{"id":3923,"date":"2023-07-03T14:17:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-03T18:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/?p=3923"},"modified":"2025-07-30T10:46:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T14:46:06","slug":"biblical-freedom-fully-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/voices\/biblical-freedom-fully-alive\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Biblical Freedom Really Mean?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I was taught that God wants us to live freely, but I never understood what that kind of freedom meant or felt like. It seemed like a good idea in theory, but elusive\u2014I had no idea how to grab a hold of it. Granted, there were seasons of my life when I felt<\/em> free but really wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If freedom meant being carefree and uninhibited, that kind of freedom was mine during the years I was addicted to drugs (more on that in my book<\/a>). I was free to make the decisions I wanted and do whatever made me feel good in the moment, but that freedom never brought me peace. I was free but not fully alive. I was enslaved to my own freedom\u2014which was really counterfeit freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biblical Freedom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So what does biblical freedom mean? The freedom God offers throughout Scripture is freedom from the enslaving power of sin in our lives. The Enemy uses sin to obstruct our relationship with God, keeping us from experiencing abundant life in God. Biblical freedom allows us to reclaim what the Enemy has robbed from us so we can live the story of who God created us to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, worldly freedom is the ability to do what we want, when we want. When Adam and Eve were in Eden, they were free to choose whether to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. But choosing to eat from it brought consequences\u2014death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul gives us a clear idea of this whole freedom thing and defines what biblical freedom truly means and doesn\u2019t mean. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:12<\/a>, \u201c \u2018I have the right to do anything,\u2019 you say\u2014but not everything is beneficial. \u2018I have the right to do anything\u2019\u2014but I will not be mastered by anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this mean for you? This means Jesus set you free so you can stand firm in his power to live a life that is free and<\/em> fully alive, not so you can be bound to the things of this earth. He wants you awakened to a life that can hold both hurt and hope. A life that cries out in grief but can whisper gratitude in the same breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This kind of freedom allows you to have faith in Christ but still experience human fears. You can bring them both before the cross, where his grace, love, and mercy can cover you and empower you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing Counterfeit Freedom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a not-so-fun part of finding freedom, though. If you want to be truly free, you must first recognize the places where you have settled for counterfeit freedom. You must awaken to the reality that parts of your story have been hijacked by an Enemy who wants you to believe that freedom lies in your power to choose, rather than through the transformation of your heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you recognize where this Enemy has attacked your story, you can begin the work of reclaiming those places so you can experience the life abundant and return to who you were created to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hope of Redemption<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We all come with stories\u2014some good, some bad, and some really hard. Our deepest desire is to be known and loved, but our stories often include times when we were not known for who we really are and definitely were not fully loved. And yet we can\u2019t escape the belief that maybe, just maybe, there\u2019s hope for our stories, that maybe our lives can be redeemed and we can emerge as the free little ones we once were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our spirits hold a curiosity around hope. Even if that hope has sunk within us, it\u2019s still there, calling to us, speaking of what was and what could be. This longing comes from the desire to create and dream and play. It\u2019s as if our spirits know life wasn\u2019t supposed to be this way\u2014we weren\u2019t made for pain and despair. We were designed for something greater. Our spirits long for Eden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our spirits long for the goodness and intimacy they were created to experience. They long for the wonder of the unknown and the mystery of what could be. Our spirits seem to know something our brains don\u2019t\u2014that we were made for abundant life\u2014but our brains won\u2019t let us engage because of fear of disappointment or failure or rejection. It\u2019s our spirits that keep leading us to the reckless hope of trying again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All it takes to keep going is a willingness to be honest, to invite God into the story, and to allow some trustworthy people to witness your story in a way that enables your heart to be seen and held. Something dynamic and supernatural begins to happen. Life starts to have color. The puzzle pieces of your broken story come together. You are awakened to a God who sees you in the hard and the holy, and you realize you are loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God meets the great longing of your soul within the recesses of the stories you bear\u2014which he wants to redeem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Free and Fully Alive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adapted from Free and Fully Alive: Reclaiming the Story of Who You Were Created to Be<\/em><\/a> by Karrie Garcia.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A dynamic, practical guide to embracing your past and discovering a deeper connection to yourself, God, and others so you can reclaim who God created you to be.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Free<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Many of us yearn for a sense of purpose, but we wonder how we can overcome the trauma and mistakes of our past. We keep doing and doing for God, hoping to erase our story so we can find our true calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free and Fully Alive<\/em><\/a> is a powerful reminder that our stories hold the key to our true purpose, and it’s who we are in those stories, not what we do, that is the secret to living the abundant life God promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As author Karrie Garcia draws on her own experiences and her expertise as a life coach, she shows us why God’s redemptive purpose for our lives doesn’t begin once we’re free from pain, and as we are vulnerable with God, ourselves, and others, we find that we are already who God created us to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A vibrant guide to getting unstuck, Free and Fully Alive<\/em><\/a> equips you to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n