Finding Freedom through Jesus

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36 (NIV)

The world defines freedom as a life without any restraint. It’s an attitude that says, "I can do anything I want to do and say anything I want to say, without anybody telling me what to do."

With that kind of mindset, others get burned while I insist on doing things my way. That’s the world’s version of freedom—freedom that’s really just selfishness.

But the Bible says the only way to true freedom is through Jesus: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 NIV).

God sent Jesus to proclaim and deliver freedom from the sin that keeps me trapped in a cycle of anger, envy, greed, sexual immorality, broken relationships, unforgiveness, and selfishness.

With true freedom, I'm set free from fear, guilt, worry, bitterness, and death. I'm free to quit pretending, because I'm free to be myself.

How do you get rid of fear and find real freedom in Jesus? By letting God love me! The apostle John taught this: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18 NIV).

When I realize how much God loves me, I'll begin to live and rest in that love. And when I live in God’s love, I'm free—free to see life from his point of view and live the way he meant me to live. I learn that freedom isn’t something I demand or earn; it’s a gift from God.

In fact, living in God’s love is an act of worship. When I agree that God is loving, caring, and generous, and begin to trust in that love, I worship him. As 1 John 4:16 says, “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love” (NLT).

Freedom starts here—when I choose to trust that God loves me and let it fill every part of my life.

In summary:

John 8:36 teaches that true freedom is not the world’s version of doing whatever we want without restraint, which often leads to selfishness and brokenness, but the freedom that comes through Jesus. Christ sets us free from the sin and destructive patterns that trap us—anger, guilt, fear, bitterness, and shame—and releases us to live authentically and without pretense. This freedom flows from experiencing and trusting God’s perfect love, which drives out fear and transforms how we see ourselves and the world. Real freedom is not something we demand or earn; it is a gift received by trusting in God’s love, resting in it, and allowing it to shape our lives in worship and obedience.

Bottom Line:

True freedom isn’t doing whatever I want—it’s being set free by Jesus from sin, fear, and guilt so I can live fully in God’s love and become who I was created to be.

Next Steps:

Model and teach freedom from identity, not performance. If true freedom comes from being secure in God’s love (not striving, control, or self-definition), then the people I lead need more than strategy—they need liberation from fear, guilt, comparison, and pressure. So:

1. Anchor my leadership in secure identity - Before helping others improve results, reinforce who they are. Freedom fuels growth. When people lead from security instead of fear, performance becomes sustainable.

Ask in your next coaching conversation:

What fear is driving this decision?

What would they do if they were completely secure?

Are they leading from pressure or from peace?

2. Create environments where people can stop pretending - True freedom includes authenticity. As a leader, model transparency, humility, and trust. When I go first, others follow.

3. Help people redefine success - Shift the focus from “doing more” to “becoming whole.”

From control → to surrender.

From striving → to trust.

From image → to integrity.

This aligns perfectly with my calling:

I don’t just help people achieve more—I help them become free enough to grow into who they were designed to be.

My 2026 alignment move:

Ensure that everything I teach about leadership and growth flows from this foundation—freedom in identity, grounded in truth, expressed through intentional living. This is how I multiply impact without multiplying pressure.

Jesus Turns My ‘Hopeless End’ Into ‘Endless Hope’

In 2 Corinthians 1:9-10 I read, “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us . . . and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.” (NIV)

God works in life according to our expectations. The apostle Paul knew this. He said in 2 Corinthians 1:9-10, “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us . . . and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us” (NIV).

At some point in life, I’ll reach what appears to be a dead end—one where I see no hope from a human perspective. But this dead end has a purpose: to teach me to trust in God. Sometimes life seems so bad and out of control. Why does God let that happen? So that I can learn to trust in him instead of trusting in my own ingenuity and cleverness. 

Here’s what’s true: God has delivered me in the past, he’s likely delivering me from circumstances now, and he will deliver me in the future. God uses three different kinds of deliverance:

1. God uses circumstantial deliverance. Sometimes God miraculously alters the circumstance, and the Red Sea splits. That will happen many times, but it’s not going to happen all the time.

2. God uses personal deliverance. Instead of changing the circumstance, God changes me from the inside. I get a new dream, a new vision, a new attitude, and a new perspective. 

3. God’s ultimate deliverance is heaven. God has not promised to remove all my pain in this world or solve every one of my problems. On Earth, there is pain, sorrow, and suffering. The ultimate deliverance will be one day in heaven, where there will be no pain, no sorrow, no suffering, and no heartache. 

There is only one way to get to Heaven. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NIV). When I’m at a dead end, Jesus can take that hopeless end and turn it into an endless hope. 

When I experience what looks like a dead end, I can take that dead-end situation and my own life and give them to Jesus Christ. Jesus always looks out for my best interests. 

Finding Hope and Deliverance in God

In review of Psalm 50:15 it says, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."

Bottom Line:

Call on God in the day of trouble; He will deliver you, and you will honor him

What this means to me:

I can pray to God in times of trouble, He will deliver me and I will give him glory and honor for it.

Psalm 50 speaks of God’s character and his faithfulness.  In it, the psalmist explains that what God wants from us is our true thanks. God wants us to trust in him in our times of trouble. He will rescue us and we will give him the glory and honor for it.

God can’t really deliver me if I’m not in trouble, or won’t admit I’m in trouble.  How can I know that he is my provider unless I have a need?  How can I know that God is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother without being lonely and rejected?  

When God seems so silent and the night is so long and so black, how can I know God is a Deliverer unless I have lived in chains of captivity of bad habits that rob me.  So when trouble, comes, consider that it’s the perfect time and opportunity to discover the God who answers prayer!  God can provide me with a life without limit and peace that surpasses all understanding. He can give me hope in the darkest night because he is the God who delivers.

I will call upon His holy name and find rest in Him.

When I Need Assistance Or Get Tempted, God Wants to Help

In review of Psalm 50:15 it says, “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me”

Bottom Line:

Pray to me in time of trouble. I will rescue you, and you will honor me.

What this means to me:

God tells me that I can call on him when I’m in trouble, and He will rescue me, and I will give him glory for his work in my life.

Today's passage comes from the middle of Psalm 50. In this God is telling us that he does not need my offerings, everything belongs to him anyway. What he wants is my heart. When I provide my offerings and service to him, he wants me to do so in thankfulness and to keep my commitment to him. When trouble comes, I can call on him and he will rescue me and I will give him all the glory.

This verse reminds me that God is ready to help me when I need it. He says I’m to pray, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” That is an example of a prayer of deliverance. I ask God for help.

The prayer of deliverance can often be just one word: Help! It doesn’t have to be “Our gracious heavenly Father …”.  When I come to the prayer of deliverance, I can do a microwave prayer: “Help! Keep my eyes straight. I don’t like this person. I do not like the way my relative treats me, and I’m going to see him today. Oh, God! You’ve got to help me!  I really need your help today, because everything in me just wants to slug them!”

Scripture is full of examples of people who’ve prayed for deliverance, such as David, Daniel, Peter, and Paul. God will provide assistance for anybody who asks.

Why can I expect God to help me when I pray the prayer of deliverance? Because God has promised it. Psalm 50:15 says, “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me” (NIV). God says I don’t have to have a long conversation. I can just say, “Help! Mayday! SOS! God, I’m facing something now that willpower won’t help me get through.”

What I’m learning is that God will be sympathetic to my situation. He knows everything that’s going on in my life. He knows how irritating those people are. He knows the things that tempt me. In fact, look at this verse: “Jesus understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:15-16 NLT).

He says Jesus understands. He sympathetic because he faced the same temptation.

Jesus was tempted to get angry, to have self pity. The Bible tells me he was tempted in all the ways I am, yet he did not sin. That’s the difference. He never gave in. He had the freedom to choose.

But even better is the fact that he never sinned. What does that mean? He can help you overcome. So the Bible says, “Come boldly to God.” Come and say, “I need your help!” God isn’t ticked with you when you get tempted. He’s not going to scold you when you’re tempted. He says, “I’m here to help.”

I could have benefited from this verse yesterday as something to meditate on, as myself and my team were faced with a large technical problem that had us under pressure. I do remember reaching out for God early in the situation and saying a quick “help”, but I also realize that after the problem was solved (after some very long agonizing hours) I didn’t immediately think to recognize, thank Him and give him glory for his work to help us. It wasn’t until this morning as I was getting ready that I thought of this and thanked him.

I think I’d like to add this as a verse to memorize so that I can bring it up when trouble comes. “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me” (Psalm 50:15 NIV).

Knowing That God Will Walk With Me

In summary of Psalms 23:4 it says, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”

Bottom Line:

Even though we can walk and experience so very dark parts of life, I will not fear or be afraid, you are close by, your shepherd’s rod and staff will protect me.

What this means to me:

Even though I can face times when I walk through the deepest darkness valleys of life, I will not be afraid or fear any harm.  For I know God is always close beside me.  His rod and staff protect me and give me comfort and courage.  There are lots of things to be afraid of or fear in our world, but God's promise is that, even in my darkest times and situations, He will be walking beside me.  I recently learned that there are 365 verses in the Bible that say, "Fear not."  This means there is one "fear not' message for every day of the year!  Often hurts and hang-ups can make me think the world or God may be out to get me, but thats simply not true.  Jesus is the proof of that.  As I come to better understand God's grace and mercy, I am learning to not fear the future. Jesus has already taken the penalty for everything I've ever done wrong or will do wrong. He paid for it on the cross. So when a bad thing happens, I should hold on to the knowledge that God will be walking with me through it.

When You're Tempted, God Wants to Help

In summary of Psalm 50:15 it says, “Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

Bottom Line:

When trouble comes, I will save you, you will glorify me

What this means to me:

I can call on God when I face trouble.  He will save me and I will give him all the glory.  The Bible tells me that God is always ready to help. He tells me to pray, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”  When I do, this becomes a prayer of deliverance and asking God for help.  The prayer of deliverance can often be just one word: “Help!” It doesn’t have to be long in fact, I can do a microwave prayer such as: “Help! Keep my eyes straight. I don’t like this person. I do not like the way my relative treats me, and I’m going to see him today. Oh, God! You’ve got to help me! I lose my Christianity when I’m around that person. I really need your help today, because everything in me just wants to slug him!”  The Bible is full of examples of people who’ve prayed for deliverance, (David, Daniel, Peter, and Paul.) God provides assistance to anyone who asks. The great thing is that I can expect God to help because he promised it in His word.  Psalm 50:15 says, “Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me” (NIV). God says you don’t have to have a long conversation. You can just say, “Help! Mayday! SOS! God, I’m facing something now that willpower won’t help me get through.”  God will be sympathetic to my situation. He knows everything that’s going on in my life. He knows how irritating those people can be. He knows the things that tempt me. As an example, in verse Hebrews 4:15-16 NLT, “Jesus understands our weaknesses, for he faced all the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to our gracious God and then we will receive his mercy and grace to help us when we need it.”   He sympathetic because He faced the same temptations. The Bible says Jesus was tempted in all ways as I was, yet he did not sin. That’s the difference. He never gave in. He had the freedom to choose.  God can help me overcome. The Bible says, “Come boldly to God.” Come and say “Mayday! SOS! I need your help.” God won’t be ticked with me when I’m tempted. He’s not going to scold me, instead He says, “I’m here to help.”