John 8:31-32, New Living Translation

“Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you’re being faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

The truth will set you free. This is the phrase that comes to my mind as I seek the Lord on what to write this week.

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you’re being faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, NLT)

Just as Jesus was speaking to the people of the time, so He speaks to us now. Because of the fall of man, Adam and Eve, we are all born into sin. Christ was born into this world as fully human and fully God to fulfill the prophecy of one sacrifice to atone for all sins for all time. He became the Lamb who was slain, our Savior.

Maybe there are times we feel that we don’t have anything to repent for. My brothers and sisters, let me assure you that we all do. It came to my realization that there are times when I am murmuring under my breath. What am I doing but complaining? When I am complaining, what is that showing? I don’t trust God. I share this with you because the truth will set me free. If I turn to Christ and repent of my sin and call for His help, He will show up on my behalf. He will do the same for you! Let’s look at another incident from the Bible. If we go back to Exodus, we can read the account of the plagues set upon the Egyptians because Pharaoh’s heart was hard and would not let the Israelites go. The children of God witnessed these miraculous signs. Even greater was the miracle of the parted Red Sea, and their deliverance from their enemies. Yet, when they were in the wilderness, they complained, “If only the LORD had Killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into the wilderness to starve us all to death.” (Exodus 16:3, NLT)

At any moment, they forgot about the miracles. God had performed to set them free. They didn’t trust His provision. In a moment of weakness, I forgot about the faithfulness of God in my own life and didn’t trust Him. Maybe you haven’t grumbled and complained like me, maybe you have done something equally as wrong as me.

It is not my intention to condemn us, but I want to encourage us to humble ourselves before God, repent, and seek Him. Our flesh is weak, but our spirit is willing. Scripture tells us in James 4:6-7, and 10 (NLT), “And He gives Grace generously. As the scripture says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Humble yourselves before the LORD, and he will lift you up in honor.”

As we read in the beginning of this article, Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, NLT)

I pray that our trust and confidence in our Savior will grow daily and that daily, we will confidently walk in the knowledge and freedom of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.