Learning Freedom

Sometime back I talked about Learned Helplessness along with Signs & Freedom involving Learned Helplessness. I hope that those posts have put to words and defined things you may have struggled or are struggling with. I mostly hope they have helped you break free or give you tools to help your specific issue(s). But how about Learning Freedom afterwards? Let’s delve in and hash out some ideas.

It was for this freedom that Christ set us free [completely liberating us]; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [which you once removed].Galatians 5:1 (AMP)

The context of the above Scripture is in reference to the Law given in the Old Testament and our relation or lack thereof to it. I could go into all the ramifications of this but this particular post is about much more real life than theological pandering. So Christ has set us free, is setting us free, and will set us free. But how do we learn freedom?

There are generally two types of non-freedom we are in or can be in.

Captive: one who is taken or held apart from their will, confined, held under control of another but having the appearance of independence

Prisoner: one who breaks the law and is subject to correction or imprisonment due to wrong actions or choices

Captives can be freed via having a greater authority or power than the person keeping them captive.

Prisoners can be freed via a legal process.

Isaiah 61:1 says,

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners

Here we see liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners. There is hope for both. There is hope for me and you.

If you want to Learn Freedom or are Learning Freedom you have to choose freedom or at least make advances towards it. If you are like me you can attest to the fact that once you got saved you were delivered from a bunch of stuff…but some things remained. In my posts Generational Deliverance and Soul Ties(which I think I need to update) I posted some tools for getting free from some of that remaining junk. Anywhoozel how to go about Learning Freedom

Have you ever been scared of freedom? Have you fought actively against freedom? It’s possible you may have Stockholm Syndrome of some sort. Or, like me, you’ve been used to bondage. There is no shame in it. It happens. But we must get free.

There is an interesting dynamic to inmates who have been in prison for their whole adult life. They cannot assimilate with society because prison is all the know. They have been institutionalized. One of the saddest scenes in The Shawshank Redemption is the death of Brooks Hatlen. A man who was in prison all his life was finally freed only to not know how to live. We need to know how to live and not just survive.

As Arthur Burk says we can only be delivered to zero but after that we need to grow. Most of us have been born in the negative. Whether it’s alcoholism, drug addiction, poverty, abuse, or you name it, we need to get free and delivered. We need to get up to zero. But to get above zero we need to grow…we need to learn freedom. To learn freedom it would take a series of books to go through all the nuances and specifics of each story and each specific detail. There is a plethora of material I could point to you (please ask if you are curious) regarding many different way to freedom. I’m not the kind of person who is bound to one stream. All (almost all) steams have their specific tool and will help specific people with specific things. However, one stream can never be a catch-all.

Freedom often comes in increments. Sometimes all at once. Why doesn’t all freedom come all at once? Well, you’ll have to take that up with the Father. Most of our issues didn’t come all at once so I guess our freedom generally won’t come all at once (like I said earlier, sometime we get delivered from a lot of things but then there the few things that tend to hold on).

There are some ministries (programs) that measure freedom by minutes, days, months, and years. Some measure freedom by the intensity of the manifestation involved during the process. Some is based on behavioral changes (modification) and still others is based on the finished work of Jesus are there is never and will never be the need for freedom because we already are there. Many stream preaching their own way and usually saying it’s the only way. Not me.

Freedom will take many shapes, modes, colors, paradigms, streams, avenues, streets, paths etc. If measuring your freedom helps you to learn then, by all means go with it, as long as it doesn’t become a religious thing. If it takes a manifestation then let it be genuine and altering and not just a show. If it takes behavior changes (modification) then let it be breathed on by the Spirit to regain the habits and forge new neural pathways. If it’s simply by the finished work of the Cross (which all true freedom ultimately comes back) then let that freedom come and walk it it but, I say this very carefully and humbly, never hide behind it. What I mean by that is that if you have a real issue and nothing changes then there might be something God may have you do. Don’t stuff it or think it will go away, it might but it might not. God will oftentimes have you co-labor with Him in your freedom walk. You never know when you get out of something and strive for freedom that God will give you a new tool and that tool can be added to your toolbox to help others who were in your same steps. I heard someone say once that when all you have in your toolbox is a hammer then everything looks like a nail. God wants to give us His multi-faceted, poly variegated, multi-colored wisdom and this wisdom comes with being fiercely intentional in learning freedom.

Learning freedom comes with using passionate purposive action and belief. It comes with getting out of your current boxes of beliefs and values and making room for God’s wisdom. Learning freedom comes with make changes and steps that will bring change. Learning freedom comes when you step out into the discomfort of new experiences without the common crutches you’ve learned to rely on. Learning freedom comes from gaining the ability to discern the roots to chop and the roots to nurture. Learning freedom may take a gigantic leap or just a baby step. Learning freedom comes when you know your Father is with you and in you, urging you forward and being there when you fall. Learning freedom comes when realizing you can be truly free. Learning freedom comes when you shed off the label of “wretch” and attach the label of “son.”

How have you learned freedom? Please comment! There is so many other aspects to learning freedom but for word count’s sake I’ll end it here.

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