Things to Remember Next Time I'm in Prison

There is a beast that thrives on fear.  It is made stronger the more we shrink away and grows each time we try to make ourselves a little smaller.  The thing that holds us back is not what we have done nor what we could do, but the fear that accompanies it.

Sin is a poison we all know well.  It has flooded our veins on countless occasions.  But it is not the prison that hold us captive.  We are kept back from the antidote to sin by a barrage of fears.

We fear other's opinions and the possibility of disapproval.  We fear failure the same way we fear success.  We fear getting the right answer at the wrong time and we fear getting the wrong answer at the right time.  We fear letting go of our old ways because we do not know what will remain in their place.  We fear that we are not enough, that we are too much, that the past may be too powerful, and that the future may be too dim.

Our fears are slowly devouring us alive.  They are the chains that bind us to our sinking ways.

We must break free or we will drown.

We will never be strong enough to break free, but we need not drown.  There is One who is stronger and who loves us to much to watch us suffer the effects of sin any longer.  He tells us, "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).

Our prison door is swinging open and a voice is beckoning us to step into the world, to leave behind all of our suffering.  Now all that is left for us to do is to swallow our pride, ask for His strength, and seek His freedom.  Stand up, friend, stand up.

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