Friends, real talk time. Ever feel like the world’s gone a little… dystopian? 😬 I was thinking about this the other day, and it’s kinda crazy how much from books like Brave New World and 1984 seems to be playing out in real life. Huxley and Orwell were seriously prescient, right? They warned us about things like mass psychosis, controlled information, and everyone being glued to their screens… sound familiar? Orwell believed that totally controlling every aspect of life would be the way we are enslaved, while Huxley believed we could be totally controlled by drugging us and amusing us with entertainment all the time. Seems they were both correct. We are sooo free now…right?
It makes you wonder, what’s really going on? What’s real freedom, anyway? I used to think I was free when I was, well, let’s just say I was pretty “free” with the bottle. 🍷 Thought I was living the high life, but really, I was just a slave to alcohol. It controlled me, my decisions, my whole life. Talk about not being free. It wasn’t until I finally kicked that habit that I started to understand what true freedom actually meant. That was a HUGE part of my freedom journey, but it wasn’t the whole story.
I learned that true freedom isn’t just about getting rid of bad habits. It’s about something much deeper. It’s about being set free from the power of sin. And that’s where the Holy Spirit comes to break the chains. 🙌 The Bible says that it’s the Spirit who gives us new life (John 6:63). It’s the Spirit who empowers us to overcome temptation and live a life that’s pleasing to God. It’s the Spirit who helps us to know the truth, the truth that sets us free (John 16:13). It’s not something I work harder and harder to do, the Spirit does it to our hearts and minds. He changes us inside and we obey more and more because we want to not because we are forced or feel deprived. I love bread. Growing up it was in our house all the time. In fact, some bread I see it and I just want to touch it, much less eat it. That desire is in me for bread. The Holy Spirit creates that desire in you when you become a Christian. You don’t have to drum it up or force it, all you have to do is obey it. It’s in you, and the more you obey it, the more you have the Joy and fruit of the Spirit which changes you, and sets you free from selfishness and sin. He will send people and circumstances to grow you and teach or test you. Not for his benefit, but yours.
Like marriage. Whoa. Talk about a life-changer. Before I met my wife, I was like a ticking time bomb. 💣 Seriously, I was angry all the time. I was just waiting for something to set me off. But then… she came along. And somehow, she just… diffused me. It was like she pulled the wires out of a claymore mine. 🤯 I don’t even know how she does it. But she’s calmed me down and made me a better man. And honestly, I see God’s hand in that too. Marriage has been a huge part of my journey to true freedom. It’s taught me about selflessness, forgiveness, and unconditional love – all things that the Holy Spirit has been working on in my life.
Kids. 👶🤯 If marriage is a life-changer, parenting is like a whole new dimension of life-changing! Talk about being forced to confront your own selfishness! Kids have this amazing (and sometimes terrifying) ability to expose all your weaknesses and push you to grow in ways you never imagined. Through both marriage and parenting, I’ve learned what it truly means to lay down my life for someone else. It’s a constant process of dying to self, and honestly, it’s been one of the most freeing experiences of my life. It’s like God’s saying, “Okay, you think you’re free? Let’s see how you handle this!” 😂 But seriously, it’s through these relationships, through loving my wife and kids, that I’ve experienced a deeper level of freedom from my own selfish desires.
This whole thing makes me think about what real freedom is. It’s not just about doing whatever you want, it’s about being free from the things that hold you back, the things that control you. For me, it was alcohol and anger (and still is, some days!). For you, it might be something else. But the point is, true freedom is about finding the truth, which is found in Jesus (John 14:6). And the Holy Spirit is the one who helps us to understand that truth and live it out. It’s a process, for sure. But it’s a process that leads to true and lasting freedom. 🙌
So, what about you? What does freedom mean to you? Where do you see the Holy Spirit working in your life?