John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed on Him, If you continue in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
We often think of freedom as the ability to do what we want, when we want, without interference. So when Yeshua says things like “Don’t worry about tomorrow,” “Forgive seventy times seven,” or “Turn the other cheek,” they strike us as anything but freeing. They sound like burdens, not blessings — commands that restrict rather than release.
But that reaction reveals a deeper misunderstanding. The problem isn’t with Yeshua’s (Jesus’) words — it’s with how we define freedom.
In today’s world, people often think being free means being in charge. The world teaches that freedom means doing whatever we want, making our own choices, and not letting anyone or anything stop us. It’s about trying to get rid of anything that might stand in our way so we can take full control of our lives. The more control we think we have, the more we think we’re truly free.
But this definition is deceptive. The more we strive to control, the more we fear losing it. We become enslaved to anxiety, anger, and endless striving. True freedom can’t be built on fear. It doesn’t come from ruling over life–it comes from being released from the need to.
Scripture offers a radically different definition. According to the Bible, true freedom isn’t found in self-determination—it’s found in surrender—not surrender to chaos or despair but to a good, sovereign, loving God who alone holds the universe together.
Yeshua didn’t come to make us completely independent — He came to give us a relationship with Himself. When He says, “Follow me,” He’s not trying to trap us or take away our lives — He’s actually showing us the way to real freedom. It might not make sense initially because it means letting go of the idea that we’re in control. But when we do, we’re set free from fear, from constantly trying to prove ourselves, and from the heavy pressure of trying to fix everything on our own.
This is what makes Yeshua’s teachings so powerful and different. Forgiveness, trust, generosity, and humility aren’t rules that hold us back—they’re actually the keys that set us free. They open the door to a new way of life because we simply trust the One who’s watching over us.
When we live by the world’s definition of freedom, we carry a burden we were never meant to bear. But when we embrace the biblical view, we find that true freedom is not the power to control life, but the peace to trust the One who already does.
One of the most amazing truths in God’s Kingdom is this: true freedom comes when we surrender. When you give your life to Him, you’re no longer trapped by the pressure to perform, please everyone, or chase after your own way. Instead, you’re set free—free to love without fear, to give generously, to forgive completely, and to live with peace and purpose. Why? Because your life is anchored in Someone far greater than yourself. That’s real freedom—and when the Son sets you free, you are free indeed!
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
How to display the above article within the Worthy Suite WordPress Plugin.
[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]When the Lord gave Jonah a second chance, He didn’t change His mind about the prophet’s destination. He didn’t lighten the load or change the burden Jonah was destined to carry. There was no negotiation with Jonah where the Lord expressed understanding about his reluctance to go to Nineveh. God didn’t concede to send him to Tarshish just because he’d been heading in that direction anyway. Jonah’s disobedience and repentance produced a clear and simple result…
A “second time.” Jonah’s repentance gave him a second chance to obey the Lord and to fulfill his ministry. And he did it successfully. The apostle Paul tells us that “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” [Romans 11:29]. Jonah’s disobedience did not take away his calling as a prophet. The discipline of the Lord was fruitful in his life. But compare King Saul. He also got a second chance after failing to wait for Samuel [1 Samuel 13] and he disobeyed again, and lost his kingship [1 Samuel 15]. But even that took many years to transpire after David was anointed.
Jonah now acknowledges that God put him where he is, and he accepts His discipline. “Sheol” is the “grave”, the “pit” or the “abode of the dead”. Did Jonah die, or was he only nearly dead from three days of fish stomach acid, and little or no air? The text doesn’t say; only that if he didn’t actually leave his body, he came as close as a man can get to it; three days worth. In this nebulous and miserable place Jonah cried out, probably from the deepest depths of his agonized soul…he cried out to the Lord.
While most read the story of Jonah focusing on Jonah’s journey, I want to pause and examine the lives of the pagan sailors. What a journey they were on! We see the hand of God touching them providentially through Jonah’s disobedience. Talk about God bringing good from evil.
So the captain came to Jonah, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” At this point the captain (who probably worshiped Baal and Yamm, god of the sea) has more faith than Jonah.
It must have been a bad storm. These men were experienced, hardened sailors who had seen it all at sea. If they were scared, this could have been the first “perfect storm” since Noah’s flood. So they started the first interfaith prayer meeting in the Bible, each man crying out to his own god. As the ship groaned and creaked in howling wind and massive waves, and the men threw cargo overboard in a desperate attempt to save it, where was Jonah? On deck helping them? Confidently praying to His own God? Shaking with fear and paralyzed with deep conviction? No, he’s taking a nap down below…
For the next week or so we’ll be looking closely at the life of Jonah the prophet. Jonah was told to “preach against the city of Nineveh”, that was in the ancient kingdom of Assyria. Nineveh was a major city on the banks of the Tigris River about 500 miles north and east of where Jonah was; located on a contemporary map in modern Iraq, about 300 miles north of Baghdad. Archaeologists have found the ruins of ancient Nineveh right outside the Iraqi city of Mosul. Yes, the same Mosul that was taken last week by jihadists!