I was listening to a sermon the other day and the guy was talking about a time he ministered in a Nicaraguan prison. As he described some of the darkness there and the heaviness…I began to realize that even though I’ve never been to prison, I’ve experienced some of those feelings.
Have you ever felt like you are a prisoner?
There have been many nights when I’ve woken up and felt panic. Where did it come from? Why was this happening?
I would wake up with a feeling of suffocation. As if the sky was pressing down on me and I had no means of escape. I would have to actively tell myself, “This isn’t real. I can breathe. I am free.”
Have you ever felt this? I know I’m not the only one.
Many bad decisions can come from this position of feeling trapped. There’s another valuable lesson I’ve learned over the years…never make a decision from a position of panic. Never. Never make a decision when you feel rushed on the inside. Never allow others to make you feel rushed into a decision. If you do, it might lead to feeling this prison on the inside.
Is this too vague? I don’t know if I’m conveying this idea well…but I’m trying.
One trick of the enemy is…rush.
How many people have ended up in a real prison because of a split second, rushed decision? Many, I would imagine. It’s not different for us.
The enemy doesn’t care how he locks us up, as long as we are locked up. I know so many people who are prisoners of their own sin. Prisoners of their past. Prisoners of bad decisions. Prisoners of the fear of making bad decisions. The list seems to never end.
We don’t have to live like this!
When we refuse to invite God into our daily life, or our mistakes, we choose prison. The prison of self-righteousness. The prison of pride. The prison of having to hide because we don’t want others to know our real struggles.
Friends, it’s just not worth it. Hiding behind pharisaical facades is a waste of our lives.
As I continued listening to the sermon, I felt my spirit praying and as I did, I heard God saying that freedom resides in our hearts and is not circumstantial. It’s an inside job, just like joy.
To be free indeed, our hearts must become free. Our minds must be freed by the Truth. Our conscience must be free. Prison comes for us when we imagine our future without God in it. Freedom comes when we invite Him back in and allow Him to show us our true future.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19
365 Days in the Presence 