Get Out of Jail Free Card

Question: is it a bad thing to have?

Does a Get Out of Jail Free card have a negative connotation? If so, why?

     Topic example: traveling in and outside the states.

     Cast: the Fearful and the Traveler

Fearful: I’m not afraid! It’s called having wisdom and not intentionally putting myself in jeopardy! God has shown me what’s going on in the world and made me aware of the evil happening, and I’m not going to pretend it’s not there and put myself in danger just because, what, I have a ‘Get of Jail Free' card?

Traveler: Acknowledging that God is far greater than the evils of the world is not pretending the evil doesn’t exist. If others traveling the world upsets you and brings to mind labels like “delusional,” “naive,” and “ignorant,” and you want them to realize you’re right because your wisdom is God-given and to stop traveling, be aware that’s called fear.

     You are afraid bad things might happen to them if they go outside your decided safe zone. You are not leaving your defined safe zone because you don’t want the bad things you are aware of happening to people in the world to happen to you. You’re afraid of those things which is why you’ve created a boundary for yourself and you attempt to persuade others to be of the same mind.

Thing is, safety is with God and not merely where you’re at physically. People who are sick of being afraid of life will deafen their ears to so-called discernment. Nothing about their walk in faith has made them stop doing something out of fear. Jesus does not compel His followers with fear.

Fearful repeats: It’s not fear it’s wisdom.

Traveler: “Go out into the world and preach the gospel.” “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” “You are in the world but not of the world.” “I live by faith in the Son of God, not by sight.” “Lean not unto thy own understanding, but in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.”

     Your own understanding is that danger is everywhere and you must stay in a relatively familiar area on the geographical map to be safe and ideally with everyone you love nearby. God’s understanding says: “Fear thou not, for I am with thee. I will hold thy right hand.” Why would God hold our hands to reassure us if we’re already in the ‘safe zone’? And why would He tell us not to fear if we’re in a safe zone where there is nothing to fear? God tells us to not be afraid because we are out and about in a fallen world, and He assures us that He is our protector and safety is from Him by letting us know He’s holding our hand.

     Immanuel – God with us. God being with us equals victory over everything evil around us. For a victory to be had means there was a battle. Since the battle is won, why are you hiding in a self-labeled safe zone? There seems to be only one battle in the ‘safe zone’ and that’s the battle for peace of mind.

     You’re in the ‘safe zone’ but all you do is worry for every one else’s business: what they’re thinking, why they’re thinking and living that way, how they’re thinking doesn’t line up with yours otherwise they’d be agreeing with you.

     But you don’t seem interested to investigate how they came to this state of mind or understand it. They just need to stop. You have no peace. So your battle in your safe zone would be to escape your own understanding and come to the full knowledge of the power of Jesus in your life and live like that’s the reality as it should be. You can only utilize the power of Christ in your life if you believe it, and you can only believe it if you learn of it. Christ said “ask anything from the Father in my name and He will give it to. Ye have not, because ye ask not.”

Why is peace from Jesus so incredible if we deliberately hide ourselves in our ideals of safety? Jesus’ peace is incredible because we have peace in spite of what’s happening to the world because though we are in the world the devastations are either not touching us or we are going through it peacefully.

     Why do we need God to be our defender or high tower if we are staying safely away from possible evils? (Abstaining from all appearance of evils is an entirely different topic.)

     Isaiah 41:10: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."Why do we need this promise if we are not out in the world living as though God is our protector like that verse says? If we’re in our ‘safe zone,’ why would we need God to tell us to be not dismayed? (I mean, you could apply it like this: the Fearful are ‘safe’ yet they’re occupied with worrying about everyone else who isn’t in their safe zone. Were that the case, they’d say God was telling them not to be dismayed because He’ll use them to convince the Travelers to stop traveling. Etc. #Twisted.)

Why do we need God to strengthen us if we’re not up against something? Fearful one, maybe you feel weak inside your safe zone and you take the verse to address your position. Yes, you do need strength, but do you know why? Because worry torments and weakens you. Oh, the atrocities! Oh, the evil! Oh, the wretched men and women! Oh! Oh! Oh! You can’t let your awareness devolve into anti-Christ ‘what ifs.’ That’s drinking a depressive perspective of life. That’s creating drama. That’s being a busy-body. That’s an adrenaline junkie getting a buzz in their safe zone. You are weakened because you are exalting the power of evil through your worry.

Note: A list of examples doesn’t cover everything in the world down to your exact situation. Just because whatever describes you or what’s going on in your life to a T isn’t on the list doesn’t mean you can’t add it yourself and realize: whoa. I need to change that about me.

Note: There is no wailing option: I’m the worst person in the world! Everybody hates me! I shouldn’t be here! You don’t need me! It was all pretend! I’m not good enough for you! My life was a waste! No. Everyone makes mistakes. The option here is to acknowledge you made a mistake. That’s all anyone wants. It may be uncomfortable, sure, but that’s part of owning mistakes. Your brothers and sisters in Christ desire two things. 1) For you to stop pretending things didn’t happen just because you didn’t intend it that way. 2) They want you to have victory in the change/renewing and healing of your heart.

Addressing the Card:

If a person is guilty of something, popular belief is that they don’t deserve the ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card. But in the topic of God’s promises to his people/children, and salvation that Jesus offers at the cross to everybody who will receive, the Get Out of Jail Free card is grace; a gift from the Father. His promises are a show of His love to us. He promised us protection and to defend us here on this earth.

Question: On what grounds does the Fearful take this gift card of grace and love and portray it from their imagination as another person’s means to live whimsically and foolishly?

Why not live life as though you have divine protection? Psalm 91: "He shall deliver thee, He shall cover thee with his feathers and under His wings shalt thou trust, His truth shall be thy shield and buckler, thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night or of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence or of the destruction. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at the right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee. Because thou hast made the Lord thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling...He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him."

We may be in the thick of it all, but God said He will deliver us. Isaiah43:1-2 "Thus saith the Lord that created thee, that formed thee, Fear thou not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through rivers of difficulty, they shall not overcome thee, when thou walkest through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee."

John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (Not made perfect in love means you, the Christian, are not living like God’s love covers you entirely and actively in the present, which means this thought you’ve been harboring is being exalted to the point of nullifying the power of the blood of Jesus intentionally or not.)

Why not live life as though you have divine health? Psalm 103: 2-5 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Why not live life as though you are more than a conqueror in Jesus?

Romans 8: 34-39 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How are any of these things applicable if we are not out and about as shining lights in the world? What are you conquering in your safe zone?

Having a “Get Out of Jail Free” card shouldn’t be scoffed about or implied to mean a person living fearless and at liberty is being irrational and foolish. Someone who is up to date on the evils of the world but still chooses to travel in confidence of protection in Christ is not deliberately throwing themselves under a bus to prove Jesus won’t let them die.

Who is the Fearful to condemn traveling? Or to judge whether or not someone else is sincere in their faith in Christ’s promises or living like a fool? It would seem by the Fearful’s standards anyone who digresses from their declarations of wisdom and safety is naive and unreasonable, and, dare I say, 'out of God’s roulette will.’

Someone else’s walk of faith has been frivolized to a connotation likened to the irresponsibility of a delinquent holding a “Get Out of Jail Free” Card. Is such a notion not an audacious assumption?

Just because one wouldn’t become a welder based on safety reasons for their eyesight doesn’t mean that someone else can’t and shouldn’t be a welder because of the first person’s conviction. It’s not their job to convince others to agree with and confirm their conviction. It’s not up to them and their thoughts of own understanding to dictate who’s grieving the Holy Spirit or ignoring the Holy Spirit especially on simple matters of traveling in or out of country, becoming a police officer, race car driver, journalist, etc.

Their experiences don’t get to dictate other people’s decisions and futures. Their experiences can council somebody, though. Their experience can be advice and a different point of view, but it does not set in stone outcomes, it does not grant them authority over the second person on the matter, and their counsel is not a command from God, it is merely a word to be considered among other perspectives that may or may not have been disclosed in the conversation.

     Isaiah 54:14,17

“In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

     No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise up against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”

Both sides can claim this as a promise to them: every tongue that shall rise up against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. However, in the given examples in these pages, the party known as ‘Fearful’ presenting the argument against travel is the offended party who is appalled that their ideals are opposed.

     Yes, they are offended. To be unable to accept that someone is allowed to have different standards of danger, faith, trust, and lifestyle, and then stressing how they are wrong by their logic and wisdom, and insisting the traveler needs to see it their way and confirm they are right is the very definition of being offended. It’s not even for Christ, it’s their pride.

It is important to point this out because Isaiah 54:17 is not for the offended party in this matter.

     1 John 5:4-5

KJV: For whosoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh our world, our faith. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.

Not KJV: Who is he who overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

This is how the Traveler lives, and they desire the Fearful to come into a life of love, victory, and faith as well.

     Using the Get out of Jail Free Card isn’t irresponsibility, it is boldness gifted to us by our Father. “Therefore, we come boldly to the throne of grace.” We are rewarded/blessed by God for using the gifts He gave us.