By Kenneth W. Hagin

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, YE SHALL BE FREE INDEED."
—John 8:36

In recent years and in years gone by, much blood has been spilled for the freedom that we enjoy. Freedom is never free; it always costs something. And although the freedom you enjoy may seem “free” to you, someone else paid the price for it. 

We hear the words “free” and “freedom” used loosely in our country. Teenagers, certain religious factions, and other disgruntled groups of people are just some of those who talk about wanting more “freedom.” But even though our country may have some problems and it certainly isn’t perfect, we should still be grateful for this great nation.

Thank God for the natural freedom we enjoy in the United States. Thank God for the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to provide us with that freedom. But what does it mean to be truly free? Are we truly free just because we live in a free country and are basically able to do as we please within the law? No! That is a form of freedom, but it is not true freedom.

I believe that we only have true freedom when we are free in God. John 8:36 says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, YE SHALL BE FREE INDEED.” We are truly free—free indeed—when Jesus Christ has set us free. Even someone in prison can be truly free in Christ. This kind of freedom is not based upon whether we have the ability to go where we please or to do what we want. This freedom is based on Jesus.

How do we receive this kind of freedom? Using the word free as an acrostic (F-R-E-E), we can see how this freedom is obtained.

First, we must have faith in God.

Many people claim to have faith in some sort of god. Some people worship inanimate objects, such as the sun or the moon. Others worship false gods, such as Buddha or Mohammed. For some people, riches, pleasures, or possessions are their god. (Whatever people praise more highly than anything else is a god to them.) But to be free, we must have faith in the one true God—God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in God sets us free from the bondage of sin and death.

Second, we must rely on God.

Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” When we rely on God, He sets us free from the chains of insecurity, fear, and doubt. We can trust Him to bring His plan to pass in our life. We can trust Him to meet our needs (Phil. 4:19). We can trust Him to protect us (Ps. 91).

Third, we must enlist in God’s plan.

Matthew 9:37 says, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.” To enjoy true freedom, we must be busy about our Father’s work. Most people are too busy pursuing their own plans to enlist in God’s plan. But in view of all that God has blessed us with, we should devote some of our time to work for Him—helping others, ministering to the needy, reaching the lost, and so forth. And we should be consecrated to do what He wants us to do and to go where He wants us to go.

Fourth, true freedom comes from knowing that we have eternal life with God.

Many people live in fear about the future. But when one is afraid about the future, it’s because he’s failed to recognize or has forgotten that God holds the future. Many people are afraid of losing their jobs, afraid about the economy, afraid of terrorist attacks, and so forth.

But God has commanded us not to be afraid. He has provided us the means to walk in victory, even in the face of defeat. And if we have accepted Jesus as Savior, we will also experience eternal life with God! We don’t have to be afraid of anything—not even death itself! The Bible says that Jesus died to destroy the one who holds the power of death—the devil—and to free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death (Heb. 2:14–15 NIV). Jesus died to set us free!

If you’ve never accepted Jesus Christ as personal Savior, now is the time to do it. When you have faith in God, rely on God, enlist in God’s plan, and know you have eternal life with God, you can enjoy the true freedom that is yours in Jesus Christ. Then you will be “convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39 NIV)!

Pray this prayer and start a new life in Christ.

Dear God,

I come to You in the Name of Jesus. I admit that I am not right with You, and I want to be right with You. I ask You to forgive me of all my sins. The Bible says if I confess with my mouth that "Jesus is Lord," and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, I will be saved (Rom. 10:9). I believe with my heart and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank You for saving me!
In Jesus' Name I pray.

Amen.

If you prayed this prayer for the first time, we would like to know.  Please call Partner Services at 1-866-312-0972 or email to partnerservice@rhema.org to learn more

//Kenneth E. Hagin

Notice that Paul wrote, “first of all.” Too often we put ourselves first in our praying, and sometimes that is as far as we ever get in prayer. In other words, most of the time we are just praying selfishly for ourselves or about our own personal lives and needs.

Focus on the wonder-working God Who fights our battles for us

We need to remember that the Lord has already defeated Satan at the cross. We should quit magnifying Satan and giving him so much credit. Instead, we should focus on the wonder-working God Who fights our battles for us. Then we would see with our own eyes the victories we long for!

If the devil has been bombarding you with temptations, tests, and trials, remember—the battle is not yours. It's God's. You don't have to try to "fight" Satan. Just stand your ground with the Word of God. And begin to praise Him for performing for you what He promised in His Word (Rom. 4:21; Heb. 10:23).

// Kenneth W. Hagin

There is an empty tomb located outside the city of old Jerusalem. A great stone once sealed that tomb, but the stone was rolled away and our Savior, Jesus, is alive! He’s no longer in that garden tomb, but He is risen and alive forevermore.