How Will the Truth Set Me Free

It seems like all my life I had heard the phrase "The truth shall set you free." I am not sure when I became aware that it was a Bible verse and only the tail end of a verse at that.

John 8:32 KJV And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

But, even when I did know it was a Bible verse it was not enough to stop me going on a fool’s errand, as my mum would say.

I was a really screwed up individual. I had a huge inferiority complex. I had, no self worth, no self confidence and was needy in almost every respect.

So I was, full of fear and self doubt when I set out to find out how the truth would set me free.

Well I chose to start looking for the Truth that would set me free in psychology and education. I began by studying for a BA hons degree in Psychology.

I thought that if I got an education I would feel more confident and and my self esteem would increase.

I also thought that after getting my degree I would be happier, more content and not have to be such a people pleaser.

I got the degree and and by the time that I finished my degree I had uncovered many of the reasons for me being the way I was. I now had more understanding of why I was like I was, but knowing why didn't set me free.

I found what I thought I was looking for. I thought those reasons were the truth I was looking for, and that the reasons would be the truth that would set me free.

But, unfortunately the reasons why, were not the 'Truth' I needed to find. So of course of course my degree didn't set me free.

So, I was back to square one, still as insecure and full of low self esteem as I started out.

I found out almost all the reasons why but doing it had really not change the effects that those things had had on me.

I knew that I was a bastard, I knew that I was born as the result of incest. I knew that I was an unwanted result of that incestuous relationship.

I knew that some members of my adoptive family did not want me in their family. I knew I had been severely neglected for the whole first year of my life.

I could identify the incidents that had harmed me as I grew up. I knew the source of my hatred for one of my teachers, all these things you can read about in my other hubs. But even so I was no nearer to being free than when I started my degree.

I knew even before I finished my degree that I was looking in the wrong place for the Truth that would set me free. I was searching for the wrong kind of truth.

I did not need to finish my degree to know that I was looking in the wrong place. The key to where the truth lay was in that scripture verse itself.

It had slowly dawned on me, the Truth that would set me free was not learning about the facts of my past.

I had been hoping that knowing the truth about those facts would set me free, but they had not and would not.

Instead, I found out that there was only one Truth that would set me free and I would find that Truth in the Word of God.

I found that a good place to start that search for the truth was with that verse itself. This time I read the full verse to see what that was all about.

John 8:31-32 KJV Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed on him, If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Now this is not a bible study nor is it going to become one. This is just me sharing with anyone interested in knowing, how I was set free.

Not just, free from the stuff of my past but also free to live a completely different life. A life which was altogether better than the one I had been living.

If you are interested how I came to walk in the Truth and was set free, then read on. If you are not, then thank you for reading this far and I hope that you find what you are looking for.

We can walk in Truth when we find out what the Bible says about every aspect of our lives. It is when put what its says into practice that we start to walk in Truth.

Obedience to the Truth, is a key here. It is not enough to know about what the truth is, this alone is not enough to set you free,

It is only through obeying the Truth or doing things God’s way that we come to know the truth. It is that knowing which comes through obedience to God’s Word that sets us free.

It works even if you are not a Christian, now this is really good news!

Why is it good news? Because even if you are an unbeliever, even if you think you don’t believe in anything, it can still set you free. It can set you free because it is the Truth. If you put the truth into practice then you will still be set free.

It works because it is the Truth. It works for anyone and everyone that will put it to work. It works because it takes us out of a way of being and doing that is crippling and killing us.

The bible tells us that we can chose how we want to live. We can choose if we want to live a life that is full of blessings or we can choose to have a life that is under a curse.

Now do not let the Biblical language of blessings and curses turn you off. No matter what language we use, we know how we do not want to live.

I have chosen blessings to live under not curses. If you are not sure what the blessing entails, then let me just tell you of a few of the things that I have in my life.

I have peace, and this peace is not based on what is going on around me at any given time. I have peace in spite of some of the things going on around me.

I have a joy that does not depend on outside things such as possessions and things going my way.

I have love and I am also able to receive and give love, and if you had known me before you would know what a big thing this is.

I have patience and self-control. This means that I am no longer controlled by what other people are doing or not doing.

This for me was a tremendous difference. In the past I was always looking for other people’s approval. I always gave other people’s opinions more weight than my own.

This means in reality, that I lived mostly by reacting to what others were saying or doing. In other words, other people controlled me.

These are just a few of the differences in my life now that I am doing things the way the Bible tells me to. I want to tell you that this way of living is a real blessing.

How do you know if you are living under the curse? That is easy you are living under the curse if you live the way I was living before. Living under the curse will be full of the things that I had in my life back then.

My life back then was a life that was full of fear.

I was fearful of all sorts of things. I was afraid what people would think about me. I was afraid of what people would say to me or about me. I was fearful of what people would do to me if I didn't do what they wanted me to do or do things their way.

Every little ache or pain I had I was fearful that it was a symptom of some seriously wrong with me physically. Things like cancer or some other dread disease.

I worried just about everything. I worried when we did not have enough money to live on and I worried when we did have enough.

When I had enough money to live on and even enough to put some in the bank I still worried. I worried about losing our jobs our health our things.

Worry was my constant companion. Even when everything was going my way I would be worrying about when things were going to change.

I trusted no one, not because they were untrustworthy just because I could not.

I had no love because I was so damaged that I could not give or receive real love.

I was very needy and wanted to be loved above all things. But even when people said that they loved me, that love could not get through to the inside of me.

I really could not see how anyone could love me, I did not, so how could they?

These are just a few of the ways you can tell if you are living under the curse.

There are many more things but I think you get the picture through these few things I have shared.

The first thing you will find out when you begin looking for how God tells us to live is that His way is different. It is different from the normal or the world’s way of living.

For example, God’s way is to love our enemies. His way is to do good things to and for our enemies. In the world’s scheme of things it is hard enough to live that way with your loved ones, never mind your enemies.

If you want to get something God tells us the way is through giving, He says in

Luke 6:38... Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over,shall men give into your bosom....

If people wrong us even if they do it on purpose, God’s way is to forgive them. Yes even if they are not sorry, even if they meant to harm you and want to continue to harm you. Even if all these things are true, His way is still forgive them.

I told you God’s way does not make sense to our normal way of thinking. But try it out, it will work for anyone who puts it to work in their lives.

God’s ways goes against almost everything that you and common sense would say is the right way. But then that is not altogether surprising, because we already know how that other way has worked out for us.

The choice is yours, God's way or your way. The choice after all, is yours to make.

Here is my conclusion. Once you have found out what God’s says about something in your life, then do what He says and put it into practice.

It does not matter what it is. Nor does it matter if you can’t see how it can work, or how you can do it. just start to do it God’s way, start to put it into practice, God will help you.

Start applying the Truth that you find in God’s Word to your life and situations. Then you will find that that Truth will indeed set you free!!

You will continue to maintain your freedom by continuing to do what God's Word tells you to do in and with your life.

Choose His way of being and doing and you will be glad you did.