Living in Freedom Every Day
Madison Prewett Troutt
6 min read ⭑
Once, I went to an escape room with my mom and sisters. Oh, man, my blood was pumping the whole time! I felt anxious — the pressure to figure out the way to freedom while the clock was ticking. And sadly, we didn’t succeed. Why not? We didn’t ask for help. We were told at the beginning that we would be given a guide, a helper. But we didn’t lean on him or ask him for clues. We thought, We’ve got this! Then, with just minutes remaining, our thoughts changed to, Oh, man, we made a mistake!
Remember, you and I aren’t meant to break out — to find freedom and stay free — all on our own. We were sent a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to guide us in our quest for truth and true freedom. The Holy Spirit, also called the Spirit of truth and the Helper, was sent to lead us to the path of life. Jesus says in John 16:13, “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” You can’t find the truth or walk in the truth on your own, and neither can I. The only way we walk in freedom every day is by following the Spirit and letting him guide us into the truth.
Scripture is clear — we can’t find our own way, make our own way, or follow the ways of the world to real freedom. Jesus is the only way. Don’t get me wrong — we have a responsibility on our end. We don’t just sit back and let the Holy Spirit do all the work. We have to ask for help and then follow where the Spirit leads. Some of us don’t ask for help (just like my sisters and me in the escape room), and some of us know the way but choose not to follow.
I want to share with you three practices that allow me to walk in freedom every day, and I hope they empower you to do the same.
Klara Kulikova; Unsplash
Recognize the Lies and Stay in the Truth
The only way we overcome the lies of the enemy is by knowing God’s truth and replacing the lies with the truth. You may have a very real enemy, but even more importantly, you have a very real God, who holds all power. Ephesians 1:21 says Jesus is “far above all rule and authority and power and do-minion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (ESV). Although the lies often feel strong, the truth is stronger and can defeat all lies. But in order to rebuke Satan’s lies, we have to know the Truth, which means we have to stay in the Word.
The Word of God isn’t meant to be just a book or an app you open on your phone when you feel like it; it’s meant to be written on your heart. The Word of God is not a cake to be consumed on special occasions. It’s our daily bread that keeps us alive. We have to make God’s Word a consistent priority.
The only way we have the Word written on our hearts is if we spend time in it, meditate on it and memorize it. If you can remember the lyrics to your favorite songs or social media trends, you can commit passages from Scripture to memory. Start small with a verse each week. The memory is like a muscle. It gets stronger as you use it more.
Then apply the Word (Truth) to your life and let it lead to action. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
The only way I am able to walk in true freedom every day and overcome the lies that come my way is by using the Word of God as my weapon.
Pray and Praise Continually
Prayer is not just important to get free; it’s necessary to stay free. I want to emphasize that this is how I stay free every day. I stay “prayed up.” I pray all through-out the day, and I have my people praying. When I feel under attack, weary, anxious, confused or overwhelmed, I text a few of my close friends and ask them to pray. Every single night before Grant and I go to bed, we pray together. And any time we are making big decisions in life or have something heavy going on, we will fast and pray. Why? Because it works. Because it keeps us desperate for Jesus and connected to him. And because it helps us fight our flesh, the temptations around us and the lies that the enemy uses against us.
“We stay true now so that we can live free forever.”
The enemy will do everything he can to keep us from praying and speaking the truth to defeat his lies. He will put discouragement, depression, distraction, busyness or even success in our lives to keep us from being watchful and prayerful continuously. The devil knows that 2 Corinthians 10:4,5 is true: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds [lies]. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.” When we pray, especially when we pray the Word of God, we defeat lies and tear down the enemy’s strongholds.
I have made this a discipline in my life because I have learned that I can’t afford not to pray. And not just for myself. I am called to pray for those around me. I pray for my spouse, my family, my country, my church, the lost and those neglected. I have a prayer wall full of prayers I am believing God for.
Acts 16:25,26 says, “About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.” We see here that because of Paul and Silas’s prayers of praise, not only were they set free, but those around them were saved and set free also. True prayer and praise bring freedom to our lives, and they have the power to bring freedom to others.
Your freedom isn’t from you or for you. You have been set free to set other people free. And one of the greatest ways you do that is by prayer. Do you have a friend or family member who doesn’t know Jesus? Do you have a severed and broken relationship that needs restoration? Do you have someone in your life who needs healing or a miracle? Pray. And praise God for who he is and what you believe he can and will do! We walk in freedom every day by praying continually.
Live for Eternity
One of the greatest ways we defeat our enemy and walk in true victory and freedom is by remembering that we are citizens of heaven, living for eternity. Although we can experience freedom in Christ here on this earth, there is an eternal freedom that is to come, where there will never again be sadness, sin, separation from God, shame or anything bad. We know that here on earth, we will have to fight to keep our faith and freedom in Christ, knowing that one day there will be a reward and everlasting blessing. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” True freedom isn’t found in the immediate but in the ultimate, our true reward in heaven. We run our race and stay in the truth for a crown that will last forever. We store up for ourselves treasures that will not rust or fade away. And whatever we face here, whatever troubles or tribulations may come, we press on in confidence and hope because there is an eternal glory promised to us that will far outweigh it all. We stay true now so that we can live free forever.
We stay true now so that we can live free forever.
Madison Prewett Troutt is a speaker, social media influencer and host of Stay True podcast. She is the bestselling author of Made for This Moment and The Love Everybody Wants. She and her husband, Grant, are enjoying their early years of marriage and parenting, and they love to tell people about Jesus.
Excerpted from “Dare to Be True” by Madison Prewett Troutt. Copyright © 2025. Used by permission Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group.
