Can You Find Your Keys?

        

                                         

    I have a big, black purse that seems to swallow up everything that goes into it. My family calls it "the black hole." One of the most difficult things to find in it are my keys. There have been many times I have had to dump everything out and sort through all the junk in order to find them. It is always a desperate search because without my keys, I can't get anywhere. 
     Some of the keys to life have been just as hidden and hard to find. I've had to dump everything out and sift through the mess to find them. The search is always worth the effort, though. 
    Today, I'll share the first key. This is the key to real, lasting and true freedom...and who doesn't want that door unlocked? 
    How many of us consider ourselves free, but are being bound by the invisible yoke of slavery? It all depends on where you are looking for freedom. Here are some questions to determine where you might be looking and what chains may have you bound:

     1) Is your self-worth tied to what others say about you?
     2) Are you living with hurt, bitterness and unforgiveness in your heart?
     3) Do you make decisions based on your feelings?
     4) Does your performance/accomplishment make you feel valuable and good about yourself?
     
    These are just a few of the things that can entangle us. If you aren't sure whether you may be enslaved to any of these or something else, pray and ask God to open your eyes to the hidden places of bondage in your heart and mind. If you still aren't certain, you can ask your spouse or a close friend to be honest with you...they'll let you know. Be prepared, it is hard to have our weaknesses exposed, but it is the first step in the key to freedom.
    There is a key to a glorious life that is not controlled by any of these things. It is the secret that I have had to learn. It is a key that we have all been given...we only have to choose whether we will use it or not. The secret is this: The more you know and are surrendered to God, the more freedom you will experience. I used to think it was the opposite...that I would be stifled, held down by rules and not able to have any fun if I surrendered everything. That is perhaps the biggest lie that keeps us from using our most important key...pursuing a deep, intimate relationship with the One who willingly paid the highest price for our freedom. 
    It is in the pursuit of knowing Him and how He sees you...beautiful, unique, His beloved...that you will find the freedom you have been looking for. It rarely happens overnight, but if you start today; praying, reading and studying His Word, listening to His quiet whispers to your heart...you will be one step closer than you have been. 
    We all have things from which we need to be set free. God so loves us that He sent His only Son to die for us to have real freedom from hurt, bitterness, unforgiveness, insecurity, fear of man, and a works-based, legalistic way of thinking and living.
     It is time to stop living blind and bound! It is time to reach your arms to heaven and shout the words in Galatians 5:1, "It is for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore stand firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." 
    So, dump out your life before God, let Him sift through the mess and help you find the key. After all, you have places to go!