Free at Last
Song 4 on this new album is the most personal one of the lot. It was the one I wrote first, back in 2021, when I had been reading all about this ability of God’s to sanctify us wholly in a moment.
The Role of Faith in Sanctification
One night I was sitting in bed reading a book called Heart Talks on Holiness by Samuel L Brengle. He talks about the possibility of being sanctified, cleansed and freed from sin, and then growing further because you’ve been sanctified. And this is what he says:
“Well, how can you get it? From Jesus, the very same Jesus that saved you and spoke peace to your troubled conscience, when you feared you were going to sink into hell. The very same Jesus that died for you. But how? By asking. By giving yourself freely and for ever to Him, to be not only your Savior, but also your Lord and Master; to do and suffer all His blessed, wise, tender will. By believing and receiving.”
And then again at the end of the chapter, he says: “Have the blessing now. Let God search you and show you all your heart. Don't be afraid. Heartily give yourself to Him and trust, expect, ask, wait, receive.”
So I did. And the key thing, which I never had before, was faith. I believed that God could cleanse my heart and remove the power of sin. I never really believed that before. I always thought He forgave, and that was that, I had to do the rest myself. But this time, I had faith in His sanctifying power. And I had a very special moment right there. That simple but real faith in His power to sanctify changed everything. I felt closer to Jesus than ever, I felt a quiet peace, and I found new victory over temptations that always tripped me up before.
Freedom Came
What a moment! And the next morning I wrote these words:
Free from the guilt of every sin
Free from the shame that once hemmed me in
Free from the power that once held me fast
Oh thank You Lord, I am free at last!
I am free, I am free, I am free at last
I am free from the chains of a broken past
By a work of grace, wrought inside my heart
I am free, I am free, I am free at last!
Do you long to be free? Not just forgiven, but free? God wants this for you too. Ask for it. Offer your all to Him, ask Him to do cleanse your heart fully, and then believe for it and receive it. That’s the key. Just as you were saved when you believed in Christ, He will sanctify you when you believe.
I pray that you will know that same freedom that I found that night, and that this song will capture your experience like it does mine!
