Run with Abandon

How do we get to the point that we can run with abandon – because we are always in step and never off track? This is the definition of sure-footedness, but how do we achieve it?

Habakkuk writes about having confidence in God and living at heights even in extreme circumstances (Hab. 3:19, ESV).  The same sentiment is written in 2 Samuel: “He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights” (2 Sam. 22:34, Emphasis added).

Amid life’s challenging mountains, we can still find a secure footing because of our confidence and trust in God. It starts with the fruit in our lives. If we are not bearing spiritual fruit, we will not be secure and are in danger.

Jesus demonstrated to the disciples with a fig tree what happens when we are not bearing fruit. From a distance, the tree looked fruitful; it had green leaves, indicating it should bear figs. Upon closer inspection, however, there was no fruit. Jesus cursed the tree, and it withered. This was indicative of the Jewish people of Jesus’ time who appeared to be bearing fruit but were not (Mark 11:12-14; 20). We can trust God to remove whatever is hindering us from bearing fruit. It begins in our hearts. Still, we must be willing to make the changes and allow God to work in our lives.

I remember years ago when I was miserable, mostly with myself, that I changed jobs to get a fresh start and escape some temptations. I did try to start over, but I was still the same inside, so the same problems presented themselves.

Wherever you go, there you are.

Real change can only happen inside our hearts, with God’s help. Only Jesus can truly change our character. We must want the change and ask for His help. Again, we are meant to eliminate what does not produce fruit. Only then can we run with abandon.

We can ask God to expand our hearts and help us perceive His truth (Psalm 119:32). The Psalmist speaks the language of one ravished with moral beauty – to which there is only one fitting response – to reproduce this beauty or attempt to – in one’s daily life. Not for perfection, but only a yearning, trust, and dependence on God (Ps. 119, ESV Study Bible notes).

I often ask God to reveal anything that needs to change or be removed in my heart to make more room for the Holy Spirit. This can be summed up as being God-inside-minded. It is about shifting our primary focus from the external world to the divine reality residing in believers, with a conscious connection with the Holy Spirit as a source of wisdom, love, and power.

It took me several years to figure out the root of my misery, but once the Holy Spirit transformed my heart, my life changed forever.

I don’t just want the outside to appear fruitful; I want the inside to match so that my life reflects my gratefulness for what Christ rescued me from. I finally removed my mask. That life is gone, and I want nothing to do with anything that resembles it. It was not bearing fruit and withered away at the mighty hand of Jesus upon my confession of faith (Rom. 1:16-17; Heb. 10:22-23).

Is there anything hindering you from bearing fruit? Ask God to reveal it to you and be willing to accept the change that will follow so you can run with abandon to the life God created for you. Take it from me: Wearing masks is a miserable existence. But running – that is where it’s at. Even though I don’t always get it right, I trust God to correct me and cut off anything in my life that is not bearing fruit for His Kingdom—everything for the Glory of God.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105, emphasis added).