Choosing Freedom

. . . and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:32 & 36).

But though my wing is closely bound, My heart's at liberty; For prison walls cannot control The flight, the freedom of my soul. - Madam Jeanne Guyon

Your life is a mess? Your days are filled with hassles and pressures? There are times when the pain is so intense physically or emotionally that you want to fall into a limp heap on the floor and yell uncle or disappear into the darkness of the closet and close the door? The circumstances cannot be changed. You're in them and there's no way out. The door is locked.

Let me give you a word of encouragement. What do we mean when we speak of the soul? Well, the word soul comes from the Greek word psyche, referring to the invisible part of you, your personality (your mind, your will, and your emotions). Your soul is the real you, the person who laughs and talks, yells at the ball game, cries at sad movies, and sorts out all the information that comes into your mind.

There are people who are physically handicapped, whose bodies don't function as they should, but their soul functions—it's like they're in solitary confinement. There isn't any vehicle through which they can relate to the outside world. Their defective body has imprisoned their soul because of its inability to receive messages from the soul or give messages to the soul. But the soul is all right—the real person.

Keeping that in mind, and realizing that the soul can be separated, so to speak, from the body, consider this verse: Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper; The snare is broken and we have escaped (Psalm 124:7).

Do you see that though you may be mired in difficult or even tragic circumstances, your soul is capable of escape? Do you see that your ability to think and choose, regardless of your circumstances is free? Oh, you can't always choose to walk away from those circumstances, but you can choose to not let them control your thoughts. Your soul is free to wander where it will. The physical limitations that have been imposed on you in this world cannot place limitations on your soul. You choose with your free will what you set your mind on. Of course, your emotions won't fully understand. They don't have that capacity. They merely react. They can't think—they just feel.

Christ has set you free! Free from the tyranny of your flesh. God said it. That settles it.