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Bible Questions and Spiritual Discussion

being set free.....
In John 8:36 Jesus says: So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

How does this freedom come? Is there something we have to do to attain it? Or is there something we have to do to make sure we don't lose it? If we're not freed from addictions/sins--call it what you will---does that mean
the Son has not set us free? Is there anyone who is experiencing this freedom who can tell me how they attained it?
Ken Mikkelson 04/06/2012 10:24

Replies:
Marcie in MO 04/06/2012 16:04
Isn't. The answer a few verses prior?

John 8:31-32 ESV

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Ken Mikkelson 04/06/2012 22:00
thank you. perfect answer, perfect timing. can't believe I missed that...
kootenaymtnWarren 04/22/2012 13:15
Hi Ken,
I am experiencing the freedom you are asking about. For years I tried to do the right things. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost. Many times I cried out to God in anguish over my inability to do what was right. Real change began for me as I accepted the Lord's gift of grace in my life.
There are many messages out there. Sometimes you might wonder, as I did, how all these people could be reading the same scriptures! Their sermons sure don't sound the same. Anyway, all I can do is share with you the path I found to find freedom and I trust that the Lord will lead you into your own.
For me, things really changed when a friend introduced me to the preaching of an up-and-coming Singapore minister named Joseph Prince. His message may not be unique; it may not be perfect. But I found a rock there that I have stood on since: Jesus' unwavering love for me. Over time, chewing on that fact... as the implications really sunk in, I've found a love for Him growing in me. It's that love for Him that has freed me to obey.
I go through seasons where I read a lot and times when I don't. Often I listen to podcasts at work or when I'm driving. My favorites from the past year, if I can share that with you, are works by N.T. Wright, Timothy Keller, Phillip Yancey, John Eldredge, Alan Hirsch and Brennan Manning. Many more were good for me as well, but these are the ones that come immediately to mind.
Hope that's helpful. I'll say a prayer for you today.
God bless,
Warren
Craig from Illinois 04/22/2012 20:16
Ken,

I have a story of freedom. It started with wise counsel, a tiny bit of faith in God and a simple prayer of asking to know Him as Father. That moment in the park led me to the DAB and a passion to hear the scriptures.

I already knew of God but I didn't know God as Father. For over two years I've been trying to quench my thirst for more revelation of God through the scriptures. It' been fruitful. I'm not a bible scholar nor do I memorize scripture. But the fruit of abiding in the word is a close, trustful, agape love between Father and I. It's a trust of our love for each other that is similar to a healthy and mature marriage. I don't have to say "I love you" for God to know it and for me to know that He knows it. And vice versa... He doesn't have to prove it to me either and He knows that I know that He loves me. We abide. The love is mutual and ever present.

Now for me, "abiding in the word" means more than scripture hearing. It's listening to my (Christ invaded) heart day to day. It's not being worried about the future, especially finances or personal security. My family is living free from the typical Western culture lifestyle stresses because we obeyed our (Christ invaded) hearts and trusted in God's . We asked Father to help curb our appetites for STUFF. We asked for a change in priorities, a shift in perspective and a desire for ABUNDANT LIFE!

It took almost a year to transition out of the middle class Western lifestyle. And it's easy to slip back in. Your question could be a catalyst for the seeker of freedom. A few years ago I didn't even know I was bound and chained to the culture. But there is entrapment in comfort and bondage in safety. But one day my eyes were opened through the scriptures and the Word. I knew I was trapped but had no idea what freedom looked like.

Today my family is as free as we ever could have dreamed. We are surrounded by the prospect of financial ruin, joblessness, our personal safety is at risk and many people tell me that the demonic realm is at our door. Yet, we live free and at peace in union with God.

Perspective - living as if what Jesus teaches is true. There is freedom in deciding to follow Him. But the greatest freedom is what Charles Stanley calls "Eternal Security". I'm not debating the Calvinist doctrine. But I'm talking about living this life with the hope of the next will be in perfect union with God! Freedom.
Ken Mikkelson 04/25/2012 11:16
It really does come down to living as if what Jesus teaches is true. That's what it boils down to for me...believing God does speak to me, believing that his promises for my life are true, believing that he loves me, believing that what Jesus taught is true....and then living as if all of that is really true. Somebody on this forum said that I have the same problem as he/she does...believing that God really speaks to us. That's a big part of it as well...believing that what I hear is actually God and that I really am a big deal to him.
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