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Breakthrough: Finding Lasting Freedom in Life

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Breakthrough: Finding Lasting Freedom in Life

John 8:32, 36

32 …and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Do you want to be free? Of course, you do. People are on a constant search for anything that will set them free from bondage, enslavement, traps. These people will turn to everything and anything they can in a quest for that elusive freedom. 

Scripture defines what a truly free person is and the characteristics of that person’s life. Richard Ganz, in his book Free Indeed, attempted to explain that freedom for us. 

Consider the list below; evaluate yourself in light of it, and see what areas of your life need to change for you to have that kind of freedom.

What is Freedom? – Really free people…

  • Know – They know that Jesus has redeemed them, that their sins are forgiven and that they have eternal life. This knowledge undergirds their conscious experience of life.
  • Live – They live out what they know. They do not plan; they live. They live consistently regardless of the circumstances because they are ultimately dependent on God and nothing nor no one else (Phil 4:11-13).
  • Live honestly – They know that they can live in such a manner because they are honest. Christ’s free people are honest with God, with themselves and with others. When they are not trustworthy, they own up to it. They confess it and continue to live, even when they look foolish. They will give up human approval to find Christ’s approval.
  • Are without pretense – Because they are honest, they cannot live with sin or guilt. They do sin, but they refuse to live with their sin. 
  • Live today – They know that yesterday is behind them, never to come back and that tomorrow may not come. Now, is the time that must be filled with godly living. The free person lives “now” in light of eternity (Romans 8:18).
  • Live without anxiety – Fear filled living is gone from the life of the free person. They know that worry adds nothing to their lives (Matthew 6:27). They also know that the choice to be anxious is a conscious step out of today and into the unknown of tomorrow. The free person knows that living in tomorrow is an attempt to avoid the duties and disappointments of today – which will lead to losing the blessings of today. They know that Christ is prepared to take their burdens at any and every moment (Matthew 11:28-30).
  • Stand – They are their own person before God. They often say “no” when it would be much easier to say “yes.” They do not depend on others for self-definition or direction. They are not self-sufficient but have become so reliant on God that they are free of extreme dependence on men.
  • Are new  – This is not a person who has developed new skills or attained new knowledge. They are new within (2 Cor 5:17). They are new daily – moment by moment. Since they are new, the old patterns and practices do not destroy or demolish them. They are new and perfect in Christ, in God’s sight. And as a new creation, the old things are continually passing away, and the new is becoming more and more real and apparent.[1]

Questions to Consider:

So how did you do in light of the characteristics of a genuinely free person? What do you intend to do, today, to see more and more these characteristics become more consistent elements of your life?

[1] Adapted from Ganz, Richard, Free Indeed, Shepherd Press, 2002

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