⏱ 6 min read

• There was a popular song growing up from the movie Sarafina titled, “Freedom is coming tomorrow!”
• I love it and it’s quite a classic inspirational movie I will suggest to you (if you’ve never seen it)…
• And today we want to share briefly what Jesus said about freedom or being set free.

 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” – John 8:31-32

• There are a lot of things that are true but won’t set us free. We can learn AI and computer programming, but that won’t set us free.
• You could read all the latest self-help books, but that won’t set you free either.
• The only truth that sets you free is the truth of God’s Word: “If you abide in My word… you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free”.

A lot of people can quote this verse (v32), but not everyone acknowledges that it’s talking about the Bible or is even from the Bible.
But the caveat is "if you abide (stay with, comply with, live) in My word..."

“If knowing God’s Word is the only way to be free, then we’ve got to make reading and studying the Bible a priority in our lives. We’ve got to feed our minds on the truth of God’s Word.” – Rick Warren

• King David – the man described to be after God’s own heart – understood how important God’s Word is.
• There was a time when he had so many enemies that he was running for his life and hiding in caves. But no matter what happened, David fed himself with God’s truth.

Psalm 119:95 is one of the psalms he wrote during this time, and it says, “Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me, I will quietly keep my mind on your laws.”

• When we look at things happening around the world, it’s easy to get discouraged.
• When you check your balance, scroll through social media, listen to the radio, or watch the news, you may start to feel down. You may start to feel hopeless.
• But when you fill your mind with the truth of God’s Word, then you will have more hope and a better perspective on your life—even when you’re in a crisis and running from your enemies.

Let's look at three (3) major ways that people are feeding their souls in these times:

1. Fake News on social media – It is amazing how much falsehood is being peddled out there by the minute and how much that falsehood is being consumed by the vulnerable; leading to low self-esteem, depression, fraud, violence, and all forms of strange behavior.
2. Fear – Unfortunately, many more are feeding into fear by listening and watching all the wrong things. Remember yielding to panic and fear is evidence of a lack of faith (Matthew 8:26).
3. The Father’s Voice – This is what every child of God must be feeding on and heeding to in these times. The Word of God is our anchor, our hope, and our source of strength. It is soothing to hear Jesus say, ”It is I, do not be afraid” (John 6:20).

Dear friend, let us choose to believe the report of the Lord [Say: "It is well with my soul"]. Jesus left us with this wonderful assurance: "BEHOLD I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS" (Matthew 28:20). That is loaded enough to carry us through.

David said, “How I love your law! I think about it all day long” – Psalm 119:97 [Wooow that’s on another level!]. It might be intimidating to try to think about God’s Word all day long (and that’s because it doesn’t come naturally to anyone, but it is possible!)

• Dear friend, you might struggle to think about God’s Word even one time in your day, but you can start somewhere.
• Try starting your day with the Word of God. Spend 10 minutes reading the Bible (or listening to an audio Bible) in the morning, and then you can think about what you read throughout your day.
• The Holy Spirit will give us insight into it and also help us recall what we’ve read when we need it.

Reflection:

• What is one thing you spend 10 minutes doing in the morning that you could give up in order to spend at least 10 minutes reading your Bible instead?
• What does it mean to feed our minds with God’s Word?
• What other things can you feed your mind with to help your walk with God?

May grace and peace be multiplied to us all through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. Heyy… you’re blessed!