Three Things You Can Do Today to Be Free From Imprisonment In Your Life
Spiritual and emotional imprisonment refers to an awareness of being stuck or trapped against your will in a cycle of feelings, thoughts or actions that are harmful and undesirable. There are many ways in which we can be imprisoned, some key areas would include our relationships, self-image, and perceptions of success and money. For example, you may feel pressured to go into debt or buy things you cannot afford, or even work unrealistically hard to earn money so that you will feel accepted by our peers. Or you may be stuck in a rut of unproductive, hurtful relationships with others because you do not feel that you’re worthy of loving, healthy interactions with the people you chose to be close to. The realms of imprisonment that we can experience can be diverse, yet they all have one stark detail in common: they leave us feeling bound.
In addition, imprisonment makes it difficult to live an abundant life because it keeps us from experiencing the freedom of living our lives with the fullness of God’s promise and purpose for who He designed us to be. This is because we are symbolically chained to expectations, pressures, and even details of our past that we cannot seem to be released from.
If you are living in a space of imprisonment, it is likely that you may be feeling hopeless and helpless about your situation. You may be searching for answers and finding that no one can really understand what you are dealing with or that the solutions they offer to your circumstances seem insincere and vague. This can be very frustrating when you are actively trying to address your challenges or just don’t know where to get started. Yet there is hope to be found in the fact that the Holy Spirit is very concerned about everything you are dealing with and He is here to help you. Also know that there are things you can do today to start regaining your power from the things that have you bound.
- Check Your Spirit Walk: The bible says in Ephesians 6:12 that “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” So often when we are experiencing a manifested physical issue, we are tempted to keep our focus on finding an earthly solution. And while not all of our challenges are an indication of spiritual warfare, we have to be sure that we are engaging in an authentic relationship with God so that our ear is ever leaned to His heart for direction and discernment. Your feelings of imprisonment could be a clue in to your spiritual state, but if you are not connected to Him in prayer, bible reading and regular impartation of His Word through your church or community of believers, this may be overlooked and therefore left unaddressed. Start by connecting with God.
- Get Real With Yourself: If you’ve ever asked a sick child to articulate what’s making them feel ill, you may find that they have a hard time telling you exactly what the matter is. As a result, you may have to ask them several different questions in several different ways to find out what’s making them feel bad. As adults, this same kind of personal probing may prove useful. This is because most of the time, spiritual and emotional imprisonment are manifested outwardly through thoughts and actions which can clue us in to what’s going on internally. If you are feeling “stuck” begin by asking yourself why you feel stuck or what specific things in your life are creating that “bound” sensation so that you can begin to chip away at that chains. Generally, many of our challenges as it relates to spiritual and emotional imprisonment are linked to a thought. Luke 6:45 says “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Essentially this verse means that our reality (as it is experienced through feelings, thoughts and actions) is often a manifestation of our thoughts. For, example, the challenges you may be having with a desire to “keep up with the Jones family” could be linked to a thought that your worth and value is determined by what you possess, therefore you can’t break free of the impulse to do whatever it takes to “keep up.” Take some time, in whatever way feels comfortable to you, to begin keeping an active inventory of the thoughts, feelings and actions that you encounter when you become aware that you are feeling imprisoned.
- Stay Connected: If you’ve ever seen a documentary or program on men and women who are imprisoned in jails, one thing you will notice is that they often speak of feeling alone. Despite the fact that they are surrounded by other inmates or even receiving regular visits from family, they still feel alone. The same is true for those of us who may be experiencing emotional and spiritual imprisonment. This is because, although we may be constantly surrounded by others, we still may feel alone in what we are experiencing on the inside. We may believe that no one really understands us or that they will trivialize our problems which can lead to isolating ourselves or engaging in activities which further perpetuate the unhealthy state we are in. To counter this, it is important to stay connected with people we trust to hold our hand as we heal. It could be a close friend, someone from church or family member. Either way, having support from others during our journey is critical.
If you are experiencing imprisonment of any kind, know that you are not alone and that God desires to free you from your situation to experience a life of freedom. I hope that you have been blessed with some practical tools to put to use today after reading this blog. If you would like to dig a little deeper, I invite you to contact me today for a free 20-minute consultation to help you being unlocking the chains of imprisonment.
What a wonderful thing it is to have someone to step in and make a difference in your life and they happen to be two of the greatest men that changed my life as well, my big brother and my ex-husband. So glad that you’re one of the special people in my life that can give this testimony. I’m sure that they’re proud of themselves for having played such an important part in helping you become the special person that are.
Love You