Springtime in my father’s flower garden was always a joyous sight for me as a child. I especially enjoyed watching the brightly colored butterflies flitter among the fragrant, sunbathed flowers. The butterflies looked so free, and that inspired me to think about how I could be free, living the way they did with every need met and no cares or burdens.
What about us right now? How can we live that free, having our needs abundantly met and our cares and burdens lifted? Jesus Christ answered this beautifully in John 8:31 and 32, “…If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
God’s Word is truth (John 17:17). It is in God’s Word that we learn we have been made free in every category of life and can therefore choose not to be overwhelmed by the negatives of this world. In The Bible Tells Me So, Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille, our Founding President, wrote about this freedom:
The truth of the Word and of Christ is our light and power in life; this is our release from fears, worries, anxieties, frustrations, heartaches, headaches, and everything else that comes along.
In John 8:32, the phrase “shall make…free” is translated from the Greek word eleutheroō. E. W. Bullinger’s lexicon and concordance defines eleutheroō as “to free, set at liberty, to save from thraldom.” To save us from the thraldom, or bondage, of the adversary’s realm, God through His Son Jesus Christ accomplished the spiritual reality of this freedom for us to claim. Galatians 5:1 tells us to “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free [eleutheroō]….” We have been made free, set at liberty. Now it’s up to us to decide to walk in the spiritual freedom given to us and bring it into evidence in our daily living. Then we can truly say the truth has made us free.
There may be many different categories of life in which we desire to claim and evidence our freedom. Let’s consider how the truth of God’s Word can make us free from fear, from sin, and from negative emotions in any category of life.
The Word shows us we can be free from fear because of what God accomplished for us in Christ. God has given us great and powerful spiritual qualities to take the place of fear in our lives.
II Timothy 1:7:
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Fear makes us feel captive and can keep us from moving forward in life. As a youth I was afraid to speak up: this kept me from saying what I thought was right. I later learned from the Book of Acts about the example of Peter and the other apostles speaking up in the face of accusations.
Acts 5:27-29:
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
They could have been intimidated into not speaking, but they chose to speak the truth. Their example greatly encouraged me. I thought, “If they could do it, I can do it too!”
There are many ways to be deceived into thinking that we are trapped, that the cares and burdens of life are too heavy, causing us to be afraid. What about the fear that we might not have what we need in a situation, or fears concerning illness or death? God has made the way for us to rise above each of these temptations to fear.
God’s words can make us free from the fear of not having our need supplied. Circumstances such as unemployment or underemployment might lead to this concern. However, the truth is that God is willing to supply all of our need. He wants us to prosper, and this includes having meaningful employment.
III John 2:
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper.…
God is speaking out via His Word to tell us He wants prosperity for us and He is willing to supply all of our need. God is not only willing to supply all of our need, He is able to supply all of our need.
II Corinthians 9:8:
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
God is able, meaning He is strong and has the necessary power to supply all of our need.…
This is an excerpt from the May/June 2011 issue of The Way Magazine.
Copyright© 2011 by The Way International. All rights reserved.
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