Trying to keep God in a box is like trying to bottle up the ocean. The enemy of our soul tries to box us in to keep us from experiencing our position of freedom in the Lord. Jesus didn’t die on the cross and rise from the grave to be confined. He conquered the grave so that we could be free. Free to be all He has called us to be. Free to enter boldly into His presence. Free to choose Him. Free to be free!
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:17
Jesus offers us His yoke, which leads to freedom. The enemy offers us control, which leads to enslavement. The enemy’s goal is to steal our freedom, to box us in and to clip our wings. Jesus desires to empower us by His Spirit, expanding us so that we’re able to walk fully in who He has called us to be – His sons and daughters. Each with a unique gift, from the same Spirit, that is far too grand to be boxed in.
In Jesus, we have been set free! Why do we put the lid back on our freedom at times?
I’d like to share 3 actions that will lift the lid off the box and enable us to enjoy the gift of freedom we have in Jesus.
- PRAISE
Praise brings freedom. Remember the story of Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16:22-26)? They were actually imprisoned for setting a demonized girl free. They were stripped, beaten, severely flogged, placed in stocks, and put in an inner cell. Paul and Silas began to pray and sing hymns to the Lord. The earth started quaking, the prison doors flew open and chains were loosed.
Jesus came to set the captives free. As we begin to praise the Lord, the atmosphere begins to shift. Our “prison” doors open up. The “chains” of the enemy are loosed. And our eyes are opened to the freedom we have in Jesus.
- PARDON
Forgiveness lifts the top off the box. One of the Hebrew words used in Scripture for forgive means to lift off. The enemy tries to box us in with shame, bitterness, and unforgiveness.
Consider the story of Joseph. Although he was sold into slavery and wrongly imprisoned, he chose to forgive. He was able to tell his brothers:
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20
Are you willing to trust God with the wrongs that have been done to you? Are you willing to forgive? Forgiveness releases freedom!
- POWER
On this side of the cross and resurrection, as followers of Jesus, we have the powerful indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We also have the powerful, active Word of God. We must have both the power of the Spirit and the power of the Word active in our lives. They are both freely available for us to plug into.
I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. Psalm 119:45
Do you know God’s Word? Do you seek it out? Jesus did. When the enemy tried to deceive Him with temptation, Jesus spoke Scripture to refute the lies (Luke 4:1-13). The Word of God brings freedom and cannot be boxed in because it is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). No matter what the enemy does to stop God’s Word from being proclaimed, it cannot be chained (2 Timothy 2:9).
If you’re feeling boxed in rather than free, I encourage you to dust off your Bible and crack it open. I am living proof of the freedom, life, and joy that will come as you begin to read God’s Word and allow it to read you.
Don’t allow the enemy to steal the freedom that Jesus paid for you to have. Begin to praise the Lord in the midst of your confining circumstances. Seek out forgiveness when needed and forgive others when they sin against you. Dig into God’s Word for fresh vision and understanding and continue to be plugged into the power of the Holy Spirit.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
Jesus left the tomb empty, but He makes our cups full. Filled to overflowing, beyond boxing in or bottling up.
You have been set free!
