The prisons in our mind are fortified with negative thoughts. Out minds are attacked with thoughts that feed our fear, thoughts of helplessness, confusion, and failures. Thoughts of all our failures, all the terrible things we've been through, thoughts of the things we've done wrong, thoughts of the things we've lost, thoughts of the people we've lost, thoughts of missed opportunities, thoughts of the sin we've committed, thoughts of the sin in our life, thoughts of the negative and hurtful things people have said to us, thoughts of personal attacks to our character, thoughts of how unimportant and unloved and unlovable we are, thoughts of guilt, and thoughts of why we don't deserve to be loved or happy. These thoughts are the metal bars, walls and gates that keep us in prison. These thoughts are our stumbling blocks, our enemy. These thoughts take the wind out of our sail. They take the water from beneath the boat. They take the engine out of the car.
We can break free from these prisons and we have help. Many verses in the Holy Bible are about freedom. We can be set free from these misconceptions, these lies that we believe about ourself and our life, wrongful believing about who God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are to us, and sin. Some of my favorite Bible truths are that Jesus is for us not against us, he will never leave us nor forsake us, and that if God is for us then who can be against us?
It takes hard work to break free from our personal prisons because we have to acknowledge that we have a prison we need to be set free from. We have to search the scriptures and learn the promises and the facts about who we are in Christ. The internet is a great place to find scriptures on specific topics that we can find and read in the Bible. Don't let your eyes fog over and say well I knew there was a catch. Jesus planned to die for you before you were born so that you can be filled with the Holy Spirit and have a direct line of communication with our heavenly father. When you get out in left field, Jesus searches for you until he finds you and brings you back to the fold. You cannot work for salvation. Your works will not get you into heaven. Only your faith in Jesus's love and sacrifice will do that. You can't belittle what Jesus did for you by trying to work your way into heaven. That's already been done, to God be the glory. Praise and honor to Jesus Christ our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer.
You will have to learn how to train your mind and what you think. You will have to bring into submission your emotions when they try to run away from you or prevent you from living your best life. You have to bring into submission the negative thoughts and consciously replace them with positive, godly, holy thoughts. You are God's child, his creation, his baby. He is protective and he is going to teach us what we need to know and do so we will live a life bearing the fruit of the spirit which are love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, self control, patience, gentleness, and goodness.
There are numerous verses in the Bible about being set free. Search the scriptures. Read a daily devotional. Dwell on scripture, God's promises, who we are in Christ, think on those things which are good and godly. God wants for us to live a more than abundant life. He wants for us to be healthy, whole, and to live in peace with inner joy. These things come from him and knowing him, having a relationship with him. Communication is key to a relationship. Talk to God. Tell him everything. He wants to hear you say every detail and set yourself free from that heavy baggage. There were times in my life that I felt so unworthy to be loved by God but I found out that some of the most amazing things that he's done for me was during those times. He is fighting for us, always working in the background to turn things in our favor. Do yourself a favor, put your trust in God.
Lisa C
