“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)
As I continue to examine how Jesus has done in my life the things he announced in his ministry, today’s focus is on how much I have experienced him proclaiming liberty to me from any kind of captivity.
Along with this is a fairly new understanding (in relation to my age) of how we can only mature through honesty. Pretending to be a good person doesn’t help us grow up. It stagnates our real growth by wasting time role-playing. Wearing masks to cover up our real soul-condition means nothing is being done to free our souls to mature.
But when I factor Jesus’ words into the three dimensions of our salvation, I see how the justification of my past (the day I was saved) gives me the reality of life in Christ by which I am free to experience freedom every day in my sanctification in the constant hope of the complete and absolute freedom that is coming in my glorification.
For those who have been saved, who have been born again by grace through faith, we are liberated from sin as a corpse is liberated from death to live again. We are freed from the imprisonment of our spiritually dead condition to live in newness of life.
But where the church really let me down has been in the area of what is often referred to as “freedom in Christ”. The church should be a place where we help one another experience freedom from the ball-and-chain experiences of sin and its consequences. Whether that be a long-standing struggle with a weakness, or the fear of facing the hidden wounds of trauma, or even just the nebulous feeling that something is wrong with us, Jesus came to proclaim liberty over whatever holds us captive.
Today I simply share my testimony of asking God to show me how much I have (or have not) experienced what Jesus came to do in this area of him proclaiming liberty for the captives. I do not want to confine what I’m willing to admit is still like a ball-and-chain to me, and neither do I want to miss out on what Jesus would do to liberate me if I confessed my POW status.
Bottom line: if Jesus came to proclaim liberty over my captivity, I don’t want to miss what he would do in me today if I were honest about how I am doing and trust him with how he is working. I’m the kid in the picture. I get hurt in life. I make bad choices. I suck at staying focused. But that makes me even more aware of what Jesus came to do for me!
And I hope that encourages you to be honest about your true soul-condition so you can answer Jesus’ call,
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
© 2025 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8
Email: in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)
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