The Son Sets You Free

BY Bailey Gillespie

Last night, I felt led to visit a church our family attended many years ago. I’d been wrestling with some relational conflict during the week—something that’s not common for me—and was at a loss for how to engage the situation spiritually. My hands felt tied. As believers, we have the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, but sometimes it’s hard to know how to access that power. 

As I was sitting in the car preparing to go in, I almost drove away. My heart was heavy. I didn’t want to be around people. Lies and falsehood were swirling all around, making it hard for me to concentrate or believe that there was a way out. After all, how could a lean church service on a Saturday night help with the intricate difficulties of this battle? 

At that moment, I felt Spirit-led to look up a specific Scripture passage at home later and go inside anyway as a way to help clothe myself in Christ and defend against the darkness of these lies. It turns out that the team was wrapping up a five-part series, and this last sermon was centered around the very Scripture passage God had just placed on my heart in the car. I couldn’t believe it. My body was trembling, in a good way. There were tears. “You will know the truth,” said the pastor, “and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). He challenged us to walk with our heads held high as children of God. He prayed boldly that we would be delivered from the things that have kept us bound for too long and, instead, walk in a spirit of complete freedom.

According to today’s passages, we see that “the truth” is the teaching of Jesus. It sets us free as we continue to live in obedient response to Christ and His Word. Walking into conflict without God’s Word is like walking onto a battlefield without a weapon. We can’t protect ourselves without it. It amazes me that the same Jesus who spoke these words to the first-century Jewish people also intercedes for us here in 2022 on ordinary Saturday evenings. 

Friends, if you find yourself in a place of trouble, have courage. We’re told that God’s faithful love is what guides us, and we live by His truth (Psalm 26:3). He sees us! He is intimately aware of our struggles and wants us to find victory and healing in Him. “Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).