We are free...12th day

I was reading a passage in John, Chapter 8:

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." 33 They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants[b] and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" 34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

So I was dwelling on this concept for a moment, and it hit me...why don't we live like we are free?

I guess I can understand how a slave might act shortly after being freed from captivity (once the shock wore off)...timid...lacking boldness...still acting and reacting in a similar way while navigating this new world. But there would come a point when the slave would realize that their previous captors have no hold on them anymore...right? They would begin to exercise their freedoms, and live in such a way that you might never know that they had been held in slavery. Or at least that is how I want to live. I want to be so far from the captivity of sin that no one can see that I was once slave to it. I want to live in such freedom that the notion of sinful things becomes a foreign concept.

I guess the bigger question is...how? I think the answer is in the above scripture:
"If you hold to my teaching...the truth will set you free." My interpretation (if I dare): remain faithful and you will live in freedom. I also think that this kind of freedom is learned...in that, even though we are set free immediately after we believe in Christ we still must learn (like the slave) to live in freedom. We still have to master the art of casting our sinful ways behind us. I believe that is what Jesus was saying here...a life of freedom is only realized thru faithfulness.

Father teach me to live in freedom. Help me to abstain from what was once a stronghold in my life. Give me strength to walk in boldness. Thank you that I am not expected to be perfect from the onset of my freedom from sin, but that you work with me and help me to rid myself of my old ways. You are great and gracious. In Jesus name I pray.