Freedom or Bondage?

Keith and I were privileged to go to a hospital in Tyler and pray for our ladies' leader yesterday morning before her surgery. Sitting with her family yesterday, these thoughts came to me, therefore the reason for this post.

As Christians, we all try to live a life pleasing to Him. That is our ultimate goal. But most of us, at one time or another, have been approached by people and told, "You can't do this," or "Why can't you do that?" We are told that we are brainwashed or are living in bondage. What came to me yesterday, after watching this lady's family (a husband and a daughter), is if I am brainwashed and living in bondage, then I want to be brainwashed even more. I want to be bound up tighter than ever! Her husband is bound by an addiction that causes him to have to go outside and do his thing every thirty minutes. Once an alcoholic, he went from that addiction to another, plus the need to go outside every thirty minutes. On top of that, he felt the need to ask if we minded if he went outside for a little while! Of all things!!! If he's free, why couldn't he go outside without our permission???

The daughter, who at one time lived for God, is now an alcoholic. Her addiction has gotten so bad (since I have known her), that she couldn't even make it up to the hospital to see her own mother before surgery!!! She is only 5 months older than myself, but looks to be about 10-15 years older. When she did make it to the hospital (3 PM), she was accompanied by a can of energy drink, but the smell that came from the can wasn't the energy drink! I'm in bondage??? If I am, I thank God for the chains that have me bound!

The world seems to think that it can set the agenda on what should go or shouldn't. It wants to set the style changes. It wants to set what should be called right or wrong, but the last time I checked God's Word, it was FOREVER settled on what was sin or not!!! It seems the longer that I know Him, the things of this world grow more dim. The closer I draw to Him, it makes me just want to be that much closer.

After coming home yesterday evening, while working in the yard, I couldn't help but sing this song:

I'm free, so free
I, in the Spirit, the Spirit in me
I'm rejoicing because
I am not what I was
Thanks to Calvary's tree
I'm free!