THREE VERSES GOD HAS USED IN MY LIFE.

"THEN YOU WILL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE."  

JOHN 8:32

I’m kind of a one-trick pony. 

If you’ve hung around here for any time at all, you already know it. But frankly, I’m so okay with that, because my trick is really pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself! It’s this: memorizing God’s words. It’s the ONE THING I’m always talking about, isn’t it? I have found so much joy and life and freedom from memorizing and claiming God’s specific words to me. Now those of you who’ve read the other posts for the month already know that Jesus is the Truth that sets us free from sin (read more here). But his truth doesn’t stop there, it’s also the very thing that sets us free in our ongoing Christian lives. We can experience freedom every day as we meditate on and memorize his truths. So today, I want to share three verses that God has used to set me free from selfish living, from despair, and from pride.  

Freedom from selfish living:  

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” —Romans 12:1 

This was the first verse I memorized as a new Christian. Before Jesus stepped in and changed my life, I was a wild and rowdy college student. That’s probably why this verse jumped off the page at me. I was used to living for myself and doing whatever I wanted. But this verse challenged that. It told me that God wanted all of me, and that I could actually please God by giving myself to him—that what I did with my life not only mattered, but could actually bring honor and joy to the God of everything! How crazy was that to my novice self? So I memorized this verse and vowed to live for God, to offer my whole self to him, not anyone else, not even me. It’s still a verse I say to myself as I remember and reaffirm that truth. 

Freedom from despair: 

“I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.’”  — Psalm 16:2 (ESV) 

These were my Covid words—in a townhouse with five kids and no yard, in a new city, closed down and shut off, where school was a screen, and friends were ghosts, lonely and struggling for a year and a half—these were my words, my prayer, my anchor. When all the good was stripped away, I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord. I have no good apart from you. Quite literally. And if you are my only good, you are enough. You are still my God.” I held on to God with these words. When I was tempted to despair, this truth set my heart free. These words come back to me often as the lasting lesson of God’s goodness in a hard season.  

Freedom from pride: 

“The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15) 

Ouch. Yup. These are my “right now” words, and, like an open wound, they still sting. They’re words I sought out, knowing I needed them to fight the pride I’ve been struggling with. Now, I’d like to think I’m humble and open to advice (and maybe sometimes I am). But lately, I’ve found that I AM NOT. Quite the opposite. I think I’m right most of the time, and even if I am right about the facts, I’m all too often wrong in the arrogance of my attitude. So, there it is. And I can’t say I’m actually free yet on this one (not that I’ll ever truly be totally free this side of eternity). But this verse is shining the light of truth into my heart, exposing my pride, and compelling me to apologize when that dragon of pride rears its scaly head. And, by the grace of God, he will continue to set me free as I continue to follow him. 

What about you?  

What words do you need right now? What verse could you memorize to help you understand your place in God’s plan? What verse do you need to speak over a difficult situation? What verse might convict your heart and help you see and overcome sin in your life? God’s words are THE THING, powerful to work change in our lives. They are the instruction, endurance, and encouragement we need (Romans 15:4). So let me ask you this:  

Where do you need to be free? What truth might set you free?         

Thanks for reading,

Natalie