True Freedom

Principle 1: True Freedom – An intimate knowledge of God`s truth sets us free to love and be loved.
(John 8:31, 32)

Basic Principle by Questions

Listed below are 3 ways you might help another person get to know a friend of yours. For illustration`s sake, would you think of one of your friends as you answer the following?

  • Briefly describe your friend`s appearance. You might mention hair color, eye color, build, height, etc.
  • Do you have a recent picture of your friend?
  • After reading your description and looking at the picture, which would give me a more accurate view of your friend`s true appearance, the description or the picture?
  • Would I have an even better idea of his or her true appearance if I could meet him in person?
  • To truly know your friend, I need more than a description, a photo, or even to meet him in person, don`t I? If I am to get to know the person, I need to spend time and have conversations with your friend.
  1. Do you agree that certain things we believe to be true can impact other dimensions of our lives effecting how we think, feel, choose, and behave? Describe how something you believe or know to be true influences your emotions, your choices, and your behavior.
  2. Consider a lie you once believed to be true. Is this lie about your self, other people, life, relationships, God, or priorities?
  3. How long did you hold this lie to be the truth?
  4. What impact did believing the lie have on you, your relationships, or other areas such as how you handled money, set priorities, or found satisfaction?
  5. How did you come to discover the lie was a lie?
  6. What lies have you believed about God, relationships, love, self, or marriage?
  7. What impact did believing lies have on your thoughts, feelings, choices and behavior?
  8. What do you know now to be the truth that counters the old lies?
  9. What changes have been made/how are you different as a result of knowing the truth?

Irreducible Minimums

  • Experiencing the Word of God means that the Holy Spirit of God guides us into all truth that transforms each area of life: intellect, emotions, will, and behavior. (John 8:31, 32; Romans 8:29)
  • We are both transformed from our old life and conformed to the image of Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit in us. (Romans 8:29; 12:1,2)
  • The most effective and specific way to represent Christ in this world is to give and receive love as He does. (John 13: 34, 35)
  • Experiencing lies in the mind, will, and emotions keeps us bound in “prisons” of the heart and will keep us from loving others. (I Thessalonians 5:23, 24)
  • Potential prisons of the heart include guilt, loneliness, sadness, regret, fear, anxiety, self-condemnation, anger, and bitterness.
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