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John 8:31, 32 - True Freedom is in A Relationship with Christ!

John 8:31, 32 (NLT) Jesus said to the people 
who believed in him, You are truly my 
disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And 
you will know the truth, and the truth will set 
you free. 

COMMENTARY PEARL

Jump on the Truth Train: He Healed My Mind.
   When I was a university student, I caught 
the train every morning at 7:30 a.m. from Seven 
Hills station in the western suburbs of Sydney 
where I lived, to Redfern station in the center of 
Sydney where my campus was located. The commute 
took forty-five minutes, and I was grateful for 
each one as I normally caught up on my 
assignments during this time. 
   One particular morning I was running late 
and had a lot on my mind because of an important 
exam that day. When I got to the top of the 
stairs leading to the various platforms, I skipped 
one habitual step: checking the destination 
board for delays or platform changes. I heard a 
train pull up to platform 4, and immediately 
rushed down the stairs and jumped on board as the 
doors closed. Just made it, I thought, and relaxed 
into a seat. 
   As the train pulled out of the station, I 
immediately saw it was not headed toward downtown 
Sydney. In fact, it was going in the exact opposite 
direction " toward the mountains. I began to panic 
as the train picked up speed and an 
announcement came over the loudspeaker telling us to 
enjoy the ride on the express train to Katoomba, 
the beautiful Blue Mountains. I felt sick as I 
realized that I could not get off this train. I was 
going to miss my exam, and I had no idea when 
there would be another train scheduled to take me 
back to where I started out my journey this 
morning. It was the longest ride Ive ever taken... 
to the wrong destination. 
   When the train stopped, I rose, still 
numb from my mistake. When the doors opened I 
stepped onto the platform " and moaned aloud, 
How did I get here? 
   The stationmaster happened to be standing 
nearby. He looked at me with a grin and said, 
Well, young lady, you got on the wrong train, 
didnt you? 
   It was that simple. I did not check the 
destination at Seven Hills station, boarded the wrong 
train on platform 4, and ended up in Katoomba 
instead of downtown Sydney. I had gotten on the 
wrong train and ended up at the wrong place. 
   Isnt that exactly our experience at 
the end of many days? We look around at where we 
ended up mentally and wonder, God, how did I 
get here? 
   Were angry again. Frustrated again. 
Lonely again. Disillusioned again. Heartbroken 
again. Anxious again. Hurt again. Defeated again. 
Fearful again. 
   I sometimes imagine that God wants to say 
to us, Well, young lady, you just got on the 
wrong train of thought, didnt you? 
   Our thoughts, like a train, take us 
somewhere. 
   Ive discovered that if I do not manage 
where I want my thoughts to take me on a daily 
basis, then I will end up jumping on any train of 
thought, often ending up where I do not want to be. 
Ive found that, like a bullet train, I can 
quickly go from shame-free to shame-filled 
thinking. 
   And I dont just mean every day. I mean 
every hour of every day. Why? Because I have the 
wrong trains of thought pulling into my mind on a 
regular basis. Our tormented minds need healing if 
were to love the Lord our God with all our heart, 
soul, and mind (Luke 10:27). 
   If I do not make up my mind ahead of time 
that I am going to refuse to board the wrong 
train of thought, then I will end up at a place in 
my head where I do not want to be. 
   One of the most important lessons I have 
discovered is that nothing is as powerful as a mind 
made up. A mind made up ahead of time has the 
power to control the way your day goes, the way 
your life goes. You have the power to control who 
you become, because you are literally what you 
think " whether you choose to learn how to 
consciously control that or not. Proverbs 23:7 says, 
   For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. 
(AMP) 
   How crucial then for us to manage our 
minds. If we dont, our minds will manage us. 
This has been an ongoing battle for me in my 
journey from shame-filled to shame-free living, and 
it will likely be for you as well. If we 
disregard the destination board and jump on any train, 
well go anywhere. But if we carefully choose the 
train we really want to be on, well only go 
there " and thats what we want to learn to 
do. 
   Those of us with a history of shame are 
at the top of the enemys hit list for waging 
war on our minds and derailing our very lives. 
But God has a solution. Unlike the express train 
I was trapped on that day, we can get off the 
wrong train of thought at any point on the journey 
" by pushing the emergency stop button and 
choosing to board a different train of thought. And 
the way we learn to do this is by renewing our 
tormented mind. 
   Renewing your mind empowers you to be the 
one managing your mind " and it brings peace. 
It brings healing. 
   God reveals this transforming power in 
Romans 12:1"2: 
   Therefore, I urge you, brothers and 
sisters, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your 
bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to 
God " this is your true and proper worship. Do 
not conform to the pattern of this world, but be 
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will 
be able to test and approve what Gods will 
is " His good, pleasing and perfect will. 
(emphasis added) 
   Even when I turned my life over to 
Christ, I didnt know anything differently than to 
believe the lies and accusations the enemy suggested 
in my mind. I had no idea what God said or 
thought about me " that I was fully loved, fully 
known, and fully accepted " because I had been 
listening to the enemy whisper lies to me my entire 
life " lies that limited my life and werent 
based in truth. Thats what he does. He makes up 
lies and spreads them nonstop. I heard a constant 
barrage of, You cant, you wont, youll 
never be, or, Youll always be...  
   Our wounds of worthlessness are 
constantly poked by these accusations and never allowed 
to heal because we believe them and repeat them 
to ourselves. We hear these shame-filled 
thoughts in our marriages, our mothering, our 
friendships, at work, and as daughters, even if no one 
else is speaking them aloud. 
   Because I never knew all those thoughts 
were lies, I jumped on those trains without ever 
giving any of them a second thought. I never 
questioned what rolled through my mind " No one will 
ever love you. Youre a failure. Youre 
damaged goods. You blew it big-time. I never asked 
myself: Who sent that train " God or the enemy? 
Where will that train take me " into Gods 
mind and will and purpose, or into shame " the 
enemys mind, will, and purpose? 
   Satan is the father of lies and the 
accuser of us all. 
   When he lies, he speaks his native 
tongue. Thats right, his native language is lying 
(John 8:44)! He doesnt know how to speak 
anything but lies... and for years, I didnt know 
how to do anything but believe those lies. 
   Wherever my mind went, all of my emotions 
and feelings followed uncontrollably " like a 
runaway train. Not smart enough, fit enough, 
pretty enough, thin enough, good enough, holy 
enough. 
   Never enough. Of anything.
   Just as God had begun to heal my broken 
heart and bind my wounded soul, He began renewing 
my mind with his truth. 
   By attending church regularly, joining a 
Bible study group, and becoming a part of a 
community of Christ-followers, I eventually learned 
that not everyone thought the same way as I 
thought, especially God. In fact, the more I studied 
the Bible, the more I realized that my thoughts 
about myself and so many areas in my life were 
about as far away from Gods thoughts as I was 
when I ended up in Katoomba instead of Redfern. 
   It was life-changing for me when I 
realized that I should not believe all my feelings 
and thoughts " especially when they 
contradicted the Word of God, which is the absolute 
truth. As Jesus said: 
   If you hold to my teaching, you are 
really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, 
and the truth will set you free. " John 
8:31"32 
   Knowing the truth can profoundly impact 
how we process the facts of our circumstances. 
The realization that I was not who I thought I 
was (when I found out I was adopted) shocked me 
beyond words, but even though my understanding of 
the facts about my history changed that day, the 
truth never changed. God knew about my adoption 
all along; He had still knit me together in my 
mothers womb; He had a plan, purpose, and destiny 
for my life. A change of facts on my end 
did not change the truth about who I was from 
His end. 
   My birth certificate states the fact that 
I am UNNAMED child number 2508 of 1966, but 
the Word of God states the truth that from the 
womb of my mother He has named my name (Isaiah 
49:1). 
   The facts can change, but the truth has 
the power to change things. 
   When my mother told me I was adopted, I 
made a decision in that moment to stay on the 
train of thought based on the truth. It was one of 
the single most defining moments of my life. 
This one decision and an ongoing commitment to 
stay on the train of thought based on truth of 
Gods Word has saved me years of turmoil and 
torment. I renewed my mind by replacing my thoughts 
about myself with Gods thoughts about me. I 
learned that I could control what thoughts I jumped 
on and which ones I did not. You can too. 
   We have to mature in choosing our 
thoughts. I know all of this is a tall order for our 
minds that have spent years tormented by shame " 
years of hearing and responding to the voice of 
shame making accusations against us. Years of 
shame-induced thinking that we were broken or a failure. 
That there is something wrong with us. That we 
always mess up. Thoughts that cause us to become 
perfectionists and people pleasers, or to be overly hard on 
ourselves. Years of fighting for our own significance. 
   But as always, God doesnt leave us 
alone to fight such battles. He gave us his Word. 
He gave us the power to exchange the enemys 
lies " and everything anyone else has ever said 
about us " for His truth. From Unashamed by 
Christine Caine, Devotionals Daily 
https://www.faithgateway.com/jump-truth-train-healed-mind/#.XWGtXehKiUk 

ONE LINER

The truth of verse 32 - the truth will set 
you free - is the fundamental basis of Cognitive 
Behavioral Therapy. David D. Burns M.D. 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE

John 8:31, 32 - Why Read the Bible?

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190806-0648.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

Importance of Choice: 
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]  

Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David 
DeRose, MD, MPH: 
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: 
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ 

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides: 
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2 

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of 
Adventist World Radio (currently live): 
https://bible.awr.org/the-warning/ 

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: 
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens 

The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug 
Batchelor: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657