Isaiah 61:1, NIV
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me . . . to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”
Many of the people who read this daily devotional are in prison! But some are in prison twice over!! All can know the freedom that only Jesus, the Sovereign Lord, can bring into our lives, wherever they are and whatever their present circumstances may be.
The prisoners the Bible is talking about here are not those who are experiencing punishment in an earthly jail, but every single one of us who, through sin, is eternally separated from a holy God. As a result of sin we have all been born in a ‘jail of mankind’s own making’. Satan is the jailer – and all of mankind has come under his control.
The only one who can release us from this eternal jail is the One who never sinned – Jesus, the Son of God. When He died, He took the punishment for everyone who was born within the jail. He has the key of freedom and He offers that key to everyone who believes and chooses to accept Him as their Saviour. He is the Doorway to Freedom. And not only can He free us from sin’s jail, He is also the only one who can open the gates of Heaven for us. When we accept the fact that we are sinners and ask Him to be Lord of our lives, we are freed from the eternal jail and can begin a new journey into the purposes of God for the rest of our lives – on both Earth and in Heaven.
And what about those reading this devotional who are also in an earthly jail and could, therefore, be in prison twice over?! I want you to know that even in jail you can be more free than people who are not in prison! They may be free to live their lives as they please, but without Christ they are in eternal bondage. You may still be in an earthly jail, but with Christ you can already have eternal freedom – and can now prepare for that day of release when you begin life all over again with Jesus as Lord of the rest of your days on earth and eternity in Heaven as well!
Prayer: Thank You Jesus for dying on the cross so that I may have eternal freedom. Help me to humbly ask God for forgiveness, so that I might be free to live the rest of my life released from the consequences of sin and set free to serve God all my days. In the name of Jesus. Amen.