8/6/23 Lit Word "Jesus Sets Us Free"

Date: 8/6/23
Today's Reading:
Quick Read: John 8:31-59
A Little More: Habakkuk 3; John 8
A Lot More: Habakkuk 1-3; John 8

Neal’s Lit Word

Title: “Jesus Sets Us Free”

I think there’s something you should know….
All we have to do now, is take these lies and make them true somehow, freedom, I won’t let you down. It’s the one good thing that I’ve got.

Scripture: John 8:31
Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed in Him, “If you abide (remain) in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

Observation: What is God saying to me?
Some people think that because they know the bible or read the bible that they are all good… but knowing the bible is not what makes us free, knowing Jesus is what makes us free.

The devil wants to pull a religious trick on us to make us think that knowing the bible is the goal. That’s not the goal. Knowing Jesus is the goal.

It is the truth that makes us free!
Jesus is the truth. Jesus makes us free.
The devil is a liar. The devil makes us slaves.

We can be slaves to many things in this life.
People are slaves to money. Slaves to power.
Slaves to drugs and alcohol. Slaves to sex and lust.
Slaves to pride and selfishness.
People are slaves to possessions.
People are slaves to positions.

Slavery to anything does not come from Jesus.
Jesus is the truth and Jesus sets us free from slavery.
The devil is a liar and wants us to be tricked into thinking freedom and happiness come from things outside of God. The devil is a liar.

People are also slaves to religion. In my opinion this is one of the worst types of slavery. Why? Because when someone is a slave to religion they are able to hide their slavery by looking like they are slaves to Jesus.

This can be very confusing because it can be difficult to discover who true believers are versus who the fake religious so-called believers are.

Over the years I have learned many different methods for telling the difference between someone who is operating in a hellish spirit of religion as compared to a heavenly Spirit of freedom and truth.

To keep it simple for now. One key difference is this.
The spirit of religion always wants to impose rules on you and gives you a long list of if you do this then you will be good with God.

The heavenly Spirit of Jesus makes your burdens lighter, you feel more free around this Spirit. You feel loved and cared for, not judged and heavily burdened.

This scripture I read this morning says “If you abide in my word, then you are truly followers of mine, you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.”

Jesus wants you to feel lifted up, not held down. He wants you to feel free not stuck in slavery to anything.

So how do we get that?
The scripture says we “abide” or remain in His word.
That does not mean we have to read the scriptures 24/7.
In fact, one of the tricks and lies of the devil is this, getting us to think that if we know the scriptures then we are God’s children.

Knowing the scripture does not make us God’s children.
Knowing Jesus makes us God’s children.
Jesus is the word embodied in a man.
The true word of God is Spirit.

When we know that word and abide in that Spirit then we know the Truth and the Truth will set us free. Knowing the bible does not make us free, knowing Jesus makes us free.

So when we read the bible, or listen to someone teach the bible, the purpose of our reading or listening to the scripture is not to know the bible it’s to know the one the bible is pointing us to and that is Jesus.

The devil is a tricky little religious liar, a poser, who wants to trick you into thinking that if you know the bible then you know Jesus. That is a lie.

Don't take that bait. When you search the scriptures or listen to teachings like this, be searching to know Jesus in a more intimate way.

Because when you meet Jesus you find Truth and freedom.

Application: What will I do about it?

Knowing Jesus is everything. In Him is all the wisdom and instruction that you need. From here on out make a commitment to meeting Jesus in the scriptures. You aren’t trying to know the book, you are trying to know the one the book is trying to introduce you to.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, today I pray for the ones who are caught in various forms of slavery. I pray for the ones who are slaves to heartache, to grief, to pain, to sorrow, to drugs, to alcohol, to people, to possessions. I pray that you would begin to show them who you are in a new way today, and begin to set them free as they seek to know You. Amen.

If today you find yourself feeling stuck, broken and unable to walk in freedom, then today is your day to begin seeking Jesus like never before.

I Am Grateful For… Jesus, and the opportunity to know Him and follow Him in the path of freedom.

Tracker Questions
Has the devil used religion to leave a bad taste in your mouth?

Can you identify some times that has happened?

When you read the scriptures, what are you looking for, are you looking for knowledge or are you looking to meet Jesus?