Guarding Our
Soul Freedom
Soul Freedom
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Guarding Our Soul Freedom by James T. Berry, Ph.D.
Freedom. We normally think about freedom in the context of national issues; fighting wars for our
freedom; or fears of losing our constitutional freedoms. I am thinking about freedom more personally in
my soul. Just like on a national level, personal soul freedom has to be guarded, defended, and
cherished.
Soul freedom is a state of being at peace. It is freedom from fears, anxieties, guilt, and shame. It is
characterized by walking closely with God; being steeped in His grace; and living in righteousness. The
soul that is free is not bound by sins, shame, lies, or regrets. By being free, one’s soul is at liberty to love
fully, engage in live heartily, and pursue goals without shame.
Jesus tells us that Satan is like a thief who comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Satan wants for us to be
bound by our sins and fears. Contrast that with Jesus’ words, “I came that they may have life and have it
abundantly” (John 10:10, English Standard Version; ESV). In Christ, we find freedom for weary souls.
Preteens and teens often seem to behave in a reckless way not only with their cars, but also with their
souls. They do not appear to have much concept of losing freedom. Teens often believe that bad things
might happen to others, but not to themselves. With enough time however, we all learn the heavy lesson
that freedom of the soul is easily lost and difficult to regain. What was once an exciting experiment with
cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, pornography, or sex becomes a binding addiction with nagging regrets. As
adults, the dance with danger continues as we medicate our stress and emptiness with the toxic
prescriptions of the culture, i.e., more money, more sex, more substance, more stuff. Yes, even
Christians can get caught in this for the evil one wants to neutralize our effectiveness in loving and
serving Christ and our hearts can still struggle with evil desires.
The “world” (see 1 John 2:15-17) portrays unrighteousness as glamorous maturity and fails to share the
dirty secrets of consequences of sins. We all know the hurt feelings, the guilt, the regrets, the hiding, and
the embarrassment that comes when light is shone on our secret places.
Additionally, we can lose our peace to traumatic circumstances. We can be impacted by others: abuse
(physical, verbal, or sexual), negative marital interactions, rape, or loss of loved ones to death. Or we can
be the cause of the trauma by accident or misguided design. Have you ever met a person who
accidentally killed someone else? Have you met soldiers returning from war who were forced to kill? Do
you have regrets that haunt you?
So, how do we find our soul freedom and live at peace with God, others, and ourselves. First, know that
you are not alone. All of us struggle with sin, temptation, and regrets. The evil one wants you to believe
that you are the worst and that you are alone. Most of us look around and see good people who appear
to be at peace with themselves and others. Most of these people are probably not as pure as they
appear. Most are dealing with guilt, regrets, and fears but are masters at developing and wearing happy
masks.
There are some though who have found their way to true soul freedom. That path is not found through
covering our sins and regrets, but by facing them in the light and grace of the gospel of Jesus. Jesus
came that our sins would be forgiven and our souls transformed. Hope comes for those wrestling with
guilt and condemnation for hurting others intentionally or accidentally, facing our sin, and experiencing
God’s mercy. In Psalm 51, we are allowed a glimpse into the soul of David as he faced his sins before
God, placed his soul in God’s mercy, sought God’s transformation of his heart, and walked in joy with a
God who did not condemn him nor despise him.
Those reeling from losses and other traumatic events can find healing as they grieve powerfully and fall
into the loving hands of Christ who grieves with them. God restores and establishes us (see 1 Peter 5:
10). He is our shepherd and in Him we have peace. Our souls are set free from guilt, regret, and
shame. Then we walk as free men and women pursuing life abundantly.
Thus we return to the idea of guarding our freedom. Life will continue to be challenging; our culture will
continue to attempt to seduce us; Satan will continue to roam like a lion; and we will continue to learn
more about our own weaknesses. We may have to cycle through guilt and loss of our soul freedom
repetitively. Nevertheless, our hope lies not in our own ability to be perfect in our resistance, but in the
Holy Spirit’s ongoing purification of our hearts. As this occurs, we become wise in knowing our
limitations; we become more humble about our abilities; and we become more dependent on Christ and
His Holy Spirit. In doing so, we are guarding our hearts. We are guarding our soul’s freedom. We are
living abundantly. As freedom is regained, we learn to cherish it more and more. Praise be to God for
making freedom of the soul possible.
Freedom. We normally think about freedom in the context of national issues; fighting wars for our
freedom; or fears of losing our constitutional freedoms. I am thinking about freedom more personally in
my soul. Just like on a national level, personal soul freedom has to be guarded, defended, and
cherished.
Soul freedom is a state of being at peace. It is freedom from fears, anxieties, guilt, and shame. It is
characterized by walking closely with God; being steeped in His grace; and living in righteousness. The
soul that is free is not bound by sins, shame, lies, or regrets. By being free, one’s soul is at liberty to love
fully, engage in live heartily, and pursue goals without shame.
Jesus tells us that Satan is like a thief who comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Satan wants for us to be
bound by our sins and fears. Contrast that with Jesus’ words, “I came that they may have life and have it
abundantly” (John 10:10, English Standard Version; ESV). In Christ, we find freedom for weary souls.
Preteens and teens often seem to behave in a reckless way not only with their cars, but also with their
souls. They do not appear to have much concept of losing freedom. Teens often believe that bad things
might happen to others, but not to themselves. With enough time however, we all learn the heavy lesson
that freedom of the soul is easily lost and difficult to regain. What was once an exciting experiment with
cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, pornography, or sex becomes a binding addiction with nagging regrets. As
adults, the dance with danger continues as we medicate our stress and emptiness with the toxic
prescriptions of the culture, i.e., more money, more sex, more substance, more stuff. Yes, even
Christians can get caught in this for the evil one wants to neutralize our effectiveness in loving and
serving Christ and our hearts can still struggle with evil desires.
The “world” (see 1 John 2:15-17) portrays unrighteousness as glamorous maturity and fails to share the
dirty secrets of consequences of sins. We all know the hurt feelings, the guilt, the regrets, the hiding, and
the embarrassment that comes when light is shone on our secret places.
Additionally, we can lose our peace to traumatic circumstances. We can be impacted by others: abuse
(physical, verbal, or sexual), negative marital interactions, rape, or loss of loved ones to death. Or we can
be the cause of the trauma by accident or misguided design. Have you ever met a person who
accidentally killed someone else? Have you met soldiers returning from war who were forced to kill? Do
you have regrets that haunt you?
So, how do we find our soul freedom and live at peace with God, others, and ourselves. First, know that
you are not alone. All of us struggle with sin, temptation, and regrets. The evil one wants you to believe
that you are the worst and that you are alone. Most of us look around and see good people who appear
to be at peace with themselves and others. Most of these people are probably not as pure as they
appear. Most are dealing with guilt, regrets, and fears but are masters at developing and wearing happy
masks.
There are some though who have found their way to true soul freedom. That path is not found through
covering our sins and regrets, but by facing them in the light and grace of the gospel of Jesus. Jesus
came that our sins would be forgiven and our souls transformed. Hope comes for those wrestling with
guilt and condemnation for hurting others intentionally or accidentally, facing our sin, and experiencing
God’s mercy. In Psalm 51, we are allowed a glimpse into the soul of David as he faced his sins before
God, placed his soul in God’s mercy, sought God’s transformation of his heart, and walked in joy with a
God who did not condemn him nor despise him.
Those reeling from losses and other traumatic events can find healing as they grieve powerfully and fall
into the loving hands of Christ who grieves with them. God restores and establishes us (see 1 Peter 5:
10). He is our shepherd and in Him we have peace. Our souls are set free from guilt, regret, and
shame. Then we walk as free men and women pursuing life abundantly.
Thus we return to the idea of guarding our freedom. Life will continue to be challenging; our culture will
continue to attempt to seduce us; Satan will continue to roam like a lion; and we will continue to learn
more about our own weaknesses. We may have to cycle through guilt and loss of our soul freedom
repetitively. Nevertheless, our hope lies not in our own ability to be perfect in our resistance, but in the
Holy Spirit’s ongoing purification of our hearts. As this occurs, we become wise in knowing our
limitations; we become more humble about our abilities; and we become more dependent on Christ and
His Holy Spirit. In doing so, we are guarding our hearts. We are guarding our soul’s freedom. We are
living abundantly. As freedom is regained, we learn to cherish it more and more. Praise be to God for
making freedom of the soul possible.