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Week 12
How to Be Free
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly." John 10:10b
Study Question:
Without looking ahead, how would you define
the word “freedom”? (Use your own words.)
The principle of freedom involves partaking in Christ’s victory over sin and living in His grace
rather than walking in the lusts of the flesh. When we live in accordance with the principle of freedom, we gain moral purity in
thought and life.
Key Truths:
Freedom is not the ability to do what we want, but the power to do what is right.
Freedom is one of the most misunderstood concepts of our day. The world views freedom as the ability
to do what we want, to be free from rules, and to follow our own desires. However, this in fact leads to bondage in
sin, not freedom in Christ. True freedom is the power to do what is right – the ability to do what God wants us to
do. Freedom is only achieved by submitting our physical desires to the control
of the Holy Spirit. When we become
children of God, His Spirit lives in us and He makes it possible for us to live in the freedom of doing His will.
The devil tries to enslave us in sin by presenting us with the idea that freedom is “being our own
boss” and doing whatever feels good. The devil wants us to think that it is impossible to overcome temptation.
Many people are in bondage without even knowing it! Look over the following list of things that
bring us into bondage:
- Sin. Sin is violating God’s commandments. The Bible makes it clear that sin will strive to
gain control in our lives! “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”
— Romans 6:12. (See also Galatians 4:3.)
- Self-will. Self-will is a type of sin, but it often presents itself as not necessarily doing the wrong thing, but just
wanting to do our own thing apart from God’s direction and will. Look up Proverbs 14:12. What is the
result of self-will?
- The law. The law can bring us into bondage if we try to earn God’s approval by our own good works. “You have become
estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” — Galatians 5:4. (See also Romans
7:6; all of Romans 7 has excellent insights on this subject.)
All three of these (giving way to sin, living in self-will, or
attempting to justify ourselves by the law apart from Christ) cannot satisfy; rather, they end up enslaving.
The tricky thing is that the devil often attempts to deceive us by presenting these false ideas in
such a way that they may sound like freedom. However, they always bring the consequences of bondage.
“While they [teachers of false things] promise them liberty, they
themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him
also he is brought into bondage.” — 2 Peter 2:19.
Thankfully, there is a way we can avoid bondage and find true freedom! True freedom comes as
we:
Submit to the Lord Jesus Christ as Master of our lives. “And you shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free.... Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” — John
8:32, 36. “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the
end, everlasting life.” — Romans 6:22. Die to ourselves and ask Jesus to live through us. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved
me and gave Himself for me.” — Galatians 2:20. Obey His Word and the authorities He places in our lives. “Now it shall come to pass, if you
diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord
your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you,
because you obey the voice of the Lord your God”. — Deuteronomy 28:1-2. Claim the victory that Jesus has given us over the power of sin. “For sin shall not have dominion
over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” — Romans 6:14. “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is
the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 15:56-57.
Read Galatians 5:16. It is vital that we learn to daily walk in God’s Spirit so
that we can have victory over sin.
Practical ways to “walk in the Spirit” and live in victory:
Be sure you are under authority. (Refer back to
Bible study weeks 3, 4, and 5.) God has designed our
authorities to be a protection over us; when we are under authority, we are sheltered from many destructive temptations.
Read the Bible every day with an open heart to seek the Lord and
learn what He desires to teach you. If you really want God’s best for your life, you need to let His Word
“live” in your heart (by memorizing it and thinking about it); then you can be fully alert to
the direction of His Spirit.
Become alert to the Scriptural promptings of God’s Spirit.
(Remember that God’s Spirit will never
direct you in disobedience to Scripture. Personal direction from the Holy
Spirit always agrees with the written Word of God -- see John 16:13-15) Just as our five senses keep us aware of the physical world, we also need to keep our
spiritual “senses” sharp so that we can be alert to what God is saying to us.
Learn to hate evil. Hating evil (basically seeing sin the way that God sees it) is the beginning of
wisdom. “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil....” — Proverbs
8:13a. By reading and thinking about what you read in the Bible,
you can understand the devastating effects of sin. You can see how horrible sin is as you understand how it enslaves and brings
terrible consequences not only to your own life, but also to many others around you.
Remove from your life anything that you know may cause you to sin in the
future. This would include
rock music (or any other forms of wrong music), replicas of false gods, wrong movies, books and magazines that promote sensuality,
etc. Because of the constant bombardment of the world, we need to guard against wrong influences in our lives particularly in the
areas of music, reading material, and television. You cannot walk in God’s spirit when you accept in your life something that is
wrong. “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the
flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” — Romans
13:14.
Project:
Think through your books, movies, clothes, magazines, music, activities, TV shows, friends, etc. On
the lines below, make a list of any of these that you think may cause you (or someone else) to sin in the future. Remember that
these things may not necessarily be sinful by themselves, but if they have been or may be a source of temptation, remove them from
your life.
Choose the best over the okay. “that
you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and
without offense till the day of Christ”. — Philippians 1:10. Ask this test question about each thing:
“Is this helping me in my walk with God?”
Follow-up:
Tell your mom or Bible study leader what things you know you need to remove from your life; be
accountable to them that you will follow through and remove these things this week.
After cleansing your life of things that may lead you to evil, be sure to replace them with things
that will encourage you and help you to follow the Lord better. For example, if you have gotten rid of wrong music, be sure to
replace it with music which honors the Lord and nourishes your heart.
More Key Truths:
Our needs can be met only in Jesus Christ. "Whom
have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides
You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and
my portion forever." - Psalm 73:25-26. "...But those who seek
the Lord shall not lack any good thing." - Psalm 34:10b. The devil and the world often try to make us think that in
order to be happy, we need to give our sinful flesh what it wants. However, we need only to take a quick look at the world around
us to see that when people give sin or self-will control in their lives, they begin a horrible downward spiral deeper and deeper
into sin and its terrible consequences.
In order to altogether avoid this slippery path, we must realize the Biblical truth that true
satisfaction, fulfillment, and happiness in life come only through the Lord and living in accordance with His truth.
The Lord Jesus paid an incredible price so that we could be free! “Stand
fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be
entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” — Galatians 5:1.
To help you walk in freedom daily, take the following steps in prayer:
Reaffirm your salvation. If you can’t clearly remember a time when you specifically
prayed, admitting to God that you are a sinner, and trusted Him for salvation through the perfect death and resurrection of Jesus,
pray now to make sure you are truly saved! “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” — Romans 10:9. Even if you know for sure that there was a point in your
life when you turned to Jesus for salvation, it may be special both to Him and to you if you would renew your commitment and trust
in Him. (If you doubt your salvation, or are unsure how to be saved, see
the article "Making Sure", The King's Daughter Vol. 10#1, or ask your Bible study leader.) When Jesus went to the cross, He took on Himself all our sins and paid the penalty for all of them. Thus,
our sins were crucified with Christ; we are “dead” to them, and no longer under their mastery. Thank the Lord for freeing you from
the dominion of sin, and ask Him now to live through you. “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but
alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 6:11. Ask the Lord to sit on the throne of your heart and rule every area of your life. Ask the Lord to show you areas of life where you are disobeying Him or your authorities. (It may be helpful
to refer back to the areas of life you listed in Bible study week 10.) Confess any disobedience. God offers complete forgiveness! “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:9.
God’s Word is powerful to help us overcome sin! Identify areas where you especially struggle with
temptation (i.e., thinking impure thoughts, fantasizing, overeating, looking at wrong pictures, flirting, etc.):
Memorize Bible verses that apply to these areas. (It may be helpful to use a Bible concordance; or
ask your parents or Bible-study leader for ideas.) There are many helpful verses to be found in Romans 6 and Galatians 5. (Other
ideas include 1 Corinthians 10:13 and 2 Peter 2:9.)
Read the following Scripture passage and list insights and truths to apply:
Ephesians 6:10-18
The next time temptation hits:
- Immediately remind yourself that Jesus has won the victory over sin for you. Fix your
mind on the Lord, and refuse to give in to temptation.
Quote to yourself applicable Scripture verses that you have memorized. Remember that the Bible instructs us to “flee” from sin; if at all possible, remove yourself from the
temptation immediately. Share struggles with your parents and ask them to pray for you. “Confess your trespasses to one another,
and pray for one another, that you may be healed....” — James 5:16a. Remember that being tempted is not wrong (Jesus was tempted) – but giving into temptation is wrong! It is a
battle, but God is fighting for you! You cannot lose unless you choose to surrender. (See Romans 16:20 and 1 John 4:4.) Seek with your whole heart to love the Lord and to hate evil. “And you will seek Me and find Me, when
you search for Me with all your heart.” — Jeremiah 29:13. “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil....” — Proverbs 8:13a.
Week 12 memory work:
Rachel didn't know what to do. Three years ago she had gone through a short
period of rebellion. During those weeks she had read books, listened to music, and looked at pictures that she knew were wrong.
Then she'd gone to a revival meeting with her parents and had come under conviction. She'd repented
and turned her life around, and now she wanted more than ever to grow in the Lord and to be pure in Him.
Yet now, three years later, she felt like giving up. No matter how much she wanted to be pure, wrong
thoughts would overwhelm her at the most unexpected times. She couldn't seem to forget what she had exposed herself to so long
ago.
She wanted to stop these thoughts, but she felt like she couldn't. At the moments when she was
weakest, Satan would come in like a flood. Time and again she begged the Lord's forgiveness, but it didn't seem to help.
What should Rachel do? Can she ever find true freedom from these wrong thoughts? How?
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