Devotionals

MY OWN PRISON

by Jason Barnett 
04/06/17
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If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  1 JOHN 1:9 (NKJV)

Nathan aimed both barrels directly at David. This puny man, wielding God’s word like a shotgun, waltzed into his chamber and was now holding the king hostage. Like buckshot tearing through flesh, the words “You are this man!” echoed through the chambers of David’s soul.

David knew that his actions were wrong. His eyes had found pleasure in the beauty of a bathing woman, but that quickly changed to lust. The dark desire had taken the elegance of Bathsheba, used her, and then discarded her as rubbish. To make matters worse, Bathsheba belonged to another man, a soldier named Uriah. After trying everything to cover up the stain, the only way David could blot it out was by snuffing out Uriah.

 Just when David thought the coast was clear, there he stood trapped in the vice of his words. Chasing a momentary pleasure had led David to this quagmire. He had traded the freedom of grace for criminal chains. All David could mutter was, “I have sinned.”

As humbling and humiliating that phrase is for us to utter, there is a hidden charm in our shame. When we are all finished hiding, God hears our confession and whispers something incredible into our ears. “I love you. You are forgiven.”

We all have fired an arrow and missed the target, not because we are a terrible shot, but with purposeful intention. This is called sin, knowingly breaking the laws of God. Not that following all the rules saves us; rather it demonstrates the condition of our hearts. Do we love God or ourselves?

Choosing self always leads to sin, which traps us every time. We become stuck in a room, the door only closed because we keep it that way. Fear, guilt, shame, and ignorance become our merit badges as we adjust to the confines of ascetic incarceration. Eventually we become comfortable in our own cell, unwilling to risk our dignity for freedom.

Jesus said, “Unlike you, the pleasures you seek, and the things glued to this world that keep you in chains, I am your way out. I am the door that leads to life.” He has already opened the door we forgot is accessible. All we have to do is say, “I have sinned” and we will be stuck no longer! 

Like a sweet jam spread over a piece of bread, we can taste life. No funky after taste or unsettledness of the stomach. This freedom comes with no rushes to the bathroom. Liberty with zero strings attached. Jesus has truly set us free, if we choose to be.