Free Indeed: The Power of the Word in the fight for Freedom
What holds you captive? Isn’t it your deceitful desires and deeds that are contrary to the truth that only in Christ are we truly satisfied? The fight for freedom is a battle which begins within us and we must wage war against passions and desires that draws us away from God and to itself. But how do we do that?
‘And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.’ (John 8:32).
I mentioned in my last post that the word of God is one of the main tools that we can use in our battle for freedom. But how exactly does this work. In order to understand this, we must understand what we are fighting against. Oftentimes you may get caught in a cycle of unhealthy behaviour and we blame the behaviour, or the person associated with the behaviour, or the circumstances surrounding the behaviour. But if this is where we start I don’t believe we will ever truly win. One of Sun Tzu’s principles in the art of war is the necessity of knowing the enemy, as well as yourself. If you know the enemy you would know what is the best weapon or approach.
James 4:1 says “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?” (NLT)
Ephesians 4:20-23: “But that is not the way you learned Christ! – assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires…”
From these two passages we see two things: 1. The battle starts within & 2. These internal desires originate from our old nature.
What is this old nature? Simply put, this refers to the person you were before you came to know Christ. The sinful unchanged, uncleansed man, whose desires were only for him/herself. So with this we understand that even after the work of Christ the battle continues against evil/deceitful desires within us.
Why ‘deceitful desires’?
According to John Piper ‘because they lie to us about the superiority of their outcomes. They call sweet sour, and sour sweet. They turn everything upside down.’ (When I don’t Desire God).
This is the enemy, the deceitful evil desires within us, remnants of the old man that we must constantly keep at bay by the renewing of our minds.
How do we do this renewing? How then do we wage this war?
Well first and foremost we must do so with the word of God. In Ephesians 6:11-18, we are introduced to a full suit of armor with which to take our stand against the enemy. The only offensive weapon being, “the sword of the spirit which is the word of God”.
‘This is how the truth of God’s word sets us free. It gives us the weapon with which we kill deceitful desires.’
John Piper, When I don’t desire God
Col 3:5 says “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you… evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.’
What do we learn about the weapon?
1. It is the word of God
2. It is able to set us free
3. It is able to put to death the deceitful desires that are at the core of the deeds that holds us captive.
4. You aim it at the root; at the desires.
How does the word of God work as a weapon against deceitful desires?
It points us to the knowledge of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Note that this is not about discipline or rigidity or legalism. It’s about submitting to the supernatural work of God. This knowledge of Christ then shifts our desires, shifts our understanding of what can give us joy and satisfaction. Initially you might have thought that you can only find joy and satisfaction in a significant other, in a career, in a possession. But when you lay the weapon of the word against the root of that deception, you see clearly that these are only illusions of what and who can truly satisfy. When the vines of deceptions are cut away, then we are able to see the true beauty and design of the stone work of grace and find pleasure in it.
Practical steps you can take now:
Step 1. Grab your bible
Step 2. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to use the word of God as a sword to the deceitful desires that holds you captive. Ask Him to show you the truth of what holds you captive.
Step 3. Open your bible. You can start with the passages mentioned in this post, you can find a devotional, or use a topical guide to pinpoint what the bibles says specifically about what you are dealing with.
Step 4. Read it like your life depends on it.
Be a blessing.
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Kelly is the founder of Royalty Press United. Author of the Gemstone Royals fantasy series, Twist of Faith and Crossroads. Counseling psychologist, proud Grenadian and devoted follower of Christ.
