jesus stood up to read, He was saying the future had arrived. Liberty would come through Him.

    “And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

    ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
    He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’

    And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’” (Luke 4:17-21, emphasis added).

    >> Read Billy Graham’s short devotion, “Truth Brings Freedom.”

    3. Jesus came to free us from death, sin and anything that enslaves us.

    The core message of the Christian faith—the Gospel—is that Jesus Christ rescues us from the slavery of sin and offers true freedom in this life and beyond. This is what Jesus said:

    “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

    The Good News—the best news ever—is that faith in Jesus frees us from the death we deserve for sinning against God. It frees us from the punishment that would be inflicted upon us at the end of our lives for the evil things we’ve thought and done.

    While Christ followers still battle with sin, they are no longer slaves to it. Through the power of Christ, His people can be set free from the bondage of greed, vanity, pride, pornography, addiction, abusive behavior, gluttony, selfishness—and any other sin under the sun. Here’s what Jesus said about the freedom He offers:

    “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). 

    “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34-36).

    >> Watch Billy Graham’s powerful message, “Truth and Freedom,” from his 1969 New York City Crusade.

    4. God gives us freedom to choose our own path.

    God created human beings, not robots. We don’t have to accept the freedom He offers us through Jesus Christ. He gives each person the free will to accept or reject His salvation. But the Bible warns that hell is a real place where real people end up when they knowingly reject the truth.

    Likewise, those who choose Christ are not forced to obey Him at every turn. But God makes it clear: the best life is one that’s devoted to honoring Him. As the Apostle Paul explained to some of the first Christians:

    “’All things are lawful for me,’” but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12).

    “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).

    >> What is “the judgment,” and why did Jesus have to die for our sins? Listen to Billy Graham’s message.

    Final thoughts on freedom

    From cover to cover, God’s Word points to freedom in Christ. And God doesn’t leave us wondering how to grab hold of the freedom He offers. It starts with acknowledging our brokenness—and admitting we are slaves to sin. And it ends with choosing Jesus and following Him daily. Only He can break the bonds of slavery and lead us to true freedom, now and forever.

    Choose Jesus today, and find out what true freedom feels like.

    Respectfully Submitted,

    Fireplex

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