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John 8:31-33 To the Jews who believed in Him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"
Oh my gosh! These verses are so powerful yet so filled with arrogance, denial and pride. Read these verses again. As believers we truly know or at least we should know that Jesus is the truth. As the truth of who He is revealed is to us through the Holy Spirit, we are set free from the burdens of our sins. We are free from the chains that bind us and weigh us down. As believers we should be on a mission to face the truth of who we were and what we did in our past. As believers we should be able to face our past with the knowledge that we have been forgiven and that we should forgive others. As believers we should be able to rid ourselves from the lies of guilt and shame. As believers we should be able to admit our sins and deal with them. As believers we should be able to allow God to change us through the conviction, not condemnation, that comes through the Holy Spirit. We should do these things, we should allow these truths, but do we?
Sadly many of us prefer to live in a state of denial. We walk around with blinders on never willing to admit that we are bound by the chains of the past. We are burdened by the reality of who we really are. We never want to admit the truth that we are truly slaves. We prefer to live our lives depressed and overwhelmed by grief because we get much more attention that way. We don't want to admit that we cling to our past as a crutch, as an easy excuse for our miserable life. Sound harsh? Well I'm just getting started. This is for me too, so don't think I'm picking on you. Slavery is a way of life that is much easier for some of us to live. That way we aren't responsible for our attitude or behavior. People pity us and feel sorry for us and that makes us feel better but it's only temporary. Denial is our weapon of choice. Sound familiar?
Then there is those who prefer to live life in a state of arrogance. We think we know better than anyone else. We are know it alls, or so we think. We feel superior and how dare anyone question us. We're always right and everyone else is wrong. We put ourselves on a pedestal and if anyone questions our beliefs, our words, our actions or our thoughts, we are deeply offended and erupt like a volcano. Sound familiar? I know people like this. They don't like to be questioned, they don't want anyone to even hint they may be wrong, and they dare not ever admit they're wrong. For these people, saying "I'm sorry" is close to an impossibility. When we hint to something they did or said wrong, their defenses fly and the accusations fly. They rarely want to face the truth that they are not perfect and hardly ever want to look in the mirror.
Recently God has pointed out to me the number of people who are believers but slaves to social media. Selfies and hashtags have been used to draw attention to ourselves. To get more likes than others, to be noticed by others. Maybe we think our action is for others good, to,help them, to motivate others or to encourage others but actually more often than not, it's to get other's attention and approval. I had to face this reality about myself. Posting about myself, where I was, what I was doing, using hashtags was not doing anything for God's Kingdom here on earth. In fact my posts had nothing to further His Kingdom, it was all about me. This too was a truth I didn't want to face.
It's so much easier to live life without facing the truth about who you are. It's much easier to point a finger back at your accuser than to face the truth and deal with it. To admit we need to change is painful but necessary if we are true believers. To admit we have become slaves to enemy is not easy, it's hard. I have had to face that truth and it is only when I did that I was set free. Being set free from the chains that held me down was more than just a feeling a release, it was life changing. I don't feel the need for anyone's approval but Gods. I was a slave, I didn't want to admit at first but I was. Books, music, TV, IPad, games on my iPad bound me and keep me from a truth that was freeing. Oh don't get me wrong, I still read books, but choose wisely. I still play games on my iPad, but they don't captivate my time anymore. I still watch TV, but I choose to watch uplifting TV.
The Israelites didn't want to admit they were slaves when Jesus made this comment, but at the time they were slaves to the Roman Empire. They were in a state of denial and in an arrogant way they couldn't face the reality of their current circumstances. They had blinders on because they didn't want to face the truth. They didn't want to deal with their pride or admit they were wrong. They missed the truth because of this. Please don't deny the truth about your slavery. Take an honest look at your life and really see the chains that,have weighed you down. Admit that you are a slave. Admit you are a sinner. Admit you are wrong. No more blame! No more denial! Deal with the truth and allow the blood of Jesus to set you free.
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