This episode exposes why legalism is, on the one hand, so easy to swallow and on the other hand, in light of the Cross, why it's absurd.

We believe with legalism, we are dealing with a cunning deception that is so effective it worked in a perfect world on an as-yet sinless human being.

The devil was introduced in Scripture as a deceiver and damned for eternity as a deceiver.

Deception is his best and favorite weapon, and it’s worked for centuries.

It would be foolish to believe we are so "in the truth" that deception can’t touch us. Our wisdom begins when we realize how susceptible we are.

After exposing this potent ploy, this episode methodically explains why freedom is God’s answer for humans.

This is the first part of a 6-part series on legalism.

Legalism is defined as "strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code." As such and as this series hopes to prove, it is directly opposed to the freedom Jesus purchased for us.

Legalism is not a benign issue in the Church. This is not a mere difference of opinion on how Christians ought to live. The root of legalism, what everyone cannot see because it's buried and hidden - is a deadly, cancerous deception that has metastasized dangerously over the decades and cultivated a culture of spiritual death among us.

Sound dramatic? Decide for yourself at the conclusion of this series.

While every generation has been affected and impacted by legalism in the Church, we believe the Millennial generation has felt the full brunt of its impact. We have walked away from God in droves. Now, our children don't even believe in God.

This is unacceptable to us.

We Millennials, today's parents, must course correct. The Freeborn Podcast is a response to this issue. We must first see legalism for what it really is - an an ugly, evil, suppressive force - and then we must understand biblical freedom - the blood-bought antidote to this curse.

A generation powerfully and knowledgeably walking in freedom and truth can do much to turn things around! This episode is all about the dream that changed everything.

Catch Episode 11 on Youtube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Don’t only prophets prophesy? Or, at least, really spiritual people?

Isn’t prophecy just predicting the future?

Didn’t prophecy end in the Old Testament? Or at least when the last apostle died?

We address all of these questions and more on this episode.

Not only is the Bible clear that all of God’s children can prophesy. It’s clear that it is imperative that every child of God prophesies because of how powerfully it builds up the church and impacts unbelievers.

On September 23, 2024, at 8:00pm EST, Ashley and Clinton are holding a sampler prophetic training/Q&A session so you can dip your toe further into this topic and experience its impact firsthand.

If you’re interested in learning more and asking questions live and in person, please sign up here - https://forms.gle/4Vr2Wd2p5SNzXxUh7.

You’ll walk away having given AND received your own prophetic words - could be life-changing! We are so eager to see you there!

We’re doing a spiritual check-up in this last part of our Spiritual Maturity series. How spiritually mature are you? We’re given ways to know in the Bible.

Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life.” God isn’t playing cat and mouse with us. He makes His ways pretty clear; yet, this episode is largely about how we stay in our own way. This is both the result of spiritual immaturity and how we remain spiritually immature.

This is an episode of hope and empowerment. If you listen with an open heart, we believe the Holy Spirit will highlight what has been holding you back. Sometimes, we are waiting on God, but so often He is waiting on us.

If you feel stuck, if you feel frustrated, if you’ve been walking around the same mountain for years, this episode just might have the insights and answers you’ve been looking for.

Ishamel was the son of human effort and intervention. Isaac was the fulfilled promise begotten by faith.

Ishmael was Abraham’s slave son while Isaac was Abraham’s free son. Ishmael as a teenager bullied Isaac as a toddler and so infuriated Sarah, Isaac’s mother, that she expelled Ishmael and his mother Hagar from the home.

Turns out, Ishmaels are still bullying Isaacs today. We don’t mean the age-old conflict between Islam and Judaism/Christianity, although that is a reality. We are speaking in spiritual terms.

Spiritual Ishmaels are those with a slave mindset who work hard to earn right-standing with God through their own efforts and performance.

Spiritual Isaacs are those who receive the righteousness of God by faith in Christ. Isaac represents the freedom we have in Christ.

These two brothers in conflict with one another in Abraham’s household represent the conflict we still see today in God’s household. Those earning their own salvation through their own efforts will always discredit, bully, look down upon, and harass those walking in faith and freedom in Christ. It’s the nature of the relationship between the two.

Gain insights in this week’s episode as to why you have felt intimidated, discredited and mistreated by your own brothers and sisters in Christ as you’ve attempted to grow in Christ and walk on your own two spiritual feet.

We continue our series on spiritual maturity. It is vital we mature as Christians because increased maturity leads to more freedom in Christ and more freedom expands the authority we walk in as children of God.

That authority is what threatens the devil’s illegitimate dictatorship on the Earth. A mature child of God who gloriously embodies their freedom and expertly executes their God-given authority is devastating to the devil, so what does he do?

He tampers with and contaminates our spiritual food. Why? Because just as our physical man needs physical food to grow, our spirit man needs spirit food to grow.

But, what exactly is spiritual food? And are we consuming it?

A mature Christian isn’t someone who has been in church a long time. It is someone who is becoming acclimated and expert in the things of the spirit realm. This episode dives into what exactly spiritual food is and the ways it has been contaminated in the Church over the centuries, all in an effort to fetter the devil’s most powerful and feared enemy - YOU!

Are you ready to finally walk in a freedom and authority that cannot be stopped?

If you were the devil and you knew the spiritually mature child of God operates in a powerful authority to utterly depose you of your illegitimate authority on the Earth, what would you do as their enemy?

You would deceive him or her into a perpetual state of spiritual childishness and convince them it is holy and righteous before God.

The devil employed this tactic almost immediately in the first century church, and it’s so effective it is still the primary method he employs to handicap and hamper the Body of Christ in its devastating authority over him today.

But, if The Freeborn Podcast has anything to do with it, that gig is up! This new 4-part series is all about spiritual maturity - what it is, why it’s important, why it is a vital prerequisite for walking in FREEDOM, and the sneaky, effective tactics the devil uses to keep us from achieving it.

This is a call to spiritual maturity. It’s time to grow up! This series will expose the enemy’s devices against you and how he has kept you small, scared, and ineffective. But, once you see his evil agenda clearly, you’ll know how to effectively fight back and rise up to become who he fears most - a child of God who knows how to walk in freedom and authority and establish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

We know you are all so ready for this. The next four weeks could be exactly what you need to be launched into your divine identity and destiny as a child and heir of God.

This may be our most important podcast yet. It is the final part in our series “Are You in the KNOW?” It is all about knowing the voice of God. We can know nothing more important.

We speak on behalf of the Millennial generation in particular in this episode, a generation that has walked away from God in droves. Why? Perhaps it is because we have been taught to listen to the many manmade forms of God passed down to us - traditions, standards, dress codes, protocols - but we haven’t learned to hear the voice of God Himself. We know so much about God, but we don’t know who God is. In our times of need, desperation, and pain, these manmade constructions of God have turned up empty and cold-hearted again and again. And so, we have scattered.

This episode is a timely and inspiring call back to the voice of God. He DOES speak to us. We are wired for connection with Him. With a little training and instruction, we can get reconnected to His voice of comfort, instruction, wisdom, and destiny.

This is part 3 of our series “Are You in the KNOW?” In this episode, we discuss two types of knowledge - earthly knowledge and divine knowledge.

Everyone has access to earthly knowledge, but only God’s children - The Freeborn - have access to divine knowledge. So, what is divine knowledge? How do you know you’re accessing it? If you’re not currently accessing it, how can you begin?

We hope this fascinating discussion starts you on a journey that upgrades you into a new operating system, into the mind of Christ - thinking the actual thoughts of God.

Freeborn believers, it’s time to ascend higher into those heavenly realms where we really belong.

This is part 2 of our series “Are You in the KNOW?” In this episode, we do a brief history lesson of courageous freeborn believers from the past who demonstrate how an intimacy with God empowers believers to take bold, even world-changing stances in the freedom Christ purchased for us. These individuals are our cloud of witnesses rooting us on in our own pursuit of freedom.

Interestingly, these bold believers were reading the same translation of the Bible, the 1560 Geneva Bible. What was it about this translation that emboldened them to risk their lives for the truth? We discover that this translation actually portrays God much differently than modern translations, all of which demonstrates the importance of seeing God correctly. We hope this is an inspiring, eye-opening episode!

Important show notes: You can subscribe to Naomi Wolf’s readings of the Geneva Bible here - thegenevabiblereadings.substack.com. PLEASE NOTE: Since the recording of this podcast, I have listened to more of Naomi Wolf’s readings and she said that she switched from reading The Jerusalem Bible to the Revised Standard Version because she was informed by her listeners that TJB is a notoriously bad translation. This still provides a great illustration of how translators can impose their lens, perceptions, and biases to their interpretation of ancient texts.

If you are on a journey out of religion and legalism, we can’t recommend Eric Mextaxas’s book Martin Luther enough. If you’re like us, you’ll note several striking parallels between his story and yours. You’ll find courage, wisdom, and insight in your journey of freedom - https://a.co/d/eX4Y1Ne