The first to promise freedom was our Lord Jesus Christ.  He declared to a religious crowd that they did not understand or even experience true freedom.  He told them: “And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free”(John 8:32). verse 36:“If the Son therefore shall make you free you shall be free indeed” Jesus was declaring here to these people who knew nothing about his purpose for coming to earth, about which they would learn at a later date.  It is possible the famed Saul of Tarsus heard some of these claims from Jesus, the Son of God, but did not believe them at the time. The principles of spiritual or soul freedom taught by Christ was taught later by Saul, known in days to come as the Great Apostle Paul. Paul wrote in Romans 6:1-2: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?  Paul, now converted from a dead religious life to a new life in Christ, was declaring the principles of soul freedom from sin: Romans 6:4: Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  Romans 6:12: Let not sin therefore reign in your moral body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof.  Romans 6:18: Being therefore made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness. Romans 6:22: But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life. In this Romans letter, Paul is declaring what Christ had said years before that “If the Son therefore make you free you shall be free indeed.” This freedom is soul freedom from sin.  Every man, woman and child is born with a nature that is sinful and selfish. When Jesus, the Son of God, makes you free there is a new ability to live free from sin controlling a person’s life. However, for this to happen there was the price of blood and the individual benefiting from it must have faith in the Word of God and believe.  I did this when I was 21 years old.    

Christ hung on the cross on Calvary’s hill, a place I have actually seen.  It was called the Place of the Skull because the hill had the shape of a skull. Christ was beaten and tortured, then hung on a cross with nails through each hand and each leg.  While he hung on that cross, suspended between heaven and earth, blood dripped from his battered, tortured body. He endured all this so that anyone, who truly believes from their heart in his work on that cross and in his blood will experience cleansing from all sin, and also experience the freedom he talked about. My friends, this is liberating truth.   I personally entered into this freedom when I was 21 years old.  I knew Christ and the Bible had something to offer but struggled for a while to discover the truth of soul freedom from sin.  This most wonderful experience is offered by God to anyone who will accept His blood for the one time full payment  for their sin. It is a very liberating experience and feeling when the Holy Spirit reveals to you what it really means.  Anyone can enjoy this freedom but I want to make it clear there was the high price of blood for it to be granted.  

In my opinion, our liberty as a nation is in serious jeopardy right now.  It  has been taken for granted to a large degree and confess I have taken our freedom for granted. Millions of people in the last two centuries from around the world have fled to Canada because we offered freedom and opportunity for a new life.   I recently talked to a lady who came to Canada from Romania during the communist rule there by a high risk opportunity.  She and her husband fled one night in a rowboat out into the open Black Sea knowing it was a very high-risk venture but they had had enough of communist oppression. They knew if they did not find another country their life would be basic slavery to a government that offered no opportunity for a future.  This couple were Christians and the government had totally restricted the opportunity for churches to worship freely.  They had to do worship according to the state mandates which only the non-biblical or state churches observed.  This couple knew they had to make a break for freedom and trust the providence of Almighty God for their future and destination.  This lady still remembers the fear the night they left in a little leaky rowboat.  She was sure they were going to get shot by the police because no one was allowed to leave without permission or drown.  They kept paddling out into the sea and knew it was a one-way trip.  If they tried to come back and were caught, they would be executed.   They spent a couple of days out in the open sea, thankful the sea was not too rough. They spotted a ship on the horizon and the ship did not see them.  They figured that perhaps where that ship passed was a shipping lane so they paddled into that general area.  Another ship spotted them, picked them up and took them to Italy.  They spent some time there and were able to make connections to come to Canada.  Canada was their dream destination.  They heard that Canada was the country where you could live free and have opportunity to make a future for the family.  They came, built up a small business, and prospered.  At present, they see what is going on with government mandates and controls. They say it looks very similar to the beginning of what happened in Romania and it bothers them deeply. Canada has the look of a country about to lose its freedoms.     

My grandfather fought in WW1 and my wife’s father fought in WW2 both deceased now.  Both were wounded in action.   My grandfather was poisoned with gas and all of his life had serious breathing issues that hindered him. My wife’s father fought on the front lines for four years in Europe.  He was wounded when leaving a boat that was beaching in the Battle of the Bulge.  A bomb exploded over the boat and shrapnel was embedded in his neck. That wound probably saved his life as most of the men in his boat landing on shore met with machine gun fire and lost their lives.  He has shared some bone chilling stories of having to sleep out in the snow night after night when they were in enemy territory on the front lines.  They could not light a fire or the enemy would detect them.  Even when they were able to find an abandon house to stay in, they could not light a fire or the enemy would see the smoke and know someone was in the house.  He said it was a long, cold winter and many of his fellow soldiers died.  Others lost toes and fingers due to freezing.  Why did these men pay such a price? we might ask. It was for FREEDOM!  The price of freedom is blood and many have paid the price but I fear we are throwing it all away if our country does not have a national awakening to how serious things are.  When freedom is gone it is too late.  We will never get it back.   

I am of the strong opinion that today we have something sinister and evil happening in our country; it’s a very calculated plan to destroy our freedoms. Once our freedoms are gone, we will become slaves of someone or something.  The recent trucker protest is an effort to wake Canada up to what we must do to protect and preserve our freedoms.  The Covid mandates have been an excuse by abusive governments to take control of their populations and remove a very important element of freedom, which is called CHOICE.  Once you remove choices from people, they are no longer free.  

George Washington said, “A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire or preserve his freedom.”  Albert Einstein said, “If you’re not ready to die for it, put the word freedom out of your vocabulary.”  Thomas Jefferson, the 3^rd President of the USA, wrote some strong words, “What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms.” Remember, freedom for us, whether Christ for our salvation or our fathers who fought for our national freedom, has been with blood.  Don’t take it for granted.  Do everything you can to preserve it!  

In my opinion the trucker convoys is the needed opportunity to turn things in a better direction.  It will be a battle and the left liberal in concert with the big money gang have gained lots of ground in the last two years and they are not going to let it go easily.  They will do anything and everything to make us slaves technology systems. We must engage in the cause for our FREEDOM NOW or our children will not have it anymore and our grandchildren will not know what it is. 

I would like to invite you to connect with our Live Stream services at 11:00 am and 6:00 pm each Sunday at www.pabaptist.ca. If you would like your own Bible to study, please contact us and we will mail you one for free.     

The content of this article is solely the personal opinions of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Prince Albert Shopper.