Introduction

Hello my name is Hanne-Mari. I am 23 years old. I am from Norway, but I live in Ukraine. I work in a Teen Challenge rehab center for drug-alcohol addicted women with kids. I love to sing and play and do art with them. But most of all, I love to introduce them for the person Jesus Christ.

I am a sanguine; I am always loud. If I’m sad, I can’t help but cry loudly. And if I am happy, (like most of the time) I can’t help but laugh and sing and smile and, of course, speak loud. In Ukraine I discovered a strange phenomenon; for some reason, most Ukrainians are melancholic. And very often, my beloved sisters and brothers from the church are telling me to turn down the volume on my speech in the public transports. When I ask “why”? They answer: “Because in our country we simply don’t talk loud in the transports”.

I didn’t consider this phenomenon very much. I just kept silent in the transports. I’m a missionary from Norway. I respect my Ukrainian friend’s advices. Why? Simply because while I grew up in Norway, driving tractor with my father on the fields, or played videogames with my brother and sisters, my Ukrainian friends were most likely in the rynak-market, or stood in a crowded trolley-bus with their babushka, who repeatedly rebuked and corrected their behavior. So basically, I’m thankful for every little advice I can get, and I don’t consider it as strange. Until one day; when somebody reminded me about the situation in the days of Soviet Union. You’ve probably heard about how the “Secret Police” kept people in a constant tension. The secret police who were “on duty” in buses, in restaurants, in the streets, where slanderers! Very likely, people could happen to be caught by the secret police in the criminal act for saying one wrong word about the communist government. After been caught in an act like this, people were very likely thrown in prison. Not in your home town, but in the other part of the Union, like Siberia if you were in Donetsk like I am now. -separated from their loved ones, killed, or at least had some property confiscated. -All caused by one word spoken a little too loud in a public transport.

But thank God, Ukraine got delivered from the regime of communism in 1991. When the system changed, the secret police lost its power, simply because there are no accusers anymore whom they can slander to. And now 20 years later, the accusers are for sure all gone. But anyway, there are some pattern left from communism in Ukraine today. The holidays, of course, parts of the system with the bureaucratic stamps, the human mentality and their way of thinking are still pressent among the older generation. But; even though my generation is too young to clearly remember the days of communism in Ukraine, they are still marked by its mentality from their ancestors through the trauma -Their deep fear of punishment. It is strange how such a fear of punishment can keep a new generation in fear and boundage, although they are innocent and have never owed anything to the communistic regime.

Fear is not only in Eastern Ukraine, but among all nations and among all tribes. The deepest fear I believe, is the fear against the holy and almighty God.

People all over the world know about law and sin. I didn’t write a book to remind people about their sins. We perfectly know ourselves. And if we forget –I’m sure people in our small circle sometimes remind us of them. Maybe you say “I never think about God”. –Maybe this is the reason; that you feel guilty for your incompleteness, or scared that He will run after you and catch you?

People have many strange pictures about God, that God as a judge out to find fault with us, and punish us. People write songs like “Why does it always rain on me? Is it because I lied when I was seventeen?”

This is not the truth about God today. I want to title this book with a scripture from Romans 8:15 from new living translation:

So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted into his family -- calling him "Father, dear Father."

Gorbatchow and Jesus have done a work for you; they have changed the system, so you should no longer need to behave like a fearful slave in your country. Jesus has bore your sins; shout the mouth of the devil, satisfied God. You are a son or a daughter now! You can run around in your Fathers kingdom free!

Many Christians today are whispering in fear today, because of a trauma which is more than 2000 years old; they believe God will punish people for their mistakes!

There are some true about this. There was a secret slanderer before, an accuser, called the devil. He used to be an accuser before the great almighty God. He loved to find faults with you, so God the just and righteous, unwillingly should punish you for your mistakes. If your willingness to repent were low, God could send a fire from heaven to burn you. The accuser used some commandments written in stone, better known as the 10 commandments whenever he ran before God and slandered about people’s “not doing right and done wrongs”.

But Jesus shot the head of the devil at the cross! He paid the punishment for all the commands you had failed; small and big ones. He paid it completely being persecuted the most brutal and inhuman way the world–being crucified! The bible says in Colossians 2:14-15

He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross. In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.

Jesus rose again in order for us to be sure! The law is gone. The devil is now a big liar. God is satisfied! He will never be angry at you anymore.

Barefoot!

When I was a child, I loved to run around everywhere barefoot –simply because I had not yet experienced the pain of stepping on shattered glass bottles or nails. I was free! Till the very day I thread on a nail on some wood somewhere at the farm where I grew up. My desire with this book is that God will restore this childish freedom in your life. The freedom you had before the Not freedom to sin and do stupid things that keep you in bondage, but freedom to be the person God created you to be!

The Devil is the Father of lies. He comes to set people in bondage everywhere. His face is revealed in evil dictators figuring out how to control people and gain power and wealth. It’s revealed in pimps, forcing beautiful girls them to sell their inner beauty to disgusting men. In sicknesses; binding people to their beds. In the mentality of poverty, which empties people ability to love and rejoice. In anorectic girls consisting of skin and bones punishing their body, and saying they are fat. There is nothing good in the Devil. Never tell me that poverty has benefits. I’ve been to India, seen desperate mums putting both herself and her underfed baby in the risk of death by bagging in the midst of the highway. The bible says:

John 10:10; The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

The devil is so rude! Imagine; He’s not pleased with stealing from people who don’t know God in Africa. He is stealing freedom even from the children of God!

But do you know what? John 10:10 doesn’t finish there! Look what it says further:

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly

Jesus came for you to have “life”. Life from Greek is the word “Zoe”. Zoe means among others:

1. the state of one who is possessed of vitality
2. The absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical,
3. Life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, and blessed

This is the LIFE Jesus has determined you to live. Does it sound any similar to the life you live today? If not, then I have good news for you –God has already delivered you from all kind of bondage and given you this new one as a gift! If you believe, you will have it. Not in a small measure, but abundantly: Abundantly is the Greek word “Perissos”. Persissos means:

1.       Exceeding some number or measure or rank or need over and above,

2.      More than is necessary, superadded

3.     Exceeding abundantly, supremely

4.      Something further, more, much more than all, more plainly

5.     Superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon

6.      Pre-eminence, superiority, advantage, more eminent, more remarkable, more excellent

Do you live zoe-life, letting your heavenly Father make it even more “perissos”, or do you live kept in bondage by fear of punishment, worries for life and struggles?

Maybe you say “it’s impossible for me to enjoy freedom. You don’t know the situation in my marriage, or how poor my country is.” Maybe you’re single and waiting for “mr. right” to rescue you, by taking you on his white horse, and ride you into the sunset. Don’t be discouraged! What you are waiting for has already taken place! Look at the beautiful information from your heavenly Father in Colossians 1:13:

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son

Something good happed to you when you instead of waiting for something to happen, simply believe the fact that your deliverance has already taken place! The prince on the white horse is named Jesus Christ. He has already delivered you into his beautiful kingdom (Col 1,13). Stop looking for freedom in your circumstances. Luke 17:21 says that The Kingdom of God is inside you! Stop blaming your country, your boss or your beloved ones for the “prison” you are in. Start looking to your true redeemer, Jesus Christ.

There is none like Him. Look what he says in his speck Luke 4:18-19:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted , to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised , To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

The world has many great deliverers. Ghandi delivered his country from the British. Martin Luther King delivered the black Americans from oppressions. But none but Jesus Christ can set people from their sins. The Bible says in john 8:36 That if the SON can set you free, you will be free indeed!

I’m not a skilled writer, or a person with a lot of experience or education. But I know the person who is skilled, and who knows how to set people free. All I have is a deep desire to introduce you to Him. He is my best friend, Jesus Christ. I cannot even release myself from the “mess” I happen to fall into sometimes, and definitely not release others from the mess the Devil has kept them into for decades. But I choose to all the time stay in a close, deep relationship with the one who’s able to do this –the same person as 2000 years ago shouted from a wooden pale on a place called Calvary “IT IS FINISHED!”