True Freedom is Found in Dependence on, and Simply Following the Lord
In this free USA, or in any free nation, we are deeply blessed with liberties that many people throughout history have never known. Islamic countries haven't enjoyed this (We have it better than other nations. Better off here. Ever noticed how their constituents never ditch those countries for other Islamic nations--doesn't happen).
The Declaration of Independence reminds us that our rights come from our Creator, including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Even with all our nation’s flaws and struggles, there is still much to be thankful for in America! Freedom is a gift from God, and it should never be taken lightly.
Yet while America gives us the right to pursue happiness, it cannot guarantee that we will ever truly find it. Happiness seems to evade many people I know who seek it directly without seeking first the Kingdom of God and His will for their lives.
Deep down, most people simply want peace, purpose, love, stability, and joy. That desire explains why we work hard, build homes, seek relationships, and search for meaning. But many people eventually discover that chasing after happiness directly through the acquisition of more possessions, worldly success, pleasures, or self-focus.. just leaves the heart empty.
Our Western culture constantly tells us to look within ourselves for fulfillment apart from Christ, for spiritual energy from self. Social media especially fuels a world of self-promotion, self-gratification, and endless comparisons. For a moment, living for self may feel kind of satisfying, but over time, it often produces loneliness, anxiety, restlessness, and spiritual exhaustion. Karma ain't real. We were not created to worship ourselves. We were created to know and depend upon God. In Him we can wisely apply His word, see real fruitfulness, sowing to the Spirit daily.
The Bible presents happiness very differently from the world. Biblical joy is not rooted in keeping your life with perfect circumstances, with rich financial success, with popularity, or comfort. It is rooted in an intimate, righteous relationship with the Lord. Regeneration is for you to personally experience (John 3:3). Real peace comes not merely from knowing about God, but from trusting Him personally and walking with Him daily.
Knowing Him well > Knowing about Him
Proverbs 3:5–6 says:
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
There is stability in the Lord, in depending on God. There is peace in surrendering to His wisdom instead of leaning on our own understanding. The closer we walk with Christ, the less controlled we become by the emotional highs and lows of this world. Circumstances may change, but God does not.
Many of America’s founders understood this truth. While declaring independence from earthly tyranny, they also acknowledged their dependence upon divine Providence. They recognized that freedom without moral truth and dependence upon God eventually collapses into confusion and bondage.
Jesus said the truth shall make you free. And what is involved before you are freed? It might be a bit of discomfort because I have not really seen so many people who want to come to Jesus who always felt wonderful and wealthy with no pains or troubles (John 8:32)
The freedom Christ offers goes far deeper than political liberty!
It is freedom from the slavery of sin, guilt, fear, doubts, and spiritual darkness. Governments may protect certain rights, but only Jesus Christ can truly set a soul free.
So as we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy in this country, may we remember the greater freedom found only in Christ. The happiest people are not those who have everything they want, but those who have learned to trust the Lord in every season of life. Real joy is not found in independence from Jesus Christ, but in wholehearted dependence upon Him.
In a nation that celebrates independence with all kinds of fun stuff, the greatest freedom is not political—it is spiritual and biblical.
We in America have been given many opportunities that much of the world has never known: freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom to work, build, dream, and pursue happiness. For these blessings we should be deeply grateful and express that to God. Yet liberty alone cannot heal the human heart. A free nation cannot free a soul enslaved to sin.
The heart of the problem for many Americans still is the human heart. Jeremiah 17:9 reads:
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" kjv
"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" niv
The founders of America understood something many modern people forget: true liberty requires dependence upon God, who can change any heart for those who are open.
The closing words of the Declaration of Independence speak of “a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.”
Never forget that they declared independence from earthly tyranny while confessing dependence upon Almighty God.
Scripture reveals the same truth. Human beings were never designed to live independently away from their Creator. The farther we drift away from God, the emptier we become. We were made not merely to chase after pleasure, but to know the Lord. I respectfully challenge you to chase after Him and His will for you instead!
“For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” — Jeremiah 2:13
Our culture promises people happiness through self-expression, self-promotion, self-indulgence, and self-worship. Social media has become a digital monument to the religion of self and selfies. Yet endless self-focus only deepens anxiety, loneliness, envy, and despair. The soul was never meant to orbit around itself. Augustine said it well:
“Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”
Many Americans have become materially rich, yet spiritually they are still starving. We have entertainment everywhere, but peace nowhere. We are more connected digitally and more isolated emotionally. According to studies by organizations like George Barna's Group, younger generations increasingly report loneliness, anxiety (even attacks), and (very serious) confusion about identity, personal pronouns, and real purpose... even in an age of unprecedented comfort and technology. Comfort cannot cure the conscience. Pleasure cannot satisfy eternity placed within the human heart (See Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Jesus Christ alone offers something deeper than temporary happiness. He offers real freedom and forever in His heavenly home.
The Freedom Jesus Defined and Spoke About
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” — John 8:32
He was not at all speaking about political liberty, psychological therapy, or philosophical self-discovery. He was speaking about deliverance from the bondage of self and sin. Christ immediately clarified this too:
“Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” — John 8:34
Humanity prides itself on autonomy, yet Scripture says fallen man is not truly free. A person can be educated and still enslaved. Wealthy and still enslaved. Famous and still enslaved. Political freedom cannot liberate a guilty conscience, break the chains of lust, conquer bitterness, remove fear of death, or reconcile sinners to a holy God.
Only Jesus Christ can do that.
This is why the gospel is not self-improvement—it is soul resurrection.
As Charles Spurgeon once said:
“A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”
And A. W. Tozer warned:
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
Modern culture says, “Follow your heart.”
The Bible says:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” — Jeremiah 17:9
Culture says truth is subjective. Jesus said:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” — John 14:6
Truth is not invented by man; truth is revealed by God.
False Freedom Always Leads to Bondage
The world defines freedom as the absence of restraint: “Do whatever feels right.” But Scripture teaches that sinful freedom becomes destructive slavery. A train is only “free” when it stays on the tracks it was designed for. The human soul only flourishes when aligned with its Creator.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” — Proverbs 14:12
A culture that abandons truth eventually loses freedom because lies always produce bondage. History repeatedly proves this. When people reject God’s authority, they inevitably submit to some other controlling authority—government, ideology, pleasure, fear, technology, or public opinion.
The deeper danger in modern society is not merely political confusion, but spiritual deception. The enemy of souls does not need to destroy truth if he can simply dilute it, distract from it, or replace it with endless noise and entertainment.
As C.S. Lewis observed:
“The safest road to Hell is the gradual one.”
The devil rarely destroys people all at once. More often he numbs them slowly—through distraction, compromise, pride, lust, comfort, cynicism, and endless amusement.
We live in an age overflowing with information but starving for wisdom. The apostle Paul described people as:
“Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” — 2 Timothy 3:7
True Disciples Continue in God’s Word
Jesus gave the mark of genuine faith:
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” — John 8:31
Real Christianity is not shallow emotionalism or temporary enthusiasm. Saving faith perseveres. True believers continue in God’s Word, not perfectly, but genuinely. They hunger for truth. They repent when convicted. They increasingly love holiness and hate sin.
There is a dangerous kind of belief that admires Jesus but never surrenders to Him. The crowds followed Christ for miracles, excitement, and benefits, but many abandoned Him when His words became costly.
The same happens today.
Many want a Savior who rescues them from pain, but not a Lord who rules over their lives. Yet Jesus never separated salvation from surrender. He calls men and women not merely to admiration, but to repentance, obedience, and discipleship.
As the hymn declares:
“My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.”
That is biblical freedom.
Freedom Through Christ Alone
The greatest slavery is slavery to sin. The greatest liberty is forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
When Christ saves a sinner, He not only forgives guilt—He breaks chains. He gives a new heart, new desires, new affections, and new power through the Holy Spirit. The believer is no longer condemned.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 8:1
This freedom does not depend on circumstances. A Christian imprisoned for the gospel may possess more joy than a millionaire enslaved to sin. Biblical joy is rooted not in possessions, politics, comfort, or success—but in Christ Himself.
As Corrie ten Boom said after surviving Nazi imprisonment:
“There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.”
And Billy Graham preached:
“The greatest form of liberty is freedom from the bondage of sin.”
I'm Talking about a Call to Independence from What Your Fleshly Nature and the World System Demands of You.. as you Fully Depend on God
America does not ultimately need more entertainment, more self-expression, or more political outrage. It needs repentance. It needs truth. It needs the fear of the Lord. It needs churches that boldly preach Scripture without compromise and Christians who genuinely live what they profess.
The answer to a collapsing culture is not despair, but faithful obedience.
Christians are called to shine as lights in darkness, speak truth in love, raise godly families, proclaim the gospel, defend what is righteous, and remain steadfast even when the world changes around them.
The future may grow darker morally, but the gospel still shines brighter.
Jesus Christ is still saving sinners.
His Word is still truth.
His kingdom is still coming.
His promises still stand.
And those who belong to Him are free indeed.
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.” — Galatians 5:1
So celebrate earthly freedoms with gratitude—but never confuse them with the greater freedom only Christ can give. Governments can protect certain liberties, but only the Son of God can liberate the soul.
For in the end, the freest people on earth are not those who can do whatever they want—but those who gladly belong to Jesus Christ. Are there four basic steps of faith I need to pretty much understand and take hold of? Yep!
1. God Deeply Loves You
The heart of the gospel begins with the love of God. You are not an accident, forgotten, or beyond His care. God created you, knows you completely, and loves you perfectly. The Bible says:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” — John 3:16
God’s love is not merely sentimental words—it is sacrificial love. He reached down to rescue sinners through His Son, Jesus Christ.
2. Sin Has Separated Us From God
The problem is not merely the brokenness of the world around us, but the sin within us. Every one of us has sinned in thought, word, and deed. We have all fallen short of God’s holy standard.
Scripture says:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” — Romans 3:23
Because God is holy and just, sin brings spiritual separation and judgment.
“For the wages of sin is death.” — Romans 6:23
No amount of good works, religion, morality, or self-effort can erase our guilt before a holy God. Left to ourselves, we are spiritually lost.
3. Jesus Christ Died and Rose Again to Save Sinners
But here is the good news of the gospel: God made a way for sinners to be forgiven and reconciled to Him. About two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ—the sinless Son of God—came into this world to bear our sins upon the cross.
The Bible says:
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8
Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live, died the death we deserved, and rose again victoriously from the grave. He is alive today, reigning in heaven, offering mercy, forgiveness, and eternal life to all who trust in Him.
Jesus declared:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” — John 14:6
Salvation is not found in religion, human effort, or personal goodness—it is found in Christ alone.
4. You Must Personally Respond to Christ
God lovingly calls you to repent, believe the gospel, and place your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He invites you into a real relationship with Him as His child.
Scripture says:
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” — John 1:12
Come to Him now, or come back to Him. Jesus stands ready to forgive sins, give new life, and transform the heart of anyone who comes to Him in sincere faith. Eternal life is God’s gift to those who trust in His Son. American or not, would you pray something like this:
"Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, the Father's only Savior for me. Thank you for dying on the cross at Calvary for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life even now. I invite you in -- I earnestly ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior. Thanks that you don't turn sinners away. I want to live free and serve you always. For your glory. Thanks for hearing me. Amen."
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