In John 8:32(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” A person that has never experienced the bondage of things like addiction, debt, lack, loneliness, or imprisonment of any kind, may not appreciate the significance of the words of Christ in this verse. They may not be able to imagine the joy of being set free from those things. But for anyone that has ever been held captive by a condition, circumstance, or situation of any kind, the words of Christ in this verse bring forth God’s enormous love, grace, and power. Jesus has promised that once we know and trust God’s truth, it will literally transfer us out of what we’re in and release us into the glorious state of liberty! All of us should desperately want this, because when it comes to years of loneliness and being without the love we desire, we need to be set free.
Words like independence, self-government, rights and privileges come to mind when we think about the word ‘freedom.’ It is a state of not being enslaved or imprisoned by anything oppressive. This is liberty! It is such an important word for the Christian. Before Christ came into our lives, we were enslaved by the bondage of darkness. We were held captive by the devil.
In 2Timothy 2:25-26, through the Apostle Paul, God tells us to gently instruct people that oppose the truth of His Word. We’re instructed to pray that they will come to their senses and accept God’s truth, so they can escape the devil’s trap. God tells us that they are being held captive by the devil so they can do whatever the devil wants. This is the state we were in before we accepted Christ.
Colossians 1:13(NLT) informs us of what God did for us when we invited Jesus Christ into our hearts. It says, “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.” We were in darkness, doomed to an eternal hell without Christ. You and I don’t have the capacity to visualize how truly tragic and horrifying a life in hell is, but we absolutely can visualize what it means to be free from hell’s grip, because we are living the reality of this liberty every day. As believers, if we haven’t come into an understanding about where we were before we accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, we won’t truly appreciate the liberty he has made available to us. And if we don’t appreciate the liberty that Christ has given us, we won’t walk in it. You cannot fully embrace, walk, and live in something you’re not thankful to receive.
Loneliness is defined as a sadness experienced by a person that doesn’t have friends, or who feels isolated because of feeling unloved and undervalued. It cannot be lost on us that loneliness is a form of bondage. In Luke 4:18(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free.” This is what Jesus Christ came to do. He came to give us access to a more than abundant life, and to break chains of oppression and bondage of every kind, so that we can walk in his liberty and be free.
The way to receive what Jesus Christ has made available is to know the truth. Truth is medicine that is administered to the head and heart. This tells us that bondage is more than external circumstances. Bondage begins internally, in the mind and heart, and this is where the condition of loneliness must be first addressed. To do so, we must admit to ourselves how much (or how less) we have truly accepted the finished work of Christ in our hearts. We must examine if anything, including loneliness, has hindered our demonstration of gratitude to God for rescuing us from darkness and giving us liberty in Christ.
Do you believe you are worthy and lovable? God says you are. Will you trust God and trust in His power and in His way? God challenges us to shift our focus off what we don’t have and consider the liberty He’s given us, as well as all the other blessings we have received through Christ! Do you believe in the depth of your heart and soul that God will bless you to cross the path of your future spouse? God has set you free from hell through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. He’s saved you from damnation for all eternity. You will never see satan’s dwelling place or go through the everlasting torture the devil wants to inflict on you. Because of what God has done through Christ, you will never be separated from His love.
Heavenly Father did all of this for us when we were at our worse. Consider the wealth of all that God has already done to demonstrate His love. John 3:16(NLT) tells us “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” God spared not His only Son so that all of us that are born-again could be His sons and daughters. Do you think a Great Big Wonderful God like this would deny you a loving spouse? It would grieve His heart for us to think that. He loves us so much, and we must realize this.
Faith demands that you be deeply thankful, from the bottom of your heart, for what God has already done for you through Christ. He has delivered you from darkness. He’s broken the chains of loneliness for every person who believes in the finished work of Christ. Invite the Holy Spirit to do a work within your heart. Ask the Lord to help increase your faith so that you walk in God’s Will and in the liberty of knowing the truth! Your future spouse is going to greatly bless your life, and he deserves to meet you loosed and free.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Loosed and Free, Breaking the Chains of Loneliness” written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.