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Nancy Leigh DeMoss shares how God's truth will set you free.

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Our culture is experiencing an epidemic of “soul sickness.” In fact, if I had to describe a large percentage of the women I have met and talked with in recent years, I would choose one or more of the following words: frazzled, frustrated, fearful, lonely, confused, angry, exhausted, burned-out, overwhelmed

When we turn to the Scriptures, we are reminded that God didn’t intend for us to be this way. We read the words of Jesus in the gospel of John and know that God has something better for us:

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10, KJV

As you look at your life, would you say you are experiencing the abundant life Jesus came to give? Or do you find yourself just existing, coping, struggling, surviving? I’m not asking if you have a trouble-free life. In fact, some of the most radiant, joyful women I know are living
with painful difficulties in their lives.

I’m not talking about a magic formula that will make problems vanish; I’m not offering any shortcuts to an easy life, nor am I promising the absence of pain and difficulties. Life is hard—there’s no way around that. But I am talking about walking through the realities of life—things like rejection, loss, disappointment, wounds, and even death—in freedom and true joy. But how do we do this? How do we become free?

STOP Believing the Lies

[Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44

Sadly, most people—even Christians—have unthinkingly exposed themselves to so much deception that they do not even realize they are being deceived. That is the very nature of deception—it blinds us to the fact that we have been deceived.

Satan’s promise to Eve was tantalizing: “Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). Who could resist such an extraordinary offer?

Generally speaking, people don’t fall into bondage overnight. They don’t just wake up one morning and discover they are addicted to food or have a temper they can’t control. There is a progression that leads to bondage, and it always begins when we 1) listen to a lie; 2) dwell on the lie; 3) believe the lie; and 4) act on the lie. Every area of bondage in our lives can be traced back to a lie that took us through this process.

START Believing the Truth

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Satan is a powerful enemy. His primary weapon is deception. His lies are powerful. But there is something even more powerful than Satan’s lies—and that is the Truth of God. Once we identify the lies that put us in bondage and repent of believing those lies, we have an effective weapon to overcome deception—the weapon of Truth.

REPLACE the Lies with the Truth

THE LIE:		THE TRUTH:
I CAN SIN AND GET AWAY WITH IT	vs.	The choices I make today will have consequences; I will reap what I sow.
MY SIN ISN’T REALLY THAT BAD	vs.	Every act of sin is an act of rebellion against God.
GOD CAN’T FORGIVE WHAT I HAVE DONE	vs.	The blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover any and every sin I have committed.
I AM NOT FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MY ACTIONS AND REACTIONS	vs.	God does not hold me accountable for the actions of others. I am responsible for my own choices.
I CANNOT WALK IN CONSISTENT VICTORY OVER SIN	vs.	If I am a child of God, I don’t have to sin

Each lie must be countered with the corresponding Truth. Where we have listened to, dwelt on, believed, and acted on lies, we must begin to listen to, meditate on, believe, and act on the Truth. That is how we will move from bondage to freedom, by the power of the Spirit of God.

“Then” as Jesus declared, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

When we make repeated choices to obey sin rather than God, we establish habit patterns that are extremely difficult to break—we choose to live as sin’s slaves. That is when the devil begins to convince us that we can never be any different, that we will always be enslaved to that sinful habit. So we give up.

Every man, woman, and child who has ever lived has been born into that same fallen condition: spiritually blind, sinful, separated from God, and incapable of doing anything to please Him. Because of our sin, we are all under the righteous judgment of God.

The Good News—the Gospel—is that Jesus came to this earth and took upon Himself the penalty for all of Eve’s sin and ours, so the devastating consequences of sin could be reversed. Through His sinless life, His death on the cross as the sinner’s substitute, and His victorious resurrection, we can be fully forgiven for all our sin, we can be reconciled to the God we have offended, and we can have the power to live holy lives.

We do not receive this forgiveness and this right standing before a holy God by being born into a Christian home, growing up in the church, being baptized or confirmed, doing good deeds, going forward during an altar call, having an emotional experience, reciting a prayer, or being active in church. We are not saved from sin by trusting in anything that we have done. The only means of eternal salvation is through placing our trust in what Jesus did for us on the cross when He died in our place.

What about you, my friend? The Enemy wants to keep you in bondage to fear, doubt, and guilt. God wants you to walk in freedom, faith, and assurance of forgiveness. No matter how “good” you may be, the only way you can ever be made right with God is through faith in Christ. And no matter how “great” a sinner you may have been, His grace is sufficient for you.

Holy God, I confess that I have often trivialized sin and it consequences. I realize that all sin is rebellion against You and grieves Your heart. Thank You for the blood of Jesus that has satisfied Your wrath against my sin. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking on Yourself all the guilt and penalty for my sin, and crediting to my account all the righteousness of God. Thank You for forgiving me. Amen.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss is a popular conference speaker, a director at Life Action Ministries in Niles, Michigan, and host of the Revive Our Hearts radio program. For information: 800-321-1538 • E-mail: ReviveOurHearts@LifeAction.org • www.LifeAction.org

Adapted from Lies Women Believe, and the Truth That Sets Them Free, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Moody Press ©2001. Used by permission.