From Bondage to Freedom: A Spiritual Journey

Devotional

Day 1: Freedom Through Abiding in the Lord’s Word

True freedom comes from knowing and living the Lord’s truth.

Jesus teaches that when we abide in His word, we become His disciples and discover the truth that sets us free. Many people believe they are free when following their own desires, but this is often a form of spiritual slavery—being trapped by harmful habits, negative thinking, or destructive behaviors. Real freedom is not simply doing whatever we want, but being led by the Lord into a life of goodness, peace, and purpose. As we open our hearts to His word and allow it to shape our lives, we experience a deeper liberation from the things that keep us stuck and find hope for a new way forward. [03:00]

John 8:31-32 (ESV)
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel stuck or trapped? How might intentionally spending time in God’s word this week help you begin to experience freedom in that area?

Day 2: The Exodus Story as a Mirror for Our Spiritual Journey

The Exodus is a divine allegory of our journey from bondage to freedom.

The story of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt is not just ancient history—it is a living picture of our own spiritual journey. Each of us faces times when we feel enslaved by bad habits, negative patterns, or self-interest, just as the Israelites were oppressed in Egypt. The Lord uses these stories as a mirror, inviting us to see ourselves and our struggles within them. The journey from bondage to the promised land is a process, often slow and challenging, but it is also filled with hope. The Lord promises to lead us, little by little, out of our personal Egypts and into a life of greater peace, delight, and heavenly freedom. [28:40]

Exodus 1:8-14 (ESV)
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

Reflection: When you look at your life as a journey, what “Egypt” are you currently longing to leave behind? What is one step you can take today to move toward the freedom God promises?

Day 3: Crying Out and Remembering God’s Covenant

Deliverance begins when we recognize our need and cry out to God.

Often, we try to overcome our struggles on our own, believing we can fix ourselves if we just try harder. But true change begins when we admit our need and cry out to the Lord for help. Just as the Israelites groaned in their bondage and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so too does God hear us when we call out to Him in our distress. He is always present, urging us toward freedom, but He waits for us to invite Him in. This act of surrender—acknowledging that we cannot do it alone—opens the door for God’s power and faithfulness to work in our lives, leading us step by step toward the promised land. [44:00]

Exodus 2:23-25 (ESV)
During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

Reflection: Is there a struggle or burden you have been trying to handle on your own? What would it look like for you to honestly cry out to God for help today?

Day 4: The Power of Truth to Lead Us Out of Bondage

Truth from the Lord’s word is the vessel that brings transformation.

The birth and protection of Moses symbolize the awakening of truth within us—truth that has the power to lead us out of spiritual bondage. It is not enough to simply know the truth intellectually; we must allow it to become the voice of the Lord in our minds and the impulse toward good in our hearts. As we dedicate time to learning and meditating on God’s word, we create space for the Lord to work within us, bringing faith, love, wisdom, and the strength to resist what is harmful. The stories and teachings of Scripture are not just ancient tales; they are divine vessels that can catch the light of heaven and ignite real change in our lives. [53:46]

Psalm 119:105 (ESV)
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Reflection: What is one truth from God’s word that you need to hold onto today? How can you let it guide your thoughts and actions in a practical way?

Day 5: The Lord’s Gentle, Patient Leading on Our Journey

Transformation is a gradual process as the Lord leads us step by step.

The journey from Egypt to the promised land was not immediate for the Israelites, and neither is our journey of spiritual growth. The Lord leads us little by little, using every experience—both joyful and difficult—to shape us and draw us closer to heavenly freedom. He stores up good memories and truths from our childhood, uses our struggles to awaken our need for Him, and patiently guides us through each stage of life. Even when we feel lost or stuck, the Lord is working behind the scenes, preparing the way for our deliverance and growth. Our part is to trust His process, remain open to His leading, and take the next faithful step. [36:00]

Deuteronomy 7:22 (ESV)
The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you.

Reflection: Looking back, can you see how God has led you “little by little” through past challenges? What is one area where you need to trust His patient leading today?

Sermon Summary

The Exodus story is a living picture of our own spiritual journey—a journey from bondage to freedom, from being trapped in harmful habits and self-centered thinking to being led by the Lord toward a life of peace, delight, and heavenly purpose. Each of us, at some point, finds ourselves stuck—enslaved by patterns of behavior or thought that we know are not good for us, yet we struggle to break free. The story of the Israelites in Egypt is not just ancient history; it is a mirror held up to our own lives, showing us how we can move from a state of spiritual slavery to true freedom.

The process begins with recognizing our bondage. Like the Israelites, we may not even realize we are enslaved, mistaking the pursuit of our own desires for freedom, when in fact we are being carried along by forces that do not have our best interests at heart. The Lord’s Word reveals that true freedom comes not from doing whatever we want, but from being led by what is good and true. The journey out of Egypt is not instantaneous; it is a gradual process, often marked by struggle, setbacks, and the slow transformation of our hearts and minds.

The Lord does not leave us alone in this process. Even when our ego and self-interest seem to dominate, the Lord preserves within us the seeds of truth and goodness—remnants from childhood, moments of love, and memories of innocence. These are like the midwives in the Exodus story, protecting what is most vital within us until the time is right for deliverance. The birth of Moses, drawn out of the water, symbolizes the emergence of new truth in our lives—truth that can lead us out of bondage if we are willing to listen and follow.

This journey requires more than intellectual assent; it calls for a living relationship with the Lord, where truth is not just information but the living voice of God in our hearts. As we dedicate ourselves to learning, reflecting, and acting on the Lord’s Word, we create vessels for His presence, allowing Him to lead us step by step toward the promised land of spiritual freedom. The Exodus story assures us that, no matter how stuck we feel, the Lord is always working to draw us out, to awaken us, and to guide us into a new life.

Key Takeaways

1. True freedom is not the ability to do whatever we desire, but the capacity to be led by what is good and true. When we are dominated by selfishness or harmful habits, we may feel free, but in reality, we are enslaved by those very desires. Only when the Lord’s love and truth predominate do we experience genuine freedom, as our hearts align with His will. [27:08]
2. The journey from bondage to freedom is gradual and often difficult, mirroring the Israelites’ long trek through the wilderness. Spiritual transformation is not a matter of flipping a switch; it is a process that unfolds over time, requiring patience, perseverance, and trust in the Lord’s leading. Our setbacks and struggles are not signs of failure, but part of the path the Lord uses to shape us. [31:40]
3. The Lord preserves within us “remnants” of innocence, love, and truth from our earliest years—spiritual treasures that He uses to stir our desire for change. Even when we feel far from God or deeply entrenched in negative patterns, these remains are safeguarded, ready to be awakened when we turn to Him. Our role is to nurture these seeds through prayer, reflection, and acts of kindness. [38:30]
4. The emergence of new truth in our lives—symbolized by the birth of Moses—often comes in unexpected ways and at times of great difficulty. The Lord draws out of our confusion and struggle the very insights and convictions that can lead us to freedom. We must be attentive to these moments of awakening, recognizing them as the Lord’s invitation to a new way of living. [47:48]
5. Truth is not merely intellectual knowledge, but the living presence of the Lord in our hearts and minds. When we engage with the Word deeply and personally, it becomes a vessel for the Lord’s power to transform us. Through truth, we receive faith, love, wisdom, and the strength to resist evil, becoming truly human as the Lord intended. [54:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:45] - Opening Prayer and Worship
[02:30] - Children’s Talk: The Inner Meaning of Stories
[07:00] - The Israelites’ Enslavement in Egypt
[12:10] - Bricks vs. Stones: Making Our Own Truth
[15:30] - The Birth and Rescue of Moses
[18:50] - Blessing for the Children
[20:22] - Hymn: Thy Word
[21:00] - Readings from the Heavenly Doctrine
[27:08] - Freedom vs. Slavery: Spiritual States
[31:40] - The Exodus as Our Spiritual Journey
[38:30] - The Role of Remnants and Childhood Innocence
[47:48] - The Midwives and the Birth of Moses
[52:43] - Truth as the Voice and Presence of the Lord
[54:39] - The Power and Purpose of Truth
[55:42] - Closing Prayer and Blessing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Exodus 1:6-14 (ESV) — > Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

John 8:31-36 (ESV) — > So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Observation Questions

According to Exodus 1, what specific actions did the Egyptians take to oppress the Israelites, and how did the Israelites respond to this oppression?
In John 8, what does Jesus say is the key to true freedom, and how do his listeners react to this statement?
The sermon describes the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt as a picture of being trapped by harmful habits or self-centered thinking. What are some examples given in the sermon of these “slaveries” in our own lives?
The birth of Moses is described as a turning point in the story. What does Moses’ rescue from the river symbolize, according to the sermon?

Interpretation Questions

The sermon suggests that we often mistake following our own desires for true freedom, when in reality we may be enslaved by them. How does this idea challenge common views of freedom in our culture?
The process of moving from bondage to freedom is described as gradual and difficult, not instantaneous. Why might God allow this journey to take time, rather than delivering us immediately?
The sermon talks about “remnants” or “remains” of innocence and goodness from childhood that God preserves in us. How might these remnants help us when we feel far from God or stuck in negative patterns?
The emergence of new truth in our lives is compared to the birth of Moses. What might be some “new truths” that God is trying to bring to birth in your life right now?

Application Questions

The sermon says that true freedom is not doing whatever we want, but being led by what is good and true. Can you think of a time when following your own desires led to feeling more trapped rather than free? What would it look like to let God lead you instead?
The journey out of spiritual “Egypt” is gradual and includes setbacks. Is there an area of your life where you feel stuck or discouraged by slow progress? How might patience and trust in God’s timing help you keep moving forward?
The Lord preserves “remnants” of innocence and love in us, even when we feel far from Him. What are some memories or experiences from your childhood or earlier life that you think God might be using to encourage you now? How can you nurture these seeds through prayer or acts of kindness this week?
The sermon describes the midwives protecting the Hebrew babies as a picture of God safeguarding what is most vital in us. What are some practical ways you can “protect” or make space for God’s truth and goodness in your daily routine?
The birth of Moses represents the emergence of new truth in times of struggle. Have you ever experienced a moment of clarity or conviction during a difficult time? How did that insight help you move forward?
The sermon says that truth is not just information, but the living presence of God in our hearts. What is one way you can engage with God’s Word this week so that it becomes more than just knowledge, but a living voice in your life?
The Israelites’ story is described as a mirror for our own lives. As you reflect on your current spiritual journey, what is one step you feel God is inviting you to take toward greater freedom?

Sermon Clips

As we get older, sometimes we start to think about, “Oh, what my dad says doesn’t make much sense,” or, “What they say in the Bible doesn’t make much sense. I’m just gonna do whatever I want.” And we get involved in bad habits… it’s like we become enslaved by them or trapped by them and it’s hard for us.

Maybe we would all love it if the Lord would reach in and flip a switch and change our heart and say, “Okay, now you’re someone who loves other people and is so compassionate and never gets irritated by anybody and eternally patient.” … That’s not how it works, right? That’s not how it works. It’s a journey of transformation.

At some point, we just go, “You know, I can’t. I can’t do it by myself.” So we cry out, as you hear in Exodus chapter 2: Then the children of Israel groaned because of their bondage, and they cried out, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning… That’s a picture of us when we wake up.

As we develop, our human mind is filled with truth, filled with facts… but in Egypt means it’s happening in environments that are dominated by natural or worldly concerns and external cares and interests. So we’re learning all this stuff, but we’re doing it in the context of worldly things, and those things start to become much more interesting to us than heavenly things.

Why do we talk about these ancient stories time and time again? And why are they preserved in the Lord’s word? The Lord couches our spiritual history, or how we can be freed from destructive behaviors and bad habits, addictions, and be led to a place of freedom, and that story is couched in these stories. So it’s like a divine allegory.

The Exodus story is a wonderful story about our spiritual deliverance from bad habits and harmful behaviors and how the Lord leads us to the promised land of heavenly delight and peace and freedom. [00:00:07]

The Lord always has a way to help us to get unstuck when things are tough for us, but we have to ask for his help and he’ll guide us. [00:17:17]

There’s a process too, and that’s the other part of this that’s important: it’s a journey. They don’t just get on a plane in Cairo and fly over to Jerusalem and there they go. It’s a long journey through the wilderness because our journey is the same way. It takes a while. As much as we might want to and think it’s a good idea to change, it takes a long time. [00:34:50]

If you can answer the question, “Yes, have you ever felt trapped by a hurtful behavior? Have you ever felt stuck? You ever feel like you’re spinning your wheels or feel like you’re addicted to something where you just can’t stop a certain behavior?”—that’s what this story is about. [00:35:27]

The beautiful part about these stories is that they end with the children of Israel entering the promised land and conquering that land and beginning to dwell in peace for a time. [00:36:16]

The Lord calls each one of us to a different way of living, to leave our unhealthy self-interest and love for our own intelligence—right, how smart we are and how we care about ourselves and what we want—these attitudes that mess us up and mess up our relationships with other people. [00:37:35]

The story of our childhood is that we grow up with beautiful angelic influences. The Lord tells us that every child who is born, when they are held by a loving person, a parent, or they play with their little friends and they delight in that, or they learn some little truth, the Lord stores that up within them. The writings call them remains or remnants of heavenly memories that the Lord stores up within us, and the Lord uses them later to stir within us the desire to change. [00:39:10]

The Lord ensures that the deepest principles of truth and good are preserved in spite of these struggles, paving way for our liberation. [00:50:30]

As much as our ego or the self-interest is trying to put down these truths that are trying to get us to change, the Lord has these midwives keeping them safe. Midwives support the birth process. They help to bring to life or to deliver this child. They help to deliver the truths into our mind. [00:50:42]

The Lord can raise up truth that can guide us out of that situation, and that’s what Moses pictures—the Lord draws out of the water, draws truth out of the water, out of the sort of the falsities of our mind, pulls something out that can begin to lead us towards a different way. [00:51:32]

Every birth in the Lord’s word pictures a new something, new something good, something true that’s going to come out and start to be part of our life. That’s what regeneration is, where things are reborn within us. [00:52:43]

I want you to think of truth as the voice of the Lord in our heads and the impulse towards what is good in our heart. Not just words on a page, because I sometimes think we detach truth from the word as sort of this intellectual process only, instead of, you know, this is the Lord speaking to you. This is the Lord that’s present in his word. [00:53:12]

Those weird stories are the vessels that the Lord can flow into and start to go up and turn on the light within our mind. They’re divine vessels that can catch what’s flowing in. [00:53:52]

Correspondentially speaking, the birth of Moses and him being protected and raised up is vital to our spiritual journey. It’s that awakening power of truth to change us. [00:55:08]

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