In recent years, when Christians quote John 8:32 (which we shall revisit later), they add a rider. They say it is the truth that you know that has the power to make you free, and they are right, although that is not exactly how God puts it. We may accept it at face value, but since we are examining how to ensure the promises of God manifest in our lives, let us consider how God wrote it.
Let us now return to the Bible verse itself, where Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Did I imagine the groans as we read that part about knowing the truth? Perhaps you are afraid that you do not truly know the truth about God. Is He a kind God? You are not sure. Will it please Him to do you good? Your pastor did not tell you so, and you do not have the truth about that.
We could go on and on, but the bottom line is that you are unsure whether you know the truth that has the power to make you free. Where can you find this truth, since you truly desire freedom? While the Bible lists situations that negatively impact our freedom, you probably have a longer list. These are the conditions that stop you from making real progress in life, and you are an expert in them. We shall come to the bible list later. For now, let us consider where you may find the power to make you free
Thy Word Is Truth
When Jesus was leaving the earth to return to His Father in Heaven, He prayed a powerful prayer, mostly for believers. Some people refer to it as the High Priestly Prayer. In verse 17 of John 17, Jesus prayed that God should cleanse us with His word and that God’s word is truth. It is the truth of the Bible that has power enough to make us clean. Please note that your Pastor, no matter how highly anointed, cannot speak words of freedom to you unless he quotes accurately from the word of God.
The reason we qualify how some pastors quote the word of God is that not all pastors are sincere in rightly dividing the word of truth. It is a problem that the Apostle Paul identified in 2 Timothy 2.5. So, if you sit under a Pastor and are still in bondage to the issues in your life, perhaps he is a lying pastor. Because if you know and constantly hear the word of God, it has the power to make you free, and you will be free. It is a promise of God.
But better than listening to anyone use the word of God to help you, is that you pick up the Bible for yourself. Ouch! You most certainly do not want to do that. Or, you say you have no time to read and study the Bible. One wonderful Pastor I know taught that if you have time to prepare and eat your physical meal, you have time for your spiritual meal – the word of God. So, the time excuse is just that, an excuse.
The Power To Make You Free From Satan
Guess who is giving you that excuse? That’s right, the devil. He knows, more than most believers, that the word has power to make you free. You may choose to go with God and receive total deliverance, or you may choose to listen to the devil and remain in bondage. I pray you will choose aright.
If you read the verse before John 8.32, you will find the trigger for freedom. In several previous posts on the promises of God, the condition by which any promise will manifest is usually in the preceding verse. This is no different. In John 8.31, Jesus says, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.’”
Observe, the Lord was speaking to people who already believed in Him. So, this may not make much sense unless you are a true believer. But if you are, He emphasizes what we have been saying in this post. If you abide in God’s word, you will be Jesus’s disciples and (going to verse 32 now) you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.
See all these conjunctions. You cannot be free without knowing the truth, and you cannot know the truth unless you abide in His word. It is only the word of God that has the power to make you free, not night vigil prayers, not church attendance, not tithing, or any of the other religious practices. Start this year right by picking up your Bible and reading.
As likely as not, you will not understand it, but keep reading. The Ethiopian eunuch did not understand, but he did not let that stop him. Read that story in Acts 8:30-31. Then God sent him help in the person of Philip. Nowadays, as you continue to read, God sends you His Holy Spirit, and suddenly, you find you understand one verse. Rejoice and keep going. All the Bible teachers we respect today started by understanding one verse. That is the source of the power that makes you free.
The Deliverance List
We now come to one of the lists of issues from which we need freedom. There are several lists, but we use the one that Jesus Himself, our Lord and Savior, wrote. In Isaiah 61.1, Jesus said, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound. There is a lot more, but we shall consider them in our next post if the Lord delays the Rapture.
Maranatha!
First, I thank God for you. As I couldn’t sleep at 3 am I picked up my phone and reading this post us what I needed. It is a reminder that I have been slacking in studying the word. Something is missing, and I struggle with freedom. Thank you again and I look forward to the next post.
Thank God for each of us. So nice to hear from you. With the Word, God created the Heavens and the earth. Keep going