Dedication And Welcome

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Today's program is dedicated to every man and woman who has worn the uniform of the United States of America. Thank you for standing watch while the rest of us slept. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your sacrifice. And above all, this message is dedicated to Jesus Christ, the one who wore the crown of thorns so that every one of us could experience a freedom no government could ever give. Now let's join the host of today's show, Ron Myers, with our special edition of Get the Hell Out of Your Life. The flag, the cross, and the empty tomb.

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Hello, my friends. It is so good to be with you today. I'm Ron Myers. I'm your host, and I don't know where you're listening from. Maybe you're driving home from work. Maybe you're sitting on your back porch with a cup of coffee. Maybe you're taking a walk, or maybe you're doing what I often do. Just trying to catch your breath after another busy week. Wherever you are, I'm glad you're here. You know, every year about this time something happens to me. I'll drive through town along the beach and notice American flags appearing everywhere. Front porches, schools, churches, businesses. Then the grocery stores fill up with charcoal, watermelon, hot dogs, and red, white, and blue decorations. Children get excited about fireworks. Families begin making plans. And for a few days, it seems like the whole country pauses to celebrate one word, freedom. I love that. I really do. I still get emotional when I hear the national anthem. I still stand a little taller when old glory passes by in a parade. Because I know as a veteran, freedom isn't free. Somebody paid for it, somebody always does. Before we go any further, I want to say something. If you served in our country, thank you. Whether you spent four years or thirty, whether people know your name or never will, thank you. Your willingness to serve has given millions

The Deeper Question About Freedom

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of Americans opportunities they may never fully appreciate. So thank you. But this week, as I was thinking about Independence Day, another question kept coming to mind. It's a simple question, but I think it's one of the most important questions we'll ever ask ourselves. Are we really free? Do we live in a free country? We do. I'm asking something much deeper, my friend. Are we free inside? Because I've met people who have every freedom America offers. Yet they're prisoners, not behind bars, behind fear, behind shame, behind addiction, behind anxiety, behind regret, behind the exhausting feeling that they'll never quite measure up. Maybe you know what that's like. Maybe nobody around you knows the battle you're fighting. You smile, you go to work, you attend church, you laugh with friends, but inside you're tired. You're carrying something heavy. Friend, that's not freedom. And that's exactly why I wanted to spend this time with you. Not to talk politics, not to debate history, not to convince you to vote one way or another. I want to brag on Jesus because I believe America has given us one of history's greatest blessings. But Jesus offers something even greater. America gives us political freedom. Jesus gives us spiritual freedom. One protects our rights, the other transforms our hearts. One changes where we live, the other changes how we live. So today I want to tell you three stories the story of a nation, the story of a savior, and somewhere in between your story. Because I have a feeling they're more connected than you might think. Every heart longs to be free. Have you ever noticed that every stage of life is a search for freedom? Children can't wait until they're old enough to make their own decisions. Teenagers count the days until they can drive. Yet adults dream about financial freedom. Parents dream about a free weekend. Retirees dream about freedom from schedules. Everybody is chasing freedom, but here's what I've discovered. Most of us are chasing the wrong kind. We spend years trying to fix what's outside us. When the real battle is happening inside of us, you can live in a beautiful house and still not have peace. You can have money in the bank and still be anxious. You can have thousands of followers online and still feel lonely. You can sit in church every Sunday and still wonder if God is disappointed in you. I've talked with people who've built successful businesses, people who have won awards, people who have accomplished things they never dreamed possible. And do you know what surprises me? Many of them quietly ask the question Is this all there is? Why? Because success was never meant to be your savior. Only Jesus

Grace Is Not Another Burden

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can carry that weight. The apostle Paul understood this. That's why he wrote these words in Galatians. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened by a yoke of slavery. I absolutely love that verse. Notice what Paul didn't write. He didn't say it is for religion. He didn't say it is for rule keeping. He didn't say it is for trying harder. No, he said freedom. Think about that. Jesus didn't die so you could spend the rest of your life wondering whether you've done enough. He didn't rescue you just so you could trade one prison for another. Grace isn't another burden. Grace is the removal of the burden. Friend, if your Christianity feels heavier every year, maybe somewhere along the way you've picked up a backpack Jesus

Creator-Given Worth And Liberty

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never asked you to carry. America's story officially began with a remarkable document, the Declaration of Independence. One sentence in particular has echoed throughout history. We hold these truths to be self-evident. That's all people are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. I've always loved that phrase. Their creator, not their government, not a king, not a president, not a Congress, their creator. Think about what that means. Before you ever accomplished anything, God already declared your value. Before you ever succeeded, he loved you. Before you ever failed, he knew you. Before you ever sinned, he already knew the cross was coming. Friend, that's grace. Our nation's early leaders understood something that still matters today. Freedom works best when people recognize there is a moral authority greater than themselves. Laws can restrain evil, but they cannot create goodness. A constitution can protect liberty, but it can't transform the human heart. That's where Jesus changes everything. He didn't come merely to improve behavior. He came to create new hearts. Governments can pass legislation, but only God can bring transformation. Governments can defend liberty, but only Jesus can remove guilt. Governments can punish crime, but only Jesus can erase sin. That's why America is such a remarkable nation. But it was never meant to replace the kingdom of God. It points us towards something greater.

Valley Forge And Winter Faith

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Let's talk about Valley Forge. Close your eyes for just a moment. Picture Pennsylvania in the winter of 1777. Not Mississippi cold, not a chilly morning. I'm talking about bone deep winter. Snow, ice, wind. Now picture hungry soldiers. Some have no shoes, some wrap rags around bleeding feet. Disease is spreading, food is running out, men are wondering if they'll ever see home again. That's Valley Forge. History books tell us about battles, but they don't always tell us about discouragement. Can you imagine being George Washington? Responsible for an army that looked like it might disappear before spring? Responsible for a dream that seemed to be slipping away. Many historical accounts describe Washington as turning to God during those difficult months, seeking wisdom and strength when human resources weren't enough. I love that picture. Because every one of us eventually reaches a place where talent isn't enough. Money isn't enough. Experience isn't enough. We're left with one choice. Trust God. Maybe you've had a valley forage, a season where everything felt frozen. Maybe it was sitting in a hospital room waiting. Maybe it was watching your marriage struggle. Maybe it was losing someone you loved. Maybe it was wondering how you were going to pay the bills. Maybe it was quietly asking, Lord, where are you? Friends, I've had those seasons. There were times in my life when I thought another accomplishment would finally satisfy me, another event, another promotion, another opportunity. But every mountain I climbed simply revealed another mountain. Success kept moving the finish line. It wasn't until I stopped trying to build my identity around what I did and started resting in who Jesus says I am. That is how I experienced real freedom. Friend, God often does his deepest work in our hardest winters, not because he enjoys our pain, but because winter teaches us something success never can dependence. Valley Forge wasn't the end of America's story. It's where perseverance was forged. And maybe the winter you're walking through right now isn't the end of your story either. America teaches us that freedom is worth fighting for. Jesus teaches us that freedom was worth dying for. There's an enormous difference. George Washington asked ordinary men to sacrifice for a greater cause than themselves. Jesus became the sacrifice. Washington endured winner. Jesus endured the cross. Washington helped establish a nation. Jesus established a kingdom that will never end. Friend, that's why I love America, but I worship Jesus. One deserves my gratitude, the other deserves my life. And that's where we're headed next. Because in our next conversation, we're going to meet three markable men. Patrick Henry, John Adams, Ben Franklin. Each understood something profound about liberty. But each one also points us toward a greater truth, a freedom they could protect, but only Jesus could provide.

The Greatest Battle Is Inside

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We stood beside George Washington and watched a nation fight for its freedom. But now I want to move to the conversation from the battlefield to the human heart. Because if we're honest, the greatest battle you'll ever fight won't be against another nation. It won't even be against another person. The greatest battle you'll ever fight is the one inside of you. The battle between guilt and grace, fear and faith, performance and peace, trying harder or trusting deeper. You know, one of the reasons I love history is because history reminds us that people have always wrestled with the same questions. They wore different clothes, they rode horses instead of cars, they didn't have smartphones, but they did worry. They doubted, they hoped, they wondered if tomorrow would be better than today, just like we do. And that's why I think that the next three men have something to teach us. Not because they were perfect, they weren't. Not because they had all the answers, because they didn't. But because they understood that freedom is precious. And every one of them, in his own way, points us toward a greater freedom

Patrick Henry Points To The Cross

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found only in Jesus Christ. Patrick Henry. If I begin this sentence, most Americans can finish it. Give me liberty or give me death. Patrick Henry spoke those words in 1775 long before America declared its independence. He wasn't trying to become famous. He wasn't looking for applause. He believed that living without liberty wasn't really living at all. Those words stirred ordinary people to extraordinary courage. I've often wondered what it must have been like to sit in that room to hear a man speak with such conviction, to realize history was changing right before your eyes. But every time I think about Patrick Henry, my mind goes somewhere else. It goes to another man standing before another crowd. Jesus. Unlike Patrick Henry, Jesus didn't ask others to die for freedom. He chose to die himself. Think about that. When they arrested him in the Garden of Gethsemane, he could have walked away. He could have called angels. He could have ended it all in an instant. Instead, he stayed. Because he saw you. He saw your fears, your failures, your regrets, your addictions, your shame. And he loved you enough to keep walking toward the cross. America teaches us that freedom is worth fighting for. Jesus teaches us that freedom was worth dying for. That's why Galatians chapter 5, verse 1 has become one of my favorite verses. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Not so we could become religious, not so we'd spend every day wondering if God is pleased with us, not so we would trade one kind of slavery for another. Jesus came to set us free. Friend, if your relationship with God feels heavy, if you're constantly wondering whether you have done enough, can I gently suggest something? Maybe you've picked up a burden Jesus never asked you to carry. Grace was never meant to weigh you down.

John Adams And Self-Government

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Grace was meant to lift you up. Let's talk about John Adams. One of America's founders, John Adams, understood something we desperately need to remember today. A free nation depends upon people who govern themselves. Think about that for a minute. Government can write laws, but government cannot write character. Government can punish crime, but it cannot create compassion. Government can build prisons, but it cannot set hearts free. Only Jesus does that. That's why I believe America's greatest need has never simply been better politics. Our greatest need has always been transformed people. Because transformed people build transformed lives. Transformed families build transformed neighborhoods. Transformed neighborhoods build transformed communities. And transformed communities change nations. That's exactly how Jesus worked. He never started at Caesar's palace. He started beside fishing boats, around dinner tables, walking dusty roads, looking ordinary people in the eye and saying, Come, follow me. One heart at a time. I have often asked myself, what if Christians became known more for introducing people to Jesus than winning arguments? Can you imagine that? Less shouting, more serving, less condemning, more loving, less pointing fingers, more extending grace. I think the world would notice because that's exactly what Jesus did. He loved people before they cleaned themselves up. In fact, that's how they got cleaned up. Love changes people. Condemnation rarely does.

Ben Franklin And Needed Prayer

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Now let's talk about Ben Franklin. Benjamin Franklin may have been one of the smartest men America ever produced. He was a scientist, inventor, writer, diplomat, printer, statesman. And if intelligence alone could solve humanity's problems, Franklin would have solved most of them. But one of my favorite moments in his life had nothing to do with electricity or inventions. It happened during the Constitutional Convention. The delegates have been arguing for weeks. Nothing seemed to be working. Tempers were rising, progress had stalled, then the elderly Franklin slowly stood. He reminded everyone that during the Revolutionary War they had often prayed for God's help. Then he asked a question that stopped the room. If we needed God's help to win our independence, why would we think we could build a nation without him? Don't you love that? One of the brightest minds in America admitted, I still need God. Friend, that's wisdom. Real wisdom isn't pretending you've got life figured out. Real wisdom says, Lord, I don't know what to do. I need you. And the older I get, the less impressed I become with my own abilities. And the more amazed I become by God's grace. When I was younger, I thought confidence meant having all the answers. Now I think confidence means knowing the one who does. Jesus never said, figure it out. He never said, come back after you're all fixed up. He simply said, Come to me. I don't know about you, my friend, but I am thankful he didn't wait until I

When Success Becomes A Prison

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had my life together because I'd still be waiting. Can I tell you something personal? For years I misunderstood freedom. I thought freedom meant success. I thought if I could just build another business, promote another event, earn a little more money, gain a little more recognition, then I'd finally be satisfied. Maybe you have chased something like that. A bigger house, another promotion, another accomplishment, thinking when I get there, I'll finally be happy. But every mountain led to another mountain. The applause faded, the excitement faded, the feeling of accomplishment faded. Success makes a wonderful servant, but it makes a terrible savior. It always asks for more, more work, more achievement, more applause. It never whispers, You've done enough. Then Jesus began teaching me something that changed everything, my friend. My identity. Wasn't in what I produced. It wasn't in what people thought of me. It wasn't in my accomplishments. It wasn't even in ministry. My identity was in Christ. Friend, that realization set me free. I still work hard. I still love what I do. I still dream big dreams, but I am no longer working for God's approval. I'm working because I already have it. There's a huge difference. One produces exhaustion, the other produces joy. One creates anxiety, the other creates peace. That's grace. So let me ask you: who are you trying to impress? Your parents, your boss, people on social media, the people at church, or maybe if you're really honest, you're still trying to impress God. Friend, you don't have to. The cross settled that forever. When Jesus cried, it is finished, he wasn't saying, I'm finished. He was saying the work is finished, paid in full, nothing left to earn, nothing left to prove. That's why Jesus could say in John chapter 8, verse 36, So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Notice what he didn't say. He didn't say religion would set you free. He didn't say success would set you free. He didn't say politics would set you free. He pointed to himself. Because freedom has a name, and his name is Jesus.

The Night The Flag Still Stood

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Now I want to tell you one of the most inspiring stories in American history. It's a story behind a song, a lawyer, a flag, a terrifying night, a sunrise, and a hope that refused to die. But as incredible as that story is, it only points to another morning. A morning outside a borrowed tomb. A morning that changed not only the nation, but every nation. We'll walk there together. So let me kind of recap. We've walked through Valley Forge, we've stood beside Patrick Henry, we've listened to John Adams, and we've learned from Benjamin Franklin. And we've discovered that America's founders understood something important. Freedom is precious. But now I want to tell you my favorite story in American history: the story behind a song. A song we all have sung, a song we all have heard before football games, baseball games, graduations, and countless community events. Most of us know the words. Few of us know the story. The year was 1814. America was once again at war with Great Britain. A young attorney named Francis Scott Key had boarded a British ship to negotiate the release of an American prisoner. The negotiations were successful, but because he had overheard the British plans to attack Baltimore, he wasn't allowed to leave. He and the others with him had to remain aboard the ship until the battle ended. Imagine that, my friend. You can't fight, you can't help, you can't leave, all you can do is watch. Throughout the night, the British Navy bombarded Fort McHenry. Cannons roared, bombs exploded, rockets streaked across the dark sky. The air filled with smoke, the harbor echoed with thunder, every explosion briefly lit the sky. And every time it did, Francis Scott Key searched for one thing, the flag. Was it still there? The darkness, another explosion, another glimpse, darkness again. Hour after hour, hope appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again. Can I tell you something? I think that's exactly how life feels sometimes. You get a glimpse of hope, then another setback. You receive good news, then another disappointment. You pray, then you wait. You wonder if God is still working when all you can see is smoke. I've learned something over the years. Sometimes faith isn't fighting. Sometimes faith is waiting, waiting for the doctor's report, waiting for your marriage to heal, waiting for your child to come home, waiting for the breakthrough, waiting for God to answer. Waiting has never been easy, but here's what I have learned. God has never once been late. Morning eventually came. The smoke slowly drifted away. The first rays of sunlight broke across the harbor, and there, still standing, was the American flag. Hope had survived the night. Francis Scott Key would later write those unforgettable words O say can you see? He wasn't simply writing poetry, he was celebrating hope. Because hope

Saturday Silence And Sunday Morning

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was still flying. As beautiful as that story is, it reminds us of another long night, one that took place nearly 2,000 years ago. Jesus had been arrested, beaten, mocked, whipped, crucified. The disciples watched the one they believed to be the Messiah breathe his last breath. Can you imagine what they must have been thinking? We gave him everything. We left our jobs, we left our homes, we believed, and now he was gone. Friday looked like defeat. Saturday sounded like silence. Friend, have you ever lived through a Saturday? Those seasons when you've prayed but haven't seemed quiet, when you've believed, but nothing changed, when you cried and all you heard was silence. We've all had Saturdays. Those moments when we quietly whisper, God, where are you? But here's the beautiful truth, my friend. Just because God is silent doesn't mean God is absent. While the disciples thought the story was over, God was writing the greatest ending in history. Before sunrise on Sunday morning, a few women made their way to the borrowed tomb. They weren't expecting a miracle. They were bringing spices to anoint a body. Instead, they found an empty grave. The stone had been rolled away, death had been defeated, sin had been conquered, hope wasn't buried, hope was alive. Do you see it? Francis Scott Key spent the night wondering whether the flag was still standing. The followers of Jesus spent the darkest weekend in history only to discover that their Savior was standing. The flag over Fort McHenry declared that a nation had survived. The empty tomb declared that death itself had been defeated. The Declaration of Independence changed history. The resurrection changed eternity. One gave us a free nation. The other offers a new creation. Can I share something that's been on my heart for a long time? I honestly believe Jesus wants his reputation back. So many people think Christianity is about guilt, rules, religion, trying harder, being good enough, keeping God happy. Friend, that's not the Jesus I know. The Jesus I know walked towards broken people. He touched lepers. He forgave adulterers. He ate with the tax collectors. He welcomed sinners. He defended the outcast. He restored failures. He didn't lower God's standard. He fulfilled it. Then he invited ordinary people, people just like you, like me, to stop striving and start trusting. Religion says work harder, but Jesus says come to me. Religion says clean up yourself, but Jesus says, come just as you are. Religion says maybe someday you'll be good enough. Grace says Jesus already is. That's why I spend so much of my life bragging on Jesus. Because he isn't merely the founder of Christianity. He is the savior of the

What Freedom Looks Like Daily

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world. And he has never stopped changing lives. So what does freedom actually look like? It isn't perfection. It isn't pretending you've never struggled. It isn't acting like you've got everything together. Freedom looks like waking up every morning knowing I am loved. Freedom says, my past doesn't own me. Freedom says, my failures don't define me. Freedom says, I don't have to earn what Jesus already purchased. Freedom says, there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Think about those words. No condemnation. Not less condemnation, none. The enemy loves to remind us of yesterday. Jesus reminds us of forever. Friend, if God has forgiven you, why are you still carrying it? Lay it down. That's what the cross is for. You know, I've met people in almost every walk of life. Millionaires, people who live paycheck to paycheck, professional athletes, musicians, business owners, pastors, former addicts, people just beginning their journey, people near the end of theirs. And I've discovered something. The human heart longs for exactly the same thing. Peace. Not another possession, not another promotion, but peace. The kind Jesus talked about when he said, My peace I give to you. Not the kind the world gives, his peace. The kind that lets you sleep at night, the kind that allows you to forgive, the kind that whispers, it's going to be okay. That's what I want for you, my friend. Not more religion, more Jesus. Because when Jesus captures your heart, everything changes.

A Simple Invitation To Trust

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Before we say goodbye, I'd like to ask you one question. It's the same question we started with. Are you really free? Not politically, but spiritually. Have you accepted the freedom Jesus already purchased? Or are you already trying to earn something he's already given? Friend, you don't have to impress God. Jesus already did. You don't have to carry yesterday. Jesus already carried it to the cross. You don't have to wonder whether God loves you. The cross answered that forever. If you've never simply trusted him, today is a wonderful day to begin. Not with a list, not with a promise to do better, just with an honest conversation. Jesus, I need you. That's enough. Because he's been waiting for you for a long time. Many of us will gather with family, smell hamburgers on the grill, children will chase lightning bugs, neighbors will laugh together, fireworks will light up the sky. We'll place our hands over our hearts as the star spangled banner is played. When you do, remember Francis Scott Key. Remember one man who waited through a terrifying night until morning revealed hope. But then remember another morning, a garden, an empty tomb, a folded burial cloth, an angel saying, He is not here, he has risen. Every fourth of July reminds us that freedom has a price. Every Easter reminds us that grace has a price. America teaches us that freedom is worth fighting for. Jesus teaches us that freedom was worth dying for. And because he did and because he lives, you don't have to spend another day wondering if you're enough. You aren't. Neither am I. Jesus is enough. The Declaration of Independence declared that all people are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. The gospel goes even deeper. It declares that although we have fallen short, we are so deeply loved by our Creator that He sent His Son to rescue us. One gave us a free nation, the other makes us a new creation. Friend, celebrate America. Be grateful, pray for our nation, honor those who have served, wave the flag proudly, but never forget the greatest victory wasn't one at Yorktown. It wasn't one at Fort McHenry. It wasn't signed in Philadelphia. The greatest victory in history was all won on a hill called Calvary and forever proven at an empty tomb. Thanks for spending this time with me. If today's message encouraged you, would

Closing Thanks And Next Steps

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you share it with someone who needs hope? And please like our Facebook page. And if God has written a redemption story in your life, I would love to hear it. Visit my website, thepromoter.org, and click share your story. Until next time, remember, I love you. Jesus loves you. And when you give Jesus your heart, he will know that he already won the battle. So you can live free, love boldly, rest deeply, and never forget, Jesus didn't come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people alive. And that's how you get and keep the health out of your life. God bless you, my friend.

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Today's show was produced by Ron Myers Ministries, a listener-supported ministry. For a copy of today's broadcast, please visit our website, thepromoter.org. And would you prayerfully consider making a tax-deductible donation so that we may continue to share stories of God's amazing grace with the world? And join us next week for another broadcast of Get the Hell Out of Your Life. Real people, sharing real struggles, and offering real hope. From save the date, the 43rd Annual Christmas City Gift Show, November 13th through the 15th at the Coast Coliseum Convention Center.

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