07/05/2026
YOU’RE FREE… BUT ARE YOU LIVING FREE?
Five Things I Never Knew Until I Became Free
Speaker’s Notes: Pastor Shajunna Stevens
Main Scriptures
• John 8:36
• John 10:10
• Matthew 6:25-34
INTRODUCTION
Over the last couple of weeks, our country has celebrated two important occasions.
On June 19th, many celebrated Juneteenth, and yesterday, many celebrated Independence Day.
Different events. Different history. But both celebrations have something in common...
Freedom.
Many gathered with family.
Many watched fireworks.
Many grilled food.
Some of us ate enough to fast for the next three days!
I want you to think about something: How many people do you see celebrating being trapped?
None. Nobody celebrates being trapped.
Nobody throws a party because they're in chains.
Freedom is worth celebrating. But while I was thinking about those celebrations this week...
God asked me a question that I couldn't shake.
"What if people are celebrating freedom... but not living in freedom?"
This question stayed with me because this message is personal to me. Many have no clue that for many years, I was free but not living free.
I realized that freedom isn't just about where you live. Freedom is about how you live.
You can live in a free country... and still be trapped by fear.
You can be financially blessed... and still be trapped by anxiety.
You can have friends and family... and still be trapped by loneliness. I know this for sure!
You can come to church every Sunday, love Jesus with all your heart, serve faithfully... and still carry invisible chains.
I want to ask you the same question that God asked me. You're free... but are you living free? Because there is a difference.
John 8:36 tells us, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
Notice something. Jesus didn't say, "I came so you could simply survive."
He didn't say, "I came so you could barely make it."
He said, "If I make you free... you'll be free indeed."
That word "indeed" means... completely... all the way through. Not free on Sunday and bound on Monday. Not smiling on the outside while breaking on the inside.
Jesus didn't die just to get us into Heaven someday. He came so we could begin experiencing His life today.
As I prayed about this message, God immediately brought one story to my heart: the children of Israel.
For over 400 years, they were slaves in Egypt.
Generation after generation... all they knew was bo***ge.
Every morning, they woke up as slaves.
Every night, they went to bed as slaves.
Then God heard their cries, and He raised up Moses.
He sent miracles.
He broke Pharaoh's power.
He opened the Red Sea.
He drowned the Egyptian army.
He fed His people with manna.
He gave them water from a rock.
He led them by a cloud during the day... and a pillar of fire at night.
All miracles!
God did absolutely everything necessary to make His people free. But here's what amazes me: their bodies left Egypt... but Egypt never completely left their thinking.
Every time life became difficult... they wanted to go back.
They remembered Egypt... but forgot the chains.
Isn't that amazing?
They remembered the food... but forgot the slavery.
And sometimes we do the same thing.
Sometimes we remember what was familiar... instead of remembering what God rescued us from.
Sometimes people go back to unhealthy relationships... because being alone feels uncomfortable.
Sometimes people go back to fear... because peace feels unfamiliar.
Sometimes people stay trapped in yesterday... because tomorrow requires trust.
Then God showed me something I'll never forget.
God got Israel out of Egypt in one night... but it took much longer to get Egypt out of Israel.
This isn't just Israel's story. That's some of our stories.
Some of us have left the past... but we're still carrying it.
Some of us have been forgiven... but we still live condemned.
Some of us have been loved by God... but we're still trying to earn everybody else's approval.
Some of us have been set free... but we're still thinking like prisoners.
"This week, I realized something. There are some things I never knew... until I became free."
I want to share five discoveries with you.
DISCOVERY NUMBER ONE
I Didn't Know How Heavy I Was Until God Took the Weight Off
Have you ever carried something so long... that you forgot you were carrying it?
Let me show you.
Most Bibles don't feel heavy. They're pretty easy to hold.
"What if I asked you to hold it for an hour? Would the Bible get heavier?"
I can answer that for you: No.
The Bible doesn't change. But the person holding it does.
Because even a light weight becomes heavy... when you carry it long enough.
That's exactly how hurt works.
That's how worry works.
That's how rejection works.
That's how comparison works.
That's how trying to make everybody happy works.
You carry it... and carry it... and carry it... until one day you think, "This is just who I am."
But no.
That's not who you are. That's what you've been carrying.
That's what God had to show me!
Can I be transparent?
There was a season in my life when I carried everything.
I carried worry about my family.
I carried hurt.
I carried ministry.
I carried finances.
I carried loans.
I carried medical expenses.
I carried disappointment.
I carried the opinions of people.
I carried the pressure of trying to make sure everybody else was okay.
And here's what I didn't realize. While I thought I was carrying all those things... they were carrying me.
They were determining whether I smiled.
Whether I slept.
Whether I enjoyed life.
Whether I had peace.
I loved God. I trusted God. But I was still carrying weights He never asked me to carry.
Then one day... God didn't change everything around me. He began changing something inside me.
And I discovered something so beautiful.
Freedom doesn't always mean your circumstances change overnight. Sometimes freedom means your heart changes first.
And once your heart becomes free... you finally begin to notice that God has been faithfully working all along. That's when the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:27 came alive to me.
"Who among you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?"
The answer is...
None of us.
Worry has never paid a bill.
It has never healed a disease.
It has never repaired a relationship.
It has never changed yesterday.
It has only stolen today.
I want you to keep this in mind all week:
"I was paying emotional interest on problems God never intended for me to carry."
We've worried about conversations that never happened.
We've answered questions nobody asked.
We've imagined disasters that never came.
We've lost sleep over things that never took place.
And while we were rehearsing tomorrow... we completely missed today.
Listen, that is not freedom.
DISCOVERY NUMBER TWO
I Didn't Know Worry Was Stealing My Life
I used to think worrying meant I cared.
I thought, "If I'm worrying about my children, it means I'm being a good mother."
"If I'm worrying about the ministry, it means I'm being a good pastor."
"If I'm worrying about my finances, it means I'm being responsible."
But God lovingly corrected me. He showed me that there is a difference between being concerned and living consumed.
Concern takes us to prayer.
Worry keeps us awake.
Concern moves us toward faith.
Worry keeps us trapped in fear.
That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 6, “Do not worry…”
I realized something.
Every minute I spent worrying was a minute I wasn’t enjoying the life God had already given me.
How many parents have sat at a ball game… thinking about bills… instead of watching their child?
How many grandparents have held a grandbaby… while their mind was somewhere else?
How many husbands and wives have gone out to dinner… physically sitting across from each other… but mentally carrying tomorrow?
You can be present… without being present.
I don’t want to just arrive at the end of my life.
I want to enjoy the journey.
Jesus said in John 10:10,
“I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.”
Abundant life isn’t only about Heaven. It’s about learning to enjoy God’s presence while you’re still on earth.
Can I confess something?
I’ve had arguments… with people… who didn’t even know we were arguing!
I’ve preached speeches… in my shower… to people who never said a word to me.
I’ve solved problems… that never happened.
I know I’m not the only one!
Some of you have already planned what you’re going to say tomorrow… and tomorrow hasn’t even gotten here yet! That’s what worry does.
It borrows tomorrow’s trouble… and uses it to rob today’s joy.
I don’t want to spend another day paying emotional interest… on something that may never happen.
DISCOVERY NUMBER THREE
I Didn’t Know Peace Was So Quiet
This one surprised me.
I thought freedom would feel exciting.
Do you know what freedom actually felt like?
Quiet.
Peaceful.
Rest.
No constant panic.
No racing thoughts.
No feeling like I had to solve everything.
No feeling like the world rested on my shoulders.
Just...
peace.
That reminded me of Isaiah’s words:
"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You..."
Notice something. The verse doesn’t say God gives peace to people who have perfect circumstances. He gives peace to people whose minds stay focused on Him.
Peace isn’t the absence of storms. Peace is knowing who is in your boat.
Jesus slept in the middle of a storm. The disciples panicked. Same storm. Different focus. One was looking at the waves. The other knew His Father was in control.
Can I tell you something funny? When God began changing my heart, I realized something.
I wasn’t checking my bank account every thirty minutes.
I wasn’t calculating bills while brushing my teeth.
I wasn’t trying to figure out next month’s budget while driving to the grocery store.
But I started noticing flowers again.
I started noticing sunsets.
I started enjoying conversations.
I started laughing more.
Not because my problems disappeared. But because my peace returned.
Don’t let life become so heavy that you stop noticing how beautiful God has been to you.
Peaceful.
Rest.
No constant panic.
No racing thoughts.
No feeling like I had to solve everything.
No feeling like the world rested on my shoulders.
Just...
peace.
That reminded me of Isaiah’s words:
"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You..."
Notice something. The verse doesn’t say God gives peace to people who have perfect circumstances. He gives peace to people whose minds stay focused on Him.
Peace isn’t the absence of storms. Peace is knowing who is in your boat.
Jesus slept in the middle of a storm. The disciples panicked. Same storm. Different focus. One was looking at the waves. The other knew His Father was in control.
Can I tell you something funny? When God began changing my heart, I realized something.
I wasn’t checking my bank account every thirty minutes.
I wasn’t calculating bills while brushing my teeth.
I wasn’t trying to figure out next month’s budget while driving to the grocery store.
But I started noticing flowers again.
I started noticing sunsets.
I started enjoying conversations.
I started laughing more.
Not because my problems disappeared. But because my peace returned.
Don’t let life become so heavy that you stop noticing how beautiful God has been to you.
Peaceful.
Rest.
No constant panic.
No racing thoughts.
No feeling like I had to solve everything.
No feeling like the world rested on my shoulders.
Just...
peace.
That reminded me of Isaiah’s words:
"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You..."
Notice something. The verse doesn’t say God gives peace to people who have perfect circumstances. He gives peace to people whose minds stay focused on Him.
Peace isn’t the absence of storms. Peace is knowing who is in your boat.
Jesus slept in the middle of a storm. The disciples panicked. Same storm. Different focus. One was looking at the waves. The other knew His Father was in control.
Can I tell you something funny? When God began changing my heart, I realized something.
I wasn’t checking my bank account every thirty minutes.
I wasn’t calculating bills while brushing my teeth.
I wasn’t trying to figure out next month’s budget while driving to the grocery store.
But I started noticing flowers again.
I started noticing sunsets.
I started enjoying conversations.
I started laughing more.
Not because my problems disappeared. But because my peace returned.
Don’t let life become so heavy that you stop noticing how beautiful God has been to you.
Peaceful.
Rest.
No constant panic.
No racing thoughts.
No feeling like I had to solve everything.
No feeling like the world rested on my shoulders.
Just...
peace.
That reminded me of Isaiah’s words:
"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You..."
Notice something. The verse doesn’t say God gives peace to people who have perfect circumstances. He gives peace to people whose minds stay focused on Him.
Peace isn’t the absence of storms. Peace is knowing who is in your boat.
Jesus slept in the middle of a storm. The disciples panicked. Same storm. Different focus. One was looking at the waves. The other knew His Father was in control.
Can I tell you something funny? When God began changing my heart, I realized something.
I wasn’t checking my bank account every thirty minutes.
I wasn’t calculating bills while brushing my teeth.
I wasn’t trying to figure out next month’s budget while driving to the grocery store.
But I started noticing flowers again.
I started noticing sunsets.
I started enjoying conversations.
I started laughing more.
Not because my problems disappeared. But because my peace returned.
Don’t let life become so heavy that you stop noticing how beautiful God has been to you.
Peaceful.
Rest.
No constant panic.
No racing thoughts.
No feeling like I had to solve everything.
No feeling like the world rested on my shoulders.
Just...
peace.
That reminded me of Isaiah’s words:
"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You..."
Notice something. The verse doesn’t say God gives peace to people who have perfect circumstances. He gives peace to people whose minds stay focused on Him.
Peace isn’t the absence of storms. Peace is knowing who is in your boat.
Jesus slept in the middle of a storm. The disciples panicked. Same storm. Different focus. One was looking at the waves. The other knew His Father was in control.
Can I tell you something funny? When God began changing my heart, I realized something.
I wasn’t checking my bank account every thirty minutes.
I wasn’t calculating bills while brushing my teeth.
I wasn’t trying to figure out next month’s budget while driving to the grocery store.
But I started noticing flowers again.
I started noticing sunsets.
I started enjoying conversations.
I started laughing more.
Not because my problems disappeared. But because my peace returned.
Don’t let life become so heavy that you stop noticing how beautiful God has been to you.
DISCOVERY NUMBER FOUR
I Didn’t Know Forgiveness Was a Gift I Give Myself
This may be the most freeing lesson God has ever taught me.
For years… I thought forgiveness meant pretending I wasn’t hurt.
I thought forgiveness meant acting like everything was okay.
I thought forgiveness meant giving people unlimited access to my life.
I was wrong. Forgiveness is releasing someone into God’s hands… so I can walk in God’s peace.
It doesn’t say what happened was acceptable. It doesn’t erase wisdom.
It simply says… “I’m not carrying this anymore.”
I’ve learned something.
Forgiveness and trust are not the same thing.
Forgiveness is given.
Trust is rebuilt.
And sometimes… trust is never rebuilt.
That’s okay. Even Jesus loved everyone.
But John tells us that He “did not entrust Himself to them,” because He knew what was in people’s hearts.
Think about that. Jesus loved perfectly… and still practiced wisdom.
That set me free. Now I can genuinely forgive someone…
pray for them…
wish them well…
and still understand that they may not belong in the closest places of my life.
That’s not bitterness.
That’s biblical wisdom.
I can love you… and wave at you from the other side of Walmart. I don’t have to hide behind the cereal boxes anymore!
Why?
Because my peace has become too valuable. When someone hurts you… don’t let them take two things.
Don’t let them take your joy… and then your future.
The hurt may have happened yesterday. But don’t let yesterday keep stealing tomorrow.
I finally realized…
I don’t have to spend my life trying to convince people to love me. God already settled my value at the cross. If the Creator of the universe calls me His child… I don’t have to chase the approval of people who don’t even know my heart.
That doesn’t make me proud.
It makes me free.
And I pray every person in this room experiences that same freedom.
DISCOVERY NUMBER FIVE
I Didn’t Know God Had Been Working All Along
This may be the greatest discovery of them all.
I used to think that if I stopped worrying… everything would fall apart.
I thought I had to carry every burden.
I thought I had to have every answer.
I thought if I wasn’t constantly thinking about my children…
my finances…
the ministry…
my future…
… then somehow I wasn’t being responsible.
But one day…
God gently reminded me…
“You’re carrying things I never asked you to carry.”
That changed me.
Not overnight… but little by little.
As I began trusting God instead of trying to control everything… I started noticing something incredible.
God had never stopped working.
He was working while I was worrying.
He was opening doors I couldn’t see.
He was protecting my family.
He was making a way.
He was giving wisdom.
He was fighting battles I didn’t even know existed.
The truth is… God didn’t start working when I stopped worrying.
I just finally became peaceful enough to recognize He had been working all along.
That changed everything.
My loan wasn’t suddenly paid off.
Every bill didn’t disappear.
Life didn’t suddenly become perfect.
But my heart became free.
And when my heart became free… my joy came back.
My laughter came back.
My peace came back.
My trust came back.
I started enjoying life again.
I started noticing little blessings again.
I wasn’t rushing through every day trying to survive.
I was finally living.
BRING THE STORY FULL CIRCLE
Remember the children of Israel. God delivered them from Egypt. But they kept looking backward.
Every challenge made them want to return to what God had already delivered them from. Isn’t it amazing how familiar bo***ge can sometimes feel safer than unfamiliar freedom?
How many people stay in unhealthy places… simply because it’s what they’ve always known?
How many people keep carrying guilt… when Jesus already paid for it?
How many people keep living beneath what Christ has already purchased?
The greatest challenge wasn’t getting Israel out of Egypt. The greatest challenge was getting Egypt out of Israel.
Maybe today… God isn’t trying to bring you out of something. Maybe He’s trying to get something out of you.
Out of your heart.
Out of your mind.
Out of your thinking.
Out of your life.
Maybe it’s fear.
Maybe it’s comparison.
Maybe it’s the need to please everyone.
Maybe it’s the hurt someone caused years ago.
Maybe it’s worry.
Maybe it’s believing you’ll never be enough.
You don’t have to go back to Egypt to live like you’re still there.
Can I ask you a question?
What would your life look like… if you were finally free?
Imagine waking up… without fear being the first voice you hear.
Imagine going to bed… without replaying every conversation.
Imagine smiling… without pretending.
Imagine enjoying dinner with your family… without your mind living somewhere else.
Imagine worshipping… without carrying yesterday.
Imagine trusting God… even when you don’t have all the answers.
Can I tell you something?
You don’t have to imagine forever. Jesus didn’t say, “I came so you could survive.”
He said, “I came that they might have life… and have it more abundantly.”
I stand before you today… not because every problem in my life disappeared… but because I discovered something greater.
Freedom didn’t change my circumstances first. Freedom changed me first.
And when God changed me… I finally realized… He had been changing my circumstances all along.
That’s the freedom Jesus offers. Not a life without storms… but a heart that is no longer ruled by them.
FINAL CHALLENGE
So before we pray…
I want to ask you one final question.
Not…
“What are you afraid of?”
Not…
“What are you worried about?”
But this…
What has your lack of freedom been stealing from you?
Has it stolen your joy? Your peace?
Your sleep?
Your confidence?
Your relationships?
Your worship?
Your dreams?
Your ability to enjoy the life God has already given you?
Today…
You don’t have to carry it anymore.
Jesus is still saying,
“Come to Me.”
Lay it down.
Trust Me.
Walk with Me.
Live free.
CLOSING PRAYER
Father, thank You for meeting us right where we are.
Today, we release every fear, every hurt, every worry, and every burden we were never meant to carry.
Teach us to trust You, to forgive, to let go, and to remember that our value comes from You alone.
Let us leave this place lighter, not because every problem is gone, but because we have placed it in the hands of a faithful God.
Thank You for the freedom Jesus purchased for us.
Now help us not just to be free, but to live free.
In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray.
Amen.
FINAL WORD
“I don’t know what tomorrow holds… but I know Who holds tomorrow.
And for the first time in a long time… I’m not just free. I’m living free.
My prayer is that when you leave here today, you’ll be able to say the same thing.”
“Church… go live free.”
