{"id":598,"date":"2018-09-10T13:49:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-10T13:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/nextsteps\/?p=598"},"modified":"2018-09-12T09:19:13","modified_gmt":"2018-09-12T09:19:13","slug":"can-ever-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/nextsteps\/2018\/09\/can-ever-free.html","title":{"rendered":"Can I Ever Be Free? (10 Steps to Freedom Week 1 Day 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"unsplash-logoMark
Mark Skeet<\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The following is a devotion from my message series 10 Steps to Freedom<\/a>. I hope these devotionals help you experience lasting freedom in Jesus!<\/p>\n

STEP ONE: day 1<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fill your soul with the <\/i>hope<\/i><\/b> of Jesus<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Can I ever be free? <\/i>That\u2019s a question you have probably asked yourself more than once, in those dark, lonely moments when the shadow of despair seems to crush your soul and extinguish the light inside you. Can I ever be free?<\/i> It\u2019s a question you thought you answered the first time you tried to get clean, to sober up, to stop looking at those websites, to get your life in order. But now you\u2019re not sure. You\u2019ve lost track of how many times you\u2019ve broken promises to God, to your family, to yourself. Last time was the final time, until it wasn\u2019t, and now you\u2019re not sure if you even have enough strength to make another soon-to-be broken promise to yourself. Hope seems to be snuffed out like a candle, leaving you in the pitch darkness of despair.<\/span><\/p>\n

If that describes you or someone you love, you are not alone. Perhaps that\u2019s who you used to be, maybe it even describes who you currently are, but it doesn\u2019t describe who you can be. Can I ever be free? <\/i>The answer to that is a life-changing and earth-shattering \u201cYes!\u201d Freedom is something every person can experience through Jesus. No matter what your addiction, no matter how deep your hurt, no matter how long you\u2019ve been enslaved, you can experience freedom, and these ten steps will point the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first step to freedom starts with hope. Before you can be free, you need to believe you actually can<\/i> be free. But not just any kind of hope will do. It\u2019s hope in a specific person, the person who can actually set you free. You need to learn how to fill your soul with the hope of Jesus. It\u2019s a step you don\u2019t have to take alone. Let\u2019s take it together!<\/span><\/p>\n

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Have you (or someone you love) ever been at a place where everything felt hopeless? What caused you (or\u00a0 <\/span>your loved one) to get to such a dark place?<\/span><\/p>\n

2. What is it that you want to be free from? What has kept you captive for too long?<\/span><\/p>\n

You can read other devotional entries\u00a0for 10 Steps to Freedom\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is a devotion from my message series 10 Steps to Freedom. I hope these devotionals help you experience lasting freedom in Jesus! STEP ONE: day 1 Fill your soul with the hope of Jesus Can I ever be free? That\u2019s a question you have probably asked yourself more than once, in those dark,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":607,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[316],"tags":[319,317,318,34,65],"class_list":["post-598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-10-steps-to-freedom","tag-10-steps-to-freedom","tag-free","tag-freedom","tag-hope","tag-jesus"],"yoast_head":"\nCan I Ever Be Free? (10 Steps to Freedom Week 1 Day 1) - Next Steps<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Can I ever be free? 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