God Wants to Give You Freedom

by Rick Warren

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36 NIV). "Real freedom is freedom from fear, where you're truly free from guilt, from worry, from bitterness, and from death." The world defines freedom as a life without any restraint—'I can do anything I want to do; say anything I want to say, without anybody telling me what to do.' Everybody else may get burned by you, but you get to do it your own way. The world says you can have your freedom, but only by being totally selfish. Yet, the Bible says the only way to true freedom is through Jesus: "If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free" (John 8:36 TEV). Real freedom is freedom from fear, where you're truly free from guilt, from worry, from bitterness, and from death. You're free to quit pretending because you're free to be yourself. How do you get rid of those kinds of fears? By letting God love you! The apostle John teaches that, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear . . ." (1 John 4:18 NIV). When you realize how much God loves you, you'll begin to live in true freedom. In fact, you worship God when you recognize that "God is love." It is an act of worship to agree that he is a loving, caring, generous God and that we can "rely on the love God has for us" (1 John 4:16 NIV).