I have never preached about liberation as if it were a special topic, reserved for a campaign or a different night. To me, Jesus is always setting people free. Where He comes, chains fall. Where His word is proclaimed, a prison door opens. That is why this book has a name that is almost a command: liberate yourself.
It was born out of sermons I preached at IBRC Pelotas, in Sunday services, communion services, and live broadcasts. They were not planned as a series. In several of them, as I recount in the next pages, the word came in the morning while I was still in bed, and I simply obeyed. When we gathered this material, we saw a thread running through all of it: God created us to be free and clean before Him, and everything that binds or dirties us can be overcome in Christ.
Notice that I spoke of two things: freedom and cleanliness. They go together in Scripture. Israel left Egypt, but Egypt had to leave the people’s hearts. Lazarus left the tomb, yet he was still bound by the bands of death. The Samaritan woman was thirsty, but before drinking she needed to be seen whole. It is not enough to open the cell door. We must remove the restraints, cleanse the conscience, tear down the idols that take God’s place, and return every day to the source.
