Prison Break or Pardon?
Prison Break or Pardon?
“And I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces as I look for your truth and your wisdom...”
Psalms 119:45 The Message
We are not convicts waiting for the warden to let his guard down long enough for a prison break; we are captives walking out in wide open spaces holding a pardon bought with the blood of Jesus.
Independence Day
I love summer! Maybe it is because I thrive on sunshine and warm weather! Maybe it is because of vacations and day trips! Or maybe it is because I am a teacher! Regardless of the reason, summer ranks right up there on my list of favorites along with Lord of the Rings, hot fudge cake with ice cream, and Ed Sheeran!
One of the highlights of summer for me is the 4th of July. Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m not an extrovert. Parties and conversations with people I don’t know well are recipes for anxiety and panic attacks, but I love the festive nature of the day. It usually means an entire day with my family and friends who manage to come together in one spot—hamburgers and hotdogs, watermelon, cornhole tournaments, and water activities. The day ends with several of us around a campfire with marshmallows and Hershey bars smooshed between graham crackers and fireworks over the lake. It’s the perfect picture of the freedom that comes with summer!
As I was reflecting on the deeper meaning of the day—Independence and freedom for our country—I started thinking how that looks different for many of us sharing this beautiful space called the United States depending on our backgrounds and cultural perspective. I took it a step further and thought about my freedom as a believer. How that looks and feels different for every believer, depending on our circumstances, background, and biblical perspective. How many times have I heard, spoken, and even sang the words, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”? But if I’m honest, I have to ask myself, “If I’m free, why do I still feel like I’m bound?”
Down the Rabbit Hole
My thoughts about freedom left me plummeting down the rabbit hole of what freedom really looks like. I started thinking about freedom in the physical sense of the word. What if I were a legit prisoner, locked behind iron bars, looking at the world from a cold, dark cell? What if the guard came to my cell, unlocked the door, and said “You’re free to go”? What if I watched the other prisoners jump from their spots on the floor and run out the door? Would I be free if I just sat on my bed and watched it all happen? What if after all that, I just didn’t feel free? Would I still have freedom? What if I had been in chains for so long, I had forgotten what it means to be free? What if staying in that cell was comfortable, maybe even safe? Navigating freedom is risky. And is freedom a noun...a thing to be found? Or is freedom a verb...something you do? Maybe freedom is an adjective… something you are. Freedom could be a place. Or maybe freedom is a person.
I was cycling through all of these thoughts when I realized that the freedom I was wrestling with as a Christian wasn’t a physical prison but a spiritual one. I couldn’t see the bars with my eyes, but I could feel them with my heart. I remembered what the Bible said about freedom: “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free” (John 8:36 NLT). If the Bible is true, and I know that it is, then why am I still sitting in this prison cell?
Juneteenth
I confess, and I am embarrassed and ashamed to do so, that until about three years ago, I did not know about Juneteenth. When I was reading about Juneteenth and what that date meant for my Black brothers and sisters, I was heartbroken and enraged at the same time. Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation January 1, 1863 declaring "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." There were many weaknesses and problems with this document that we could dive into, but the bottom line is the slaves in Galveston, Texas didn’t know they were free until 2 ½ years later. Two and a half years of their lives were spent in chains because someone didn’t want them to be free! It didn’t matter if the Proclamation was signed, if no one delivered the news, they were still in bondage. It angers me that the enemy of freedom, the destroyer of love, the adversary of justice lied and oppressed our brothers and sisters in the name of selfish gain, hate, and prejudice! It angers me that the Enemy is still doing the same thing today, 158 years later!
Jesus came into our world over 2,000 years ago to buy our freedom. The deed to the world was temporarily given to Satan when Adam and Eve relinquished their authority in the Garden of Eden and disobeyed God. (2 Corinthians 4:4) We became slaves to these longings, thoughts, motives and ideas that constantly bombard us called sin. But from the beginning, God put a plan in place that would redeem what Adam lost and put an end to sin once and for all. Satan will do anything to keep us from knowing the truth—Jesus reclaimed authority, as God, of this world and everything and everyone in it. If we don’t hear the message, we stay locked up in our cell. That’s why we don’t feel free.
What Does Freedom Look Like?
If Jesus purchased our freedom, and we are already free, how can I get it? What does freedom look like?
Freedom is a person. There is no way around it. Regardless of what culture tells you, Jesus is the only way to freedom. Following any other path is like a prison break. You may look free for a moment, but those chains will catch up with you soon enough, no matter how long and hard you run. But be confident in this fact, He is pursuing you all the way into enemy territory. He has overcome the resistance and opened the door to your prison of sin, depression, shame, fear, anger, and bitterness. All it takes is admitting that you’ve messed up, believing that Jesus died to forgive you for every mistake and restore your relationship with God, and confessing Him as your Lord and Savior. It’s like opening the prison door and stepping into freedom!
Freedom is a place. Ephesians 2:1-6 defines our plight before freedom and after freedom. “You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live...We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.” When we come to know Jesus, we gain citizenship in another world—right now—not in the distant future. We occupy space in the heavenly realm! Pretty amazing, I know, and difficult to wrap our heads around. Freedom in Christ happens when we not only look from earth to heaven for our salvation, but we begin viewing our circumstances by looking from heaven to earth. There is a freedom in viewing our life from the perspective of eternity.
Freedom is a verb. Let me reassure all my English teacher friends or grammar police officers that I know that “freedom” is actually a noun. But in order for us to obtain that position, it requires action on our part. Remember the story of the slaves in Galveston, Texas? Even though the proclamation was issued, it didn’t automatically guarantee their freedom. Someone had to spread the good news. Other people had to enforce the order. And those people who lived in chains for 2 ½ years from the date their freedom was declared had to walk out of their prison.
Accepting Jesus is the first step in walking in freedom, but it is not the last. Whether or not you recognize it, there is a war taking place in your mind. And the enemy’s strategy is to bombard you from within...convincing you that you are not really free. This enemy isn’t called the Father of Lies for no reason. He feeds thoughts into your mind and convinces you that they are your own. If you knew they were from Satan, you would be more likely to dismiss them.
I’ve struggled with this my entire life. That’s why I’ve believed lies like “I can’t function in social situations. I’m just not meant to enjoy being with people like normal humans.” Or “If people get to know the real me, they won’t like me.” I’ve accepted those ideas because they couldn’t possibly be lies, could they? No one knows “me” better than “me,” so if I think that about myself, it must be true. But that is exactly what the enemy wants me to think!
The most heart-wrenching part is that I have sat in the prison of my mind, with the door wide open, refusing to stand up and walk out. Why? Because I didn’t “feel” free. I believed that just beyond that open door is another door that will slam shut in my face. Why do I think that? The enemy is a strategist. Craig Groeschel explains it this way: “The Enemy has arranged enough hurtful circumstances, in key places of your life, in which you got just enough jolt—a bit of a shock, a sting of pain to your heart—that you have decided trying even one more time is just not worth the risk.”
During this week where we pause to celebrate freedom, I want to encourage you to take inventory of your life. Are there areas where you just don’t “feel” free? Maybe you have a relationship with Jesus, and you thought that step would make all the other steps fall in place, but you still feel bound. If that is you, I invite you on this journey with me—the journey to be free once and for all. The next few blog entries will look less like a Bible study and more like a reflection on what God is doing in my life. I confess that I don’t have it all together. And I definitely don’t have all the answers, but I believe that finding freedom in our thoughts—freedom from the lies—is the catalyst for finally walking in overflowing, abundant living. As a matter of fact, I’m counting on it.
Challenge of the Week
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you places in your life where you aren’t walking in freedom, areas where you struggle. Write down those areas.
Remember that freedom is a person. Galatians 5 says, “Beloved ones, God has called us to live a life of freedom in the Holy Spirit.” The only way we will ever be free is by walking each moment in the Holy Spirit. What does that look like this week? It means starting each day by asking the Holy Spirit to guide your life, to reveal His truth, and fill you with His power. It looks like finding a verse from the Bible that you can hold onto this week. Write it on a sticky note; place it on your fridge; attach it to the dashboard of your car, and say it out loud several times a day. Get those words into your heart.
Remember that freedom is a place. If you know Jesus, you occupy heavenly real estate in the spiritual realm. Ask the Holy Spirit to allow you to see those areas that plague you from your heavenly perspective. His provisions are limitless, His power unmatched, and His presence is closer than the air you breathe.
Remember that freedom is a verb. If you are like me and want to find freedom from those land mines in your mind, join me as I dive deep into this principle of renewing your mind and silencing the voices of the Enemy. We can do this together. God never called us to walk alone.
Until next time, dive deep and drown willingly. And stay inside the circle of His presence.
**I am currently studying two powerful resources that I will be sharing in this blog. I will be pulling valuable truths from these authors.
Winning the War in Your Mind by Craig Groeschel
Switch On Your Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf
