Freedom Walk is a movement from the inside out. It is an event and also a clarion call. Oh how we can lay prostrate as unto ourselves. Wondering, waning, with a kind of wontoness that almost lands sickly on the soul. But Jesus. So many areas of our lives can prove progressive, but it is those certain issues that seem to stay stagnant humbly waiting for the touch of Heaven. Until we actually get up, we can remain stuck and pressed in.

There was once upon a time a man that waited eight and thirty years for someone to move him swiftly into the stirred pools at Bethesda. From an angel’s touch to healing, this man could surely be well. But without assistance, there seemed no hope for this man. The truth is there is no such thing as no hope. No hope means no Jesus and that cannot be. Less hope is a possibility. Hopelessness is evidence that there is less than what God intended for you to realize regarding any matter. Let less hope then be a sign so contrary to God’s promises for you, that you move. Move to the matchless miracles that await, by faith, before pain subsides, or answers arrive, or solutions manifest, or any person gives you a hand. Just get up! Getting up by faith can be enough to actually change your life from hell-ness to wholeness.

The sick man answered Him, Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me. Jesus said to him, rise, take up your bed and walk. And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

John 5:7-9

Having less hope defers everything that Hope actually does. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. Defer no longer, settle for nothing less than what is hopeful regardless of what you can see in the natural. Allow your spirit that does see, prove on earth as it is in Heaven, greater things than the issue you are facing. If God is omnipresent and also omnipotent - take hold. Hold to the hem of His garment if you have to, but in your weakness know Christ’s strength proves perfect inside you, for you, around you, and onto - the reason you were born. Get up!

Sometimes it is true, there are strongholds in our lives that keep us all oppressed. The keeping can in fact be due to lack of action. It is a requirement to make an exchange in order to realize the mighty hand of God. Surrender to salvation, repentance to forgiveness, death to life. The exchange that takes place that is beauty for ashes means move.

You must not only be still to know God is God, but then take action. Be still when you lose what you know to be true due to bad experiences in your life. Yes, be still, regroup what you know, stir up the measure of faith you have been given. Be still so you can gain insightful strategies, and a God-plan. Then, be obedient and take the next step. Take it before the day takes you, passes you by, and your life as a Christian becomes subject to continually reconciling up and out of the past, rather than moving up and forward in what God has shown you, while you were still. Choose and know this, doing nothing is still a choice with real repercussions.

Choose this day whom you will serve … as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15, NKJV

Have you ever wondered why your stronghold remains hovering and shackling you down? It may be because of the power of a demon. Or, it could be that the stronghold is not a stronghold at all, but you, holding strong. The weight of worry and the world is work. You will work to carry and cover what is not yet delivered of you. This energy may as well be spent casting your cares unto God who is faithful to show you your exit strategy. There is always a way that is waiting for you that is lighter than the heaviness that burdens you.

No testing has overtaken you, that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

1st Corinthians 10:13, NRSV

Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you.

1st Peter 5:7, NRSV

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:29-30

Freedom Walk is a movement in you, on out of you. It is saying out loud with witnesses, enough is enough. It is a reach for the invisible and powerful hand of God from a flat place to a steadfast stand. Then, we walk it out. What out? You know. Deep down you know what you need to do. The Holy Spirit teaches us all things so just pray and press past the excuses and pain and ask, seek, knock, and then know. I do not believe Jesus died to give us immediate advocacy by his Spirit so Holy to thereby then, bait us into begging.

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you.

John 14:26, NRSV

Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:7-8, NRSV

Can I side-bar for a moment? If you need the storm in your life to be calm, so be it. Jesus is generous in meeting our human needs when we believe we cannot take one more thing. What can’t you take when you already are promised life after death? Did the disciples need Jesus to wake up in the book of Matthew chapter eight? Did they really need to learn how to speak to the sea to be calm, oh these men of little faith? Or is it that the disciples could not stand the storm, could not bear the uncertainty, would not press past pain to realize peace that passes understanding, make the exchange, and simply sleep.

Do what Jesus did, and learn to sleep in the eye of the storm because these storms will continue to come. Oh you of little faith, guess what, that is all you need. Just a little mustard size seed of faith to get up and over. Maybe when Jesus said, “oh ye of little faith,” He was not criticizing the men but actually, recalling to them a fact that they indeed have all they need, right then—them, right now—you, in the midst of every hopeless moment.

Oh ye of little faith.

Matthew 8:26, NKJV

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Matthew 17:20-21, NKJV

Back to a God plan. Freedom Walk on July 4th began in 2015. 40 women gathered at the base of Round Valley in Northern California with an assignment in mind. God told me when my husband and I started yet another non-profit that JEZREEL Life would do just that, sow. Jezreel means: God soweth. So regardless of what anyone does or decides about what is sown, it is simply the purpose of Jezreel Life to sow. “Frame it and they will know, but what they do next is not up to you.” That is what God said to me.

Freedom Walk became a ministry event with practical applications. It allows people to experience:

  1. Worship: Gather for the sake of assembling with other believers, believing for something more.
  2. Prayer: Rise in the dark and hike to the sunrise contemplatively.
  3. Postures: Boldly do something new without considering qualifications, abilities, or strengths. In fact, commit to walk with weakness.
  4. Partners: Assign a buddy to walk you out if you cannot finish the hike, exit strategies are God’s specialty when we become filled with faint.
  5. Understanding: Yes, you will be left behind and this is not the only time in life it may happen to you, so make up your mind to be okay with any outcome you prove.

I wrote on the invitation: “Do not come to this Freedom Walk if you are already wondering if you should go. Just stay home. This is not a walk for the doubtful heart, but for the faith filled heart that may feel sick and tired of current rhythms. If you don’t feel you can climb 4962 feet upward inside of one hour, stay home. If you question in any way, shape, or form, why you would do this, stay home. But if the bed you lay upon feels warped and worn, and you are hearing God call you to—get up and walk, then come for greater things than yesterday; the promises of God are proven inside an exchange.”

  1. Revelation: Grab a small smooth stone after allowing God to show you an offense hiding in your gut that needs to be dealt with. The stone represents that we need only one stone to destroy any Goliath in life, if prepared.

We started with directions and prayer in the midst of twilight. The hikers took time to consider something they held strong to, something unreconciled, and causing pain. God showed up. They placed their personal stone in their pocket.

  1. Relationship: One large boulder about 7 pounds became part of the journey. It was passed between the hikers for just over one hour. Some held the boulder for only a few minutes panting in desperation. Some were reluctant to share the boulder once in hand, proving power, or preference for another. This was an unfolding of characters.

  2. Silence: The hike up after prayer was without conversation. Only petitions of prayer in many forms.

As a group we prayed moving in a cluster. Single file became necessary at some point on the road and one hand was placed on the hiker in front to solely pray for that person during this 20 minutes of linear movement. The road widened and I asked the hikers to turn around single file and walk backwards by faith, trusting the hand of the one behind them to guide them—so symbolic of the unseen hand of God.

With so many kinds of contemplative contexts hiking up this mountain, there was an opportunity to realize something new. Weeping took place at different times during the silence. The group would organically slow down to pause and pray to conjoin in the wailing wall that became evident in human form.

  1. Exchange: Near the top of the mountain, but not at the top, was a space to lay it all down; the one large boulder was set by the last handler. Everyone circled around it and one by one, without ever having to give instructions, Freedom Walkers began to pull the personal stone from their person and set it down by the large boulder. The boulder became symbolic: a chief cornerstone.

A pastor prayed and handed each hiker a polished stone with a scripture carved on the surface, after they set down their dull rock from the bottom. More tears kept us without words. I led the group higher to simply move ourselves from the grave spot of stones.

  1. Communion: Rising just a bit higher to the very top, this was where we began to worship in song. I opened in prayer, passed out communion, and we sang.

  2. Testimonies: Stories were saved for the hike down. With so much silence we now burst into conversations. Hands free, high, and lifted up, the personal accounts of what took place on the upside, carried us through the downside.

  3. Foot Washing: At the bottom we were greeted with simply water, yogurt, and grapes. Replenishing our bodies we all sat before a basin. Dishwashing basins I got from the dollar store were filled with water, some soap, and a bit of lavender oil. We washed one another’s feet.

This final step concretized all that had happened. Small gym towels and dollar store flip-flops allowed people to walk back to their cars from a kind of sanctuary. Rites and rituals are a part of worship. How can we serve if we first refuse to get up and walk?

I believe there is a big difference between victory and freedom. But also, there is something the same. Victory is what we can realize on the ridge out of a ditch. The very rock bottom slum we crawled out of where mire is shed, and where a robe of righteousness cloaks over our return to surrender, there is a sacred space. It is true.

On this fringe we feel victorious having survived the climb, no matter how many times we may have scaled back, we made it. This brink we boldly testify and point to the place we once were, giving glory to God. But if we are not careful we can point so long, and so hard, that we find ourselves right back in some part of the ditch. It is important to make a face turn from the edge now in the rearview, and walk away before we stay celebrating what God has done and fail to realize what more God can do.

Recovery is splendor and also a different kind of addiction. The kind that moves you from ditch to victory, over and over. This vertical climb, again and again, makes a mass of muscle memory, points to Christ, and is very good. Stronger and more fit we find ourselves a stranger to the past and a friend to victory. But it is still just a platform, a place, a posture, and proof of conquering something. I sometimes have wondered if I have slid back at times only to realize victory again, because it feels so good and also familiar.

I believe freedom is something other than victory. I believe victory is a ministry of reconciliation, proves grace, and also deliverance. I believe freedom is victory sustained, proves favor, and also God’s call on your life. Victory is for you. Freedom is for them, so the world might know Him.

I believe freedom is something other than victory. I believe victory is a ministry of reconciliation, proves grace, and also deliverance. I believe freedom is victory sustained, proves favor, and also God’s call on your life. Victory is for you. Freedom is for them, so the world might know Him. Victory meets you out of a ditch, from below sea level, and places you back to par. Freedom takes you from victory, up to the mountain top, onto the reason you were born. Both are the same in that they both require a vertical climb. Let what you have had to practice, prove your purpose.

Freedom Walk creates a cool rain for the soul. It unites friendships and ignites the spirit, for more. It embraces moments of victory where you lay down your burdens and testify. It calls you to a place of service where you then can realize that every place your feet tread, you have territory. Painfully positioning yourself at the healing pools of Bethesda is necessary and has great value to understand who you are and what you need. Picking up your bed allows you to walk out something greater, realizing who He is for where you will go.

You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the LORD, have created it.

Isaiah 45:8, NIV

Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.

Joshua 1:3, NKJV