In my work as a counselor, I encounter people every day in bondage. Many times, their bondage is self-imposed– a prison of their own making.

Some of us let the tapes of the past play and replay in our minds. We re-live our failures. We sometimes define ourselves by our failings and even imagine that others think of us that way, too. So we walk through life under a cloak of darkness not fully experiencing what God has for us.

Why do so many people not experience freedom? Why do abused women or men stay in abusive relationships? Why are some entrapped by pornography and can’t escape? Why are some not living up to their potential? Why do we stay in jobs that aren’t using our talents? Why are some of us living life by just existing?

Scripture tells us that sin is bondage. Freedom can’t be found if we are entrapped in the bondage of sin. Freedom can be found when we ask Christ to be our Savior and be Lord of our life… and then live a life of obedience. Freedom, true freedom, can only be found in God.

We are born with a sinful nature. And we need to recognize our propensity for sin. It’s a daily battle that is our responsibility to fight. We fight through the power of the Holy Spirit.  

When we ask Christ to be Lord of our life, we have assurance of eternity with Him but that is not all there is to the relationship. Our eternity is decided in that moment but that doesn’t give us a license to just go on living for ourselves until death. If we do that, what does that say about our real respect and understanding of Christ’s sacrifice?

The very essence of asking Him to be Lord means I should not think I am Lord of my life any more.

God desires us to know Him more, but He will not force Himself upon us. He gives us the freedom to choose how much we invest in knowing Him. We may want to “hear God” but what are we doing to facilitate that?

The Bible has everything we need to understand the God of the universe. So we begin by positioning ourselves appropriately as His servants desiring to learn about the God of the universe– not in a way that we get to decide if we accept parts of His word as truth and choose not to believe the parts we “disagree with.” He is God. We are not.

Living truly free means acknowledging God as the Almighty. It means trusting Him and wanting, most of all, to live in obedience to Him. Knowing that God is in control means you don’t worry or fret about anything. It means we know “in this life we will have trouble” so we aren’t surprised by difficulties or loss. It means knowing that anything that happens has passed through His hands, so we are to accept it as His will. We live wise and discerning lives that place importance on what God views as important. We live for Him and rely upon Him for everything. This is freedom.