We live in the land of the free but are you really free?

We are able to do whatever we want, when we want but are you imprisoned because of it?

Some of you may be wondering what I’m talking about; I’m talking about being enslaved by the very things that make us free – money, fame, success, power.

We are free to pursue happiness but too often we have become enslaved to the pursuit.

We are free to be successful but some lose have lost their footing when climbing the ladder.

We are free to make money and lots of it but money has become our idol. We worship it, bow down to it, and are all consumed by it.

We are free to explore and create all this great technology but we are under the spell of it.

We panic when we can’t find our phone; we check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Email every 5 minutes.  Some end up spending a whole afternoon or a whole day fixed on the internet instead of having lunch with friends, playing with their kids, or spending time with God.

In our search for liberty and freedom, we have instead lost sight of it.

Just think about it for a moment, when money has a hold on you, you usually end up in debt which causes you to be filled with worry, anxiety, stress; you can’t enjoy life or the things that got you into debt because you’re constantly worried about paying your bills…does that sound like freedom to you?

What about people who long for fame, they do whatever it takes to become famous but when the glamour wears off and the reality sets in, the only way to cope is through drugs and alcohol…does that sound like freedom to you?

What about us women, we are free to dress however we want, to wear as much or as little clothing as we wish but then what, we become captive to the need to look better than the next, we become envious of each other and like the saying goes ‘we spend money we don’t have, to buy things we don’t need, to impress people we don’t like’ that sure doesn’t sound like freedom to me. 

I say all of this only because I am guilty of it.

Not too long ago I found myself bound by worry and filled with a sort of restlessness, I was constantly worried about tomorrow and the future, so much so that I was completely oblivious to what was going on ‘today.’

When I finally realized what I was doing and realized the spell that I was under, I knew I had to break it.

I had no control over tomorrow but it sure did have control over me.

So what are we to do?

My go to advice is to give it to God, pray about it and then do something about it. He intended us to be free but this is not the free he had in mind.

I now live by and am encouraged by this quote:

“Do not be afraid of tomorrow, for God is already there.” – Unknown

I cannot tell you how much peace I am in now; I still plan for the future but more importantly I am enjoying today.
Although this is only one chain out of many that I’ve broken, it’s still a great feeling.

What about you, what is it that has you captive or had you captive?

Did you break free and how did you feel? Are you stuck and don’t know how to get out?

Believe it or not we are all slaves to something and if you’re willing to share, I’d love to hear about it.

Either way I only hope this helps you take a look at things in a different perspective.

As always, thanks for visiting and God Bless. 

“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 NIV)

(I have to give credit to my pastor, Jack Hibbs, his message is what inspired this post.)