When does Truth Set US Free?

 

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When Does Truth Set Us Free?

 

We hear it said, "The truth shall set you free."  After I accepted Christ into my heart, I had a list of things that I wanted to be free of.  I grew up in a home where alcohol had become a problem, and I had many fears and worries about what might happen next.  When I was in college, one of my cousins that I stayed with committed suicide.  I was one of the last ones to see her alive, so the police questioned me about how the house looked when I left.  They wanted me to look at some pictures to see if I could recognize anything out of place, or if there was any evidence of a struggle.  They handed me pictures that showed her dead in a pool of blood.  Every picture of the room had her in it.  For years, those pictures would flash into my mind and even wake me out of a sound sleep in the night.  I could not get free of the pictures.  I also had problems with getting angry, losing my temper, cussing, drinking, smoking, rudeness....etc.  It was these things that were a part of me that I struggled to become free of. 

 

I began asking people, "Why am I not free?"  "If the Bible says the truth shall set me free...why am I not free?"  I was studying the Bible and trying to understand.  I craved to be free of many strongholds.  The point of this devotion is that a Christian can become discouraged when the Word is taken out of context and/or not understood.  The Bible does not say the truth shall set you free as a statement that stands alone. 

 

We must study the whole context of a passage that is written and not take it alone or out of its context.  When we do this, we will find that it is as relevant now as it was when it was written. 

 

Jesus was talking to some Jews who had just become believers in John 8:32 when he said this:

 

1.  If you continue in my word

2.  Then you are my disciples

3.  And you shall know the truth

4.  And the truth shall make you free.  '

 

That is a progression that says we must continue reading and living the word to become a disciple.  Then we shall know what the truth is and the truth that we KNOW will make us free. 

 

There is more than one type of KNOWING.  There is a knowing that is in the mind, the head, the cognitive and intellectualizing part of us.  We can know something only in the mind.  We only know the truth in one part of our being. 

 

Humans are made of these parts:

 

Mind -                    your thinker

Will -                      your chooser

Emotions -             your feeler

Spirit -                    you have a human spirit and when you ask Christ into your heart, the HOLY SPIRIT comes in

Body -                    your physical house

 

When we only know the truth in our minds, it will not make us free.  We must first hear the truth, then activate the will and choose to continue in that truth.  Then our emotions must line  up with what our spirit knows is true and cause the body to act upon that truth.    When all the parts come into agreement....BINGO....FREE!!

 

My daughter struggled with cigarettes for years.  She had the knowledge that they were not good for her.  She tried the patches and everything on the market trying to quit.  When the Dr. told her she was pregnant, she instantly threw away the cigarettes.  She was free!  What happened?  All of her parts lined up in that instant because she had an unborn baby to think about.  She had the knowledge, but now her will made a choice to act upon that knowledge and put it into action.  Body and emotions no longer had a vote.  She stayed free of cigarettes the whole pregnancy, even in times of stress. 

 

If you are struggling with something you want rid of in your life, find a scripture that speaks the truth about your situation.  Get it into your mind first by meditation and memorization.  Secondly, ask God to strengthen your will to follow the truth, to live it.  Begin to put it into action until it becomes habit.  Every time you choose to follow the truth, you are building strongholds for God in your life.  You are becoming a disciple..a disciplined one.  You are on your way to becoming free of the old habits you do not want. 

 

It is so parallel to training horses - so similar.  If they get bad habits, we must constantly reinforce a new habit.  It is easier to train a colt with no bad habits than it is to fix and re-train one that is started wrong.  It is the same with people.  Our children need to hear the truth when they are young, before they develop negative strongholds in their lives.  There is a saying - The early years last forever.   Early years can set us up for struggles or for blessings. 

 

But, regardless of our starts, we can be free.  I can testify to you today that continuing in the Word works.  I can look at my old list and see that some of those things are no longer a part of me.  I never see those pictures of my cousin in my mind.  They did not go easily, but Jesus Christ walked me free of that and many of the things I struggled with. 

 

Think about one stronghold that you would like to be free of this week.  It may be anything from eating too much to any number of temptations we humans face daily.  It may be something that started inside of you as a child.  It may be fear, worry or any other habit you dislike. 

 

Gods Word is where we start on the journey to becoming free.  But, remember that it is a journey.  Sometimes the journey is short and easy and sometimes it is long and hard.  Truth sometimes makes people mad.  By the end of chapter 8 of the book of John, there were some so mad at Jesus they were going to throw rocks at him. 

 

You can get mad at the truth, throw rocks at it, deny it, ignore it, reject it and turn your back on it.  Or, you can embrace it with every part of your being, and it will make you free, because Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life and He came to set the captives free. 

 

When Jesus Christ sets you free, my friend, you are really free....free indeed!    John 8:36