God Wants to Give You Freedom

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”

(John 8:36 NIV)

The world defines freedom as a life without any restraint—“Do anything I want to do; say anything I want to say, without anybody telling me ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’” Like the song “My Way”: “Everybody got burned by me, but I did it my way!” “I left five marriages behind but I did it my way!” Total selfishness! “I had my freedom!”

Yet, the Bible says the only way to true freedom is through Jesus: “If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free” (John 8:36 TEV).

Real freedom is freedom from fear, where you’re truly free from guilt, from worry, from bitterness, and from death. You’re free to quit pretending because you’re free to be yourself.

How do you get rid of those kinds of fears? By letting God love you! The apostle John teaches that, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18 NIV).

When you realize how much God loves you, you’ll begin to live in true freedom. In fact, you worship God when you recognize that “God is love.” It is an act of worship to agree that he is a loving, caring, generous God and that we can “rely on the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16 NIV).

Rick Warren