You’re Liberated and Free

When I worked as a minister in the County Jail, I had to pass through a metal detector and six heavy, electronically locked doors before I could even see an inmate or lead a Bible study. It’s a strange and isolating feeling to know you cannot leave unless someone else decides to open those doors. When the doors in the klink go “klink” as you enter inside, you really do feel like just a number.

I often asked the inmates what they would do if a deputy suddenly unlocked every door and announced, “You’re all free to go.” They just laughed at the obvious answer—of course they would rush out without hesitation, never looking back!

The devil has most of this world locked up in the prison of sin. Jesus said, “Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it” (Matthew 7:13). But for those who belong to Christ, the doors have been thrown wide open. We are no longer trapped. We are free. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

If you’ve been forgiven, don’t walk back into the cell of your old life. Flee the prison of sin and don’t look back! Don’t return to the bondage that once chained you. In Christ, you’ve been liberated. Now you can say “no” to sin through the power of the Holy Spirit, and joyfully live in the liberty of doing all things to the glory and honor of the One who set you free.