“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” (Martin Luther King Jr.; ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech).
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where he delivered his world famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Many of us know segments of his speech by heart, such familiar, truthful and commanding words as:
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!”
And, “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
Dr. King’s words reverberated triumphantly throughout the National Mall of our nation’s Capitol. His message of truth and freedom rang loud and clear in the ears of tens of thousands gathered together that day, and that same message has since gone on to reach the ears of hundreds of millions more in the decades that have followed.
After what was approximately 17 minutes of speaking, Martin Luther King Jr. brought his powerful oration to a climactic finish by raising his voice louder than ever before and crying out:
“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
I have recently pondered on those concluding words from Dr. King’s speech, choosing to apply them to myself and my own personal journey out from the bondage of slavery.
“Slavery?” you may be asking. “What do you mean by slavery?”
The “slavery” I speak of is obviously of a very different kind than that which Dr. King was referring to in his famous speech. He, of course, was focusing on the physical slavery of the black men and women of the southern United States — those who were in literal bondage until Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 declared them to be “forever free.” Dr. King was also focusing on the grave injustices of discrimination and segregation that tragically continued in the United States for many decades afterwards.
While I certainly can’t apply Dr. King’s words to myself in any literal sense, I can, however, apply them in a figurative sense.
Applied to my own life, the “slavery” I am thinking of is what I (and so many others) have experienced on a spiritual level: The bondage of man-made religion; the chains of false doctrines; the shackles of Satan’s lies masquerading as God’s perfect truth.
As many of you already know, I was born and raised in the false religion of Mormonism. It was only after many years of personal study into the Holy Bible, and with the help of wonderful Torah-based ministries like A Rood Awakening International, that the thick chains of seven generations of Mormonism were finally broken off my mental and spiritual wrists and ankles.
After years of painful struggle and continuous wrestling with God, the war that had been raging in my mind and heart eventually came to an end.
The hard-fought battle was finally won.
Truth had had the victory over the lies.
The days of bondage to man’s word were over.
HalleluYAH!
On that bright and beautiful day when the light of God’s truth finally broke through all the darkness of Mormonism, I remember feeling a great weight — like some terrible burden I’d been carrying all my life — fall from off my shoulders. And I was free. The truth had indeed set me free (see John 8:32).
On that day, when those giant metaphorical chains went clattering noisily to the floor, I fell to my knees and gave thanks to YeHoVaH my Father for liberating me from that terrible bondage. And while I didn’t literally speak the following words with my mouth, it was as if my heart was singing loudly the words:
“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, I am free at last!”
In the years following my own emancipation from the bondage to man-made religion, it has been my greatest honor and privilege to serve God and help many of my Mormon brothers and sisters also recognize the error of their religion and come out from it.
And just last weekend, I had the distinct blessing of being able to baptize two sisters who’ve recently made the journey out of Mormonism and into Torah-relationship with YeHoVaH God and Yeshua Messiah. One of these two sisters was 82 years old, having spent her entire long life in slavery to the lies of false prophets and lying apostles. And now, at 82 years old, her own chains have been broken and she’s walking free in the beautiful light of God’s truth.
Again, HalleluYAH! God is so good!
It’s never too late to change. It’s never too late to choose to give your heart over to God and His ways of life and liberty.
Before I led these two wonderful sisters down into the water for their immersion, one of them wanted to read aloud a prayer she had written for the occasion. The three of us together bowed our heads in reverence as she prayed these words:
“YeHoVaH, Holy Father, on this beautiful day, we come before You with an overflowing heart of gratitude and a spirit yearning for Your presence. We acknowledge Your love and grace that have led us on this journey of faith. Thank You for revealing Your Word to us and for opening our heart to Your truth.
“Today, we choose to publicly declare our faith in You, YeHoVaH, the Only True God, and in Your Son, Yeshua the Messiah.
“We declare our belief in Yeshua’s sacrifice on the cross, washing away our sins and offering us the gift of eternal life.
“As we enter these baptismal waters, we surrender our old selves and embrace a new life in You.
“Please help us to identify and discard all the lies, worthlessness, and unprofitable things we have learned in our former life of man-made religion. We pray for a new heart with a passion for the truth and a willingness to listen and obey to all You will teach us in our walk with You.
“Grant us the wisdom to discern Your will. Give us strength to resist temptation and the courage to live a life that glorifies You. Continue to grow our faith through studying Your Word. Empower us to be faithful disciples, sharing Your love and message of hope, being a light through the fruit of our faith.
“We pray, Father, that You fill us with Your Holy Spirit, as a constant guide and comforter on our journey.
“May this baptism be a symbol of our ongoing commitment to You, Abba.
“In the precious name of Yeshua Messiah, we pray. Amen.”
After the sister’s beautiful prayer, and with the sweet Spirit of our Father filling us, I led each sister one-by-one down into the waters, where they were immersed in the liberating name of Yeshua Messiah, witnessing before God and man their firm commitment to obediently follow their Lord, he who is “the Way and the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6).
For so many years, they’ve been the slaves of false religion. But now, they truly are “Free at last!”
My beloved brothers and sisters: Like Martin Luther King Jr. before me, I, too, have a dream.
I have a dream that one day all lies, worthlessness, and all unprofitable things will be banished from every heart, every mind, and every soul by the Holy Spirit of Almighty God.
I have a dream that one day the shackles of man-made religion will fall off the wrists and ankles of God’s people and they’ll come out from that spiritual iron furnace with shouts of “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of YeHoVaH!”
I have a dream that one day the Great and Hallowed Name of YeHoVaH will be known and praised and glorified in every nation, every city, every community, every home, and in every heart; when it’ll no longer be necessary to say to our neighbors, “You need to know YeHoVaH,” for all peoples everywhere will know their magnificent Creator, from the least to the greatest.
I have a dream that one day the peace and righteousness of the Only True God will cover all the earth as the waters cover the sea. North, South, East, and West — to the furthest reaches of the earth — God’s people everywhere will exalt their Creator’s Name and Word above all things.
And on that great future day of everlasting freedom to come, my dream is to see all mankind join hands and with one voice raise a joyous shout of:
“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
Amen.
