Have you ever watched a performer on a flying trapeze under the massive circus tent? A short horizontal bar suspended by ropes or metal straps dangles high above the crowd. The aerialist grabs the trapeze bar, jumps off of a high platform, and swings through the air.
She swings out once, swings back in above the platform, and swings out again. It is during the peak of the second swing out where the fun begins for those below.
The performer releases the bar mid-air and grabs hold of another bar or second performer hanging from his knees, who swings toward her. Once caught, the crowd remembers to breath.
Somersaults, backflips, and triple twists wow the crowd, and each one requires the performer to let go and take hold. Without the faith to do so, the trapeze artist would simply swing back and forth until the pumping momentum gave way to dangling…stuck in-between two platforms. Or it she took hold of her partner with one hand, but refused to let go of her bar with the other, both performers would be stuck.
Not the greatest show on earth.
Paul wrote to the Philippians, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12 emphasis added).
Another version expresses this verse this way: “I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own (AMP).
When you take hold, grasp and make your own, all of what Jesus had already taken hold of for you, you begin to experience life to the full. It’s not enough to know the promises of God, you’ve got to grab hold with all the firmness of the trapeze artist—let go of what is behind and take hold of what is ahead.
God’s promises are not automatic. We must move from knowing the promise, to believing the promise, to actually taking hold of the promise through obedient action in order to make it a reality in our lives.
God told Joshua about the Promised Land, “I will give you every place where you set your foot” (Joshua 1:3). He and the Israelites had to “set their feet,” conquer the land, take hold of the promise that was theirs for the taking. (Can you tell I’m still thinking about that verse?)
God’s power, provision, and purposes are for “whosoever will.” Will what? Will let go of all that keeps you from experiencing the abundant life of the adventurous faith and take hold of truth that makes it so.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, and to you and me: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, all that God has planned for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV).
Another translations says: “What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him, who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed]” (AMP).
Every one of those plans that God has prepared, made and keeps ready, requires us to let go of one thing and take hold of another. This is this truth that gave me the courage and confidence to leave safety of what I call “cul-de-sac Christianity” and venture into the destiny God had planned for me all along.
I wonder, is there something you need to let go of today?
I wonder, is there something you need to take hold of today?
Are you trying to take hold of God’s promises, but refusing to let go of something in your past? That’ll get you nowhere but stuck.
So here’s the question. Are you ready to let go of any hindrance that keeps you from experiencing the life God has for you, and take hold of the promises that will move you forward?
If so, that WILL be the greatest show on earth!
If you’re ready to let go, move forward, and live bold, leave a comment and let’s celebrate!
(A special welcome to the over 5,000 women who signed up for the 14-Day Romance Challenge through www.crosswalk.com in February.)
Comments 20
I’m so ready. Thank you. I needed to hear this message this morning.
That was on time for as I read it today. I have to let go of toxic relationships. The Lord has open a door in my life. I have to take hold of and walk through. Lord I lay it down at your feet. I thank you Jesus for carrying me.
My goodness. If you don’t get me every time. I’m struggling…with the same thing. For me, it’s a relationship and it’s going on 3 years. He’s a good man, and a Christian, yes. But he’s not the best for my life and what God has. Your messages confirm and I hold on. Until he calls and I get soft and I forget. No more! I’m letting go and I’m holding on to God’s best. I might feel mid-air for a minute, but He’s got me. There! I’ve said it. Now let’s jump…
I am ready to let go of all of the emotional and mental pain and take hold of what God’s promise will bring. I am ready to take hold of faith and boldness and let go of negativity. I am ready to be obedient and have faith in the amazing word of God.
Dear Sharon,
It’s been about two weeks that the Lord has been telling me to let go. Well, it is the last two weeks that I have listen to his voice. I have been reading your book “The five dreams of every woman and how God wants to fulfill them”. In the middle of the book, right after the chapter of Broken dreams, starting the Restored dreams chapter I change job. I usually read the book in my lunch time. So the new work and all the changes that brings made me stop taking lunch time. Then I readjust my time again and started having quiet lunch and reading your book again. For some reason I started in the last chapter I have read. In there you talk about letting go of things for good.
Although I am not a nagging wife I was somehow taking hold of my husband. Not letting him bee himself, the one that I fell in love with. Instead I was trying to change him into someone he is not. God is been talking, and I have been listening and He said See him through my perspective. Now I need to take hold of what is ahead and is see my husband through His perspective. There is nothing wrong with my husband but with the thoughts of what I thought he should be.
Thank you.
Author
That is absolutely beautiful! I am so proud of you.
Yes I’m so ready. I’ve been praying for the Lord to help me come to Him more. I didn’t realize that I was stuck. Now I know , I’m absolutely ready, been ready I suppose just dint know how to. But thank a god for these words, I see more clearly now. Go ahead Daddy Jesus. Take me I’m ready to come higher. Glory to God.
Praying that I let it all go and Move according to the divine plan God has for me…
Father I am ready to let go of all the things in my past and present that I have let hinder me,control the things and people in my life I try and control, past hurts,the things I did to hurt myself,the things and people I allowed to hurt me. Lord I let go freely and give it all to you, I also let go of any unforgiveness I forgive myself and others who hurt me. I am letting go of it all Lord I give all control of my life to you finally.
Thank you Sharon. I hope to fully ‘get it” yet. Somehow I feel a bit like that trapese artist that didn’t want to let go all the way. I want to, I feel like something is blocking me from flying all the way, from finding that abundant life. Like I’m trying too hard and not letting God do the work in me? Is there something I am still holding on to, How do you break free and let God have his way. Mary’s devotional had it too, I don’t always have the joy that God gives. I know he speaks to me through his word, just somehow have to learn to be a doer, not just a hearer, and take hold of what He has for me. To make it real in my life so others can see the difference.
I am so ready to let go, but it is so hard. I have been reading so many different books about letting go and forgiving. It is so hard to do. I learn of the problem 6 months ago and it is still easy for me to pick up and rehash it over and over again. But I do want it gone, GONE.
Yes, I am ready! Thank you so much…I needed to hear this.
I am going to let go and take hold of your hand Lord so you can guide me on this strange and unknown path that is laid in front of me.
This came at the most perfect timing.
At the bottom of your blog you mention letting go of any hindrances that got in the way of the life that Jesus wants us to live and I cried. I don’t even know how I clicked on the e-mail but God had the mouse go straight to the bottom paragraph.
We have this enormous grey storage tub that has stored photos of nearly everything from my early childhood all the way to now. I finally decided to tackle the job of cleaning and sorting all the pictures. Ughhhhh!!!!
You see ten years ago I barely survived a brain aneurysm and the memories before this brain surgery were pretty much wiped out. Well I had a rotten childhood and I was still married to my abusive first husband so that wasn’t completely devastating to me.
Over the years little things come back to me and i suffer from PTSD so I have triggers that scare the jeebers out of me.
Today was one of the worst ones. As I was going through some of the final pictures, I found a picture of a master bedroom at a vacation resort that my first husband and I had gone to with our daughters. He sexually assaulted me there and my oldest remembered it and helped me recall it.
I had NO idea that I actually had a picture of that bed in that tub. As soon as I saw it I froze. I thought I had let that horrible incident go and moved on. Now that the tears have dried up, I have…for good. Thank you Jesus.
I am going to start living boldy. I declare to map out a plan so that I can leave my job and follow my dreams of network marketing as an Independent Business Owner with Total Life Changes.
Thank you , am ready to completely let go of my past. I made so many mistakes through out my adult life. Had children out of wedlock just to loved since I has such a horrible childhood. Then chose men first before anything else in life. Ended up in prison for 9 1/2 yrs, my children grew up without me. They now struggle with life issues and have gone through awful situations that I blame myself and always say, what if? could have? Now I pray asking God to help me a mom to my children, to encourage them and most of all to love them like they deserve. My children are so forgiving. Now am tormented mentally all the time. I feel like I take 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Am tired of my past and fully Trusting in Him. God is so good to me and my children just taking one step and a time. Am ready for more of Him and less of me.
I need to let go of what I want my husband to be, and kids and learn to love the good. And forget the past.
It is clear. I have been reading devotions of letting go ALL week. God is clearly telling me to LET Go and today in Sharon’s devotion He is reminding me to GRAB hold of His strength and direction. Thank you Lord! Thank you for this sharing.
I grew up in an alcoholic family. My mom was abusive and angry. There was lots of yelling and just general unhappiness. It just always felt dark. That’s just how it always was. The abuse — physical – started when I was 8 and continued until I was about 15 or 16 and started fighting back. But the verbal, emotional and mental continue even till today – and I’m now 40. So, I’m all grown up – with 4 beautiful kids of my own and even though I am not a drinker, I have been a yeller for most of their lives. Not cool. I’m trying so hard to let go of that anger so that my precious God-given children don’t grow up to someday be yellers to their children and not know why. They deserve better than that. I’m struggling to let go. I’m struggling to understand why I was never good enough for my mom and just let it all go. Thank you for this message – and I may have to read it 1500 more times before I can finally do it, but I’ll try!
My best friend has had another emotional breakdown and it has been 3 mos. since she spoke to me. She says God told her to stop being my friend for however long. This is the second time this has happened. I love her and miss her greatly. I’m trying to trust God with our friendship. I need more best friends, but they are hard to find since I am 52 and single. I need God to heal me, change me, and be my best friend.