Tuesday, May 21st, 2024
A couple days ago God gave me a vision of people in straitjackets. Some were fighting and struggling to get out. Others almost seemed content to be wrapped up. As if it was something keeping them safe and secure. In both cases some had on multiple straitjackets. I think many of us, if not all, can relate to this. Living in an imperfect world provides many opportunities for getting entangled in unhealthy cords. It could be sins we have committed, things others have done to us, or even things we pursued with good intentions that we may have elevated above God.
I believe we are in a season and will continue in this season where God is going to be removing these straitjackets. It’s not something we can fight to get out of. It’s not about figuring it out on our own. It’s about turning our sole gaze upon Him and trusting that He will remove them at just the right time. For some of us it’s about allowing ourselves to be vulnerable enough to let Him remove them. These are things some of us have lived with for our whole lives. The thoughts persist, “I don’t know who I am without it,” “I don’t like the thought of being exposed,” “What if others see what is removed? Will they judge me? Will they not like the person that remains?” I hear God saying that He isn’t going to take something away without giving us something even better.
A little later in the day, God gave me the rest of the vision. As I saw these people walking free of their straitjackets, I saw them starting to adorn themselves with other cloaks. Some were putting on jackets with “Peace” on the back. Others were choosing “Joy”. As far as I could see, were all the fruits of the Spirit. Galations 5:22-23 says:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
There was no longer a wondering over what they would wear or who they would be. They knew the best place to be was walking in the Spirit and choosing to express the fruits of the Spirit.
Final Thoughts…
You see, before these people could bear the fruits of the Spirit, they needed to deal with the things that would have choked them out. If they had tried to simply put the fruit of the Spirit cloak over their straitjacket, they wouldn’t be free to truly express and reflect the characteristics of God. Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) says:
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
If our heart is bound by any straitjacket, everything we do, think and say will be influenced by this entanglement. Love that is tainted by bitterness will never be genuine love. Goodness that is tainted by pride will never be genuine goodness. Peace that is tainted by fear will never be genuine peace. Patience that is tainted by control will never be genuine patience. Ask God to help you with anything that is keeping you from truly walking in the fruits of the Spirit. He desires our freedom even more than we do.