Saturday, October 3, 2009

Freedom

Ted sits on a cot in a dank prison cell void of sunlight. He longs for his wife and three kids. He shares his small room with an obese man who seldom speaks. Tears run down Ted’s cheeks as he remembers his choice to sell drugs on the violent streets of New York City. Images have been surfacing on the canvass of his mind. He sees their faces. Young kids feeding their addiction through his ample supply. He grew rich by selling crack cocaine and other drugs to hundreds of them. He looks inside himself and sees only darkness. It's as if his heart is enveloped in a black cloud.

He thinks of Sarah, his wife, and pictures her cradling their youngest child. She weeps. Then he remembers his friend Joe, who often told him of the saving power of Jesus. Joe would tell him of the blood of Christ that frees us. He said there was no sin the Savior wouldn't forgive. Somehow at that moment Ted understood that the walls of the prison he was in were not the only confining elements in his life. He realized that his heart was also chained. He felt the burden of his misdeeds like a heavy weight pulling down on his soul.

He cried out to the Savior, “Lord of Heaven, I have lived my life apart from you for so long. Would you take me back? Jesus, I ask you to save me and to wash me of my sin. With your help I decide to follow you. Lord I give my life to you. Thank you for accepting me as I am. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.”

The light of God's Son filled Ted's being and every bond that held his cold heart burst apart. He felt as free as an eagle in its prime. Ted soon joined a Bible study in the prison. He hungered after God and devoured the Scriptures. He became a light and an example to other inmates. Ted was still incarcerated, but in his heart and soul he felt as free as a bird. Still to this day, his face beams with childlike joy.

Though this story is a fictional one, it may as well be true. Countless thousands of prisoners have embraced Christ and found a freedom that can only be explained as coming straight from heaven. You too can find freedom in your soul no matter what your life circumstances are. All of us have sinned – we all need a Savior. No matter how good we may think we are we are all stained by sinful deeds. If we haven't accepted Christ as our Savior, we are actually living in darkness.

The only way to come into the light is to believe with all your heart that Jesus died for your sins and rose again and to declare Him as the Lord of Your life. Once you do that you too will be free. If you haven't done so why not pray a prayer like the one below and start your new life of freedom in Christ.

Dear Lord Jesus,

I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I have missed the mark. I ask you, Jesus, to forgive me of my sins and to come into my heart to live there forever. I believe that you died for me and rose again. Jesus, I choose to follow you all of my days. Thank you for loving me. I surrender all to you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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