2 Corinthians 3:17, New Living Translation

"For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

If you were locked in a room and were given the keys to get out you would take them, right? So, why, when the Savior of the world, Jesus, has died for us and set us free, don’t we take the keys He got for us and walk out of our prisons?

Guilt and unforgiveness lock us in deep prisons. They hurt our minds, hearts, and spirits. Letting go of these heavy feelings opens the door to true peace and healing.

So, why does guilt keep us stuck?

We tend to look backward: it makes us live in past mistakes. We remind ourselves or others may remind us. Consequences may keep us in the past.

It creates shame: it tells you that you are bad. Once a bad person, always a bad person. That couldn't be more untrue! Jesus died for sinners! 

It blocks growth: it stops you from trying again. We let the enemy oppress us and speak lies to our minds.

What about unforgiveness? 

Unforgiveness hurts. It holds anger. It keeps old wounds fresh and bleeding. By harboring unforgiveness, whether it be towards ourselves or another person, it holds us back from our full potential.

Unforgiveness poisons peace: it steals your daily joy and rest.

How do you find freedom?

Admit the pain: name what hurts you or what you did wrong. 

Choose to let go: decide that you are ready to be free. You are tired of being in prison! 

Forgive yourself: accept that you are human and can change.

Spiritual prisons are those that Satan uses to cage us, and those we keep ourselves in.

The devil is a bluffer and a deceiver, and he makes people believe they are bound and have no way out

Jesus unlocked the cell door on the cross, but many of us stay inside out of habit. The door is open, yet old fears, daily habits, and guilt, keep us acting like prisoners. Walking free takes time and a choice to leave the past behind.

Jesus paid the price, so sin no longer has ultimate power over us. Like someone locked up for years, we get used to the chains and forget how to walk as a free person. We listen to fear: old thoughts, shame, and the voice of the past try to convince us that we are still trapped.

We stay in a spiritual prison because the familiar feels safer than the unknown. Fear, old habits, and comfort trap us behind invisible doors that are often unlocked. We think we cannot change or do not deserve freedom.

It takes daily choices to walk out in freedom. It is a daily choice to step past the open door and walk into the freedom that Jesus has given us.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (I Peter 5:8). The devil roams the Earth arresting people and putting them into his prison. Jesus came to set Satan’s captives free!

Freedom and liberty are yours through the divine blood of Jesus. It has broken the locks on all your prison doors, so realize it. Then by divine faith, stand up and walk out of that prison house in total freedom!