Only in Freedom

An Atlanta Entrepreneur recently told me that in his Diamond business that they have discovered a new way to make diamonds even more radiant and valuable.   They have learned if they put the diamond under more pressure and heat (the same way they were originally created) and then use a special liquid to polish the stone further, it will increase their value and his sales.

He said that’s just what the Lord does with us.  The word says in James, consider it all joy when you face trials.  “Its what God does to us to develop our Character.  We are put under greater pressure to test us and our faithfulness.“  Too often people think when they experience great trials, they aren’t capable of overcoming them, or they are being punished or abandoned by God.  Actually God is ready and waiting to answer their prayers and use the experience to prepare them for bigger and better things.

The greater the trial and testing, the greater the calling.  Jesus was tested and faced the greatest trial of all in a humiliating death.   So how do your trials and testing measure up to Jesus’ experiences?

Only in nations and cultures of Freedom do people have the opportunity to be all God has called them to be.  Freedom offers the opportunity to succeed and fail, if Government and culture do not limit their choices.  God has placed in us a special talent and gifting to do something extraordinary.   God is working to move the world forward and he needs leaders who are willing to be open to his leading and calling... people with courage and perseverance. 

This is why America is such a great nation and leader of the world.  We live in an atmosphere where individuals are free to exercise their gifts and talents, to succeed or fail, and to learn and grow from our interactions with one another.

So I asked my business friend, “How do you cut a Diamond?”  He said, “Only by using another diamond, it’s the only substance that is hard enough.” 

I believe that everyone who is called by His name is a Diamond.  The only obstacle to achieving our potential is ourselves and the “insecure” programming we have heard or inherited. But even this can be overcome through God’s leading, as we persevere through the pressure and trimming.   The word “character” in Greek means to chisel.  God will continue to chisel and refine us through trials, but that is how our character is built.  God wants us to be more beautiful and more valuable in His eyes and toughen us to pursue His greatest calling for our lives.  Trust Him because He knows where and how He will radiate the Diamond in you.

Authored by John Beehner, author of "The Freedom Revolution... Rocking our World" and founder of Ask Wise Counsel, dedicated to the spiritual and economic growth of companies and individuals.