Freedom vs. Captivity

"All experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed" (Declaration of Independence).

What is the captivator?  How do we free ourselves?  What makes us trapped in ourselves, by ourselves, for ourselves?

We do.

How does this occur?  Our choices or our lack of choices, our pride, desires, wants, needs … me.

Choices must be made, then reinforced, remade, reinstilled (freedom maintained, innocence maintained).  This is why the Lords people are a covenant making and covenant keeping people.

Entertain ourselves to death (spiritually), the great flaxen cord.

Choices beget choices.  Poor choices desensitize our natural ability to spiritually/emotionally connect/relate with the consequences.  Poor choices limit our ability to make correct choices later through desensitization, addiction, physical, spiritual or emotional imbalance.  Our poor choices also affect our fundamental belief system.  The more we turn away from any beliefs or principles that we hold to be true, the faster the sense of truth that surrounds those principles fades away.  We then become slaves to ourselves, our appetites and passions (etc.).  We become trapped in ourselves by ourselves.

When conflict occurs (between choices) the fundamental belief system that governed choice is challenged (belief, principles, doctrine).   There arises a need to discover the root of the conflict and then resolve.  This can be one of the scariest, most uncomfortable aspects of life.  Many people are turned off by these conflicts.  They then modify their belief system to avoid these conflicts instead of resolving them.  When not grounded in eternal truth, the compromise that follows is typically a very nondescript.

Correct choices made outside of ourselves, often in spite of ourselves, free us from ourselves.

Many of today’s youth have adopted the mentality of “I don’t care”.  They feel that this perspective will free them from the burden and fear that has been used as a primary motivator for head strong individuals (there is a difference between logical and illogical fear).

Caring has also been attributed to weakness in that we open ourselves up for pain and disappointment when those we care about act carelessly with the privilege and responsibility that has been given them as one who is cared for.

When choices/decisions/actions are forced upon an individual regardless of their merits we often become embittered by it.  Then, even if the outcome of these forced decisions are good, or result in a good gift being given (service, kindness, etc.) this gift is given grudgingly.  Then the individual giving the gift does not benefit from the act of giving because he does not internalize the benefits and merits of such a gift.  Then when the opportunity arises for this individual to give willingly he says, “I have already given, and it is enough”.  He therefore has condemned himself the second time.

Those who say that God does not exist can be categorized in 3 ways: Those who do not understand God, those who don’t comprehend, can’t accept or have false assumptions of eternal punishment and those who seek to become a law unto themselves.  All things are governed by law. Law is of necessity.