Have you ever felt like you’re locked up in a prison? Not necessarily a county jail or state penitentiary, but perhaps an emotional, financial, or career prison, a mental or physical place that seems impossible to escape? If so, there’s hope. There’s a way out.
The prophet Isaiah tells how God has anointed Christ to come and deliver us from imprisoning circumstances. He wrote,
“I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house” (Isaiah 42:6, 7, KJV).
Christ is the power and presence of God at work within each of us enlightening thought with love, spiritual ideas and inspiration that deliver us from the woes of mortal existence.
The prison house Christ delivers us from is material sense, the belief system that life, intelligence, and substance abide in matter.
Christ is present to lift your thought to a higher level, to see what is possible with God. To discover boundless Life in Spirit!
Don’t be intimidated by material sense. Thought is always free to rise into a consciousness of pure healing Truth.
Exit the prison house of material sense and sing and soar with spiritual sense. Think freely and live freely!
O dreamer, leave thy dreams for joyful waking,
O captive, rise and sing for thou art free;
The Christ is here, all dreams of error breaking,
Unloosing bonds of all captivity.
(hymn 202)
Excellent posting Linda!!
Thank you Evan, powerful and freeing words. Made me think of these too:
“The Jury of Spiritual Senses agreed at once upon a verdict, and there resounded throughout the vast audience-chamber of Spirit the cry, Not guilty. Then the prisoner rose up regenerated, strong, free.”
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 442:5–8)
Thank you for the very appropriate hymn, Linda. And Ken, for reminding me of
the verdict in the trial scene in S&H – “not guilty”. We can all claim that strongly in every
situation in which we seem trapped in a mortal verdict. God knows us as innocent,
and what God knows about us is the spiritual fact – there is no material fact.
I am going to claim my innocence, and be my own judge in declaring that I am
not guilty of any of the problems trying to limit me at present. God has given all of
us dominion over every problem that would try and separate us from `him,
and would take away our God-given spiritual freedom if it could. But it can’t.
We are “fetterless and free” now – I can’t remember where that comes from
a hymn I think.
Of course, fetterless and free comes from Hymn 64 – From Sense to Sould
“The way leads upward and its goal draws nearer, / Thought soars enraptured, fetterless and free; / The vision infinite to me grows clearer, / I touch the fringes of eternity.
(Christian Science Hymnal, No. 64:3)
Thanks Maggie, “what God knows about us is the spiritual fact , there is no material fact”
It makes Life So much easy when when
We actually practice spiritually, dealing with the world ,each single day , sometimes a world a little confuse .
Thanks Maggie, “what God knows about us is the spiritual fact , there is no material fact”
It makes Life So much easy when when
We actually practice spiritually, dealing with the world ,each single day , sometimes a world a little confuse .
Thanks Evan sir as in scriptures “ that to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” and the Christ is here , all dreams of error breaking and lifting our thoughts to divine only.
Thank you Evan. Youare always inspired ! Grateful for spiritview !
In a way, we are all working our way out of the false imprisonment
of mortal sense into the heavenly freedom of Spirit/Love.
From Hymn 136, so pertinent to this topic and weather/storm/fire
related issues trying to demand our attention into believing our
thought be limited, like there is nothing that we can do:
“I love Thy way of freedom, Lord
To serve Thee is my choice,
In Thy clear light of Truth I rise And, listening for Thy voice,
I hear Thy promise old and new, That bids all fear to cease;
My presence still shall go with thee
And I will give thee peace…
Though storm or discord cross my path
The power is still my stay, Though human will and woe would check
My upward soaring way; All unafraid I wait, the while
Thy angels bring release, For still Thy presence is with me
And Thou dost give me peace….
I climb, with joy, the heights of Mind, To soar o’re time and space;
I yet shall know as I am known And see Thee face to face.
Till time and space and fear are naught
My quest shall never cease, Thy presence ever goes with me
And Thou dost give me Peace.”
Also, Pond and Purpose, the entire chapter in Mis Writings is a
wonderful inspiration that I turn to often, in rising thought to
a higher level, where pure Truth is delved into and realized.
Carol thank you for sharing this Hymn 136. I love it’s emphasis on serving God and on Peace and feeling release from fear. This is helpful regarding some work situations, trying to improving my attitude and raising my outlook to a higher understanding of my motives and what I am there to express and receive.
Thanks everyone and blessings as we come out of the many mental prisons error tries to trap us in, to see that we have never actually been in those prisons, but free in God.
Thank you Evan.Thank you all. The demonstrations we make every day because of the understanding we have actually proves that we have escaped the prison house.
Thank you, Evan, and everyone for all the sharing of hymns. Love it!
Perfect! Thank you
NOW are we the ideas (offspring; children)
of God…divine Mind…Life, Truth, Love!
There is only NOW.
(“Later” it will be now! Think about it!)
Do you mean, SpiritViewFan… like,
“Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday” ++ + +…. : )
NOW is always the Best time! whenever it is .. Being there is no “time”, Really….
Oh, what a blessing today SpiritView is! I found myself mired in a lot of unnecessary, stressful, thought with after so many of my family and love ones who seem to have pretty severe issues. But this morning, even before I opened SpiritView or the Lesson, I wrote this down: “I think I’ll turn the management of Her creation and Her children back over to God today!”
And all these beautiful, inspiring contributions have indeed unshackled & LIFTED my thought out of that confused darkness. What a PRICELESS gift we have in Christian Science.
Love & my deepest thanks to all
Annie your comment made me think of two things. One is a speaker I’ve listened to (not CS) who talks about how things improved greatly in his life when he realized he is “not managerial quality,” and started letting God do the arranging/managing/controlling/directing. Second is a poster I saw online (I printed it out and is now on my wall) that says:
“Good Morning, this is God.
I will be handling all your problems today.
I will not need your help.
So have a good day.”
I love those thoughts, Rose. Thank you. I have a little “God box” ~
mine is a little heart shaped box a dear friend gave me, where I
write on a slip of paper an issue I seem to be dealing with, that I
would like God’s “help” with and take myself out of, as you say,
the “managerial” aspect of it. “Not my will, but Thine be done”.
This helps take the burden off of thinking that I am the one or
we are the ones in this world, who are in control and handing
our so-called “problems” over to God. It is great to occasionally
look at the slips of paper and amazing to see how they have
become resolved.
My daughter uses a “God Box” just as you described Carol. She too says it is fascinating and instructive to look back at the slips later on and see how God has worked things out when we are willing to let go and trust Him. I’ve done it at times myself but not consistently.
“Fetterless Being” by Mary Barnes:
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/28u79xk2yf0
Excellent article. Thank you, J! ❤️
Yes, thanks very much “J” ! It’s a very helpful article! Specially inspiring is the metaphysical explanation of the story of Paul and Silas being released from the chains through their praying and singing praises to God! And all the other imprisoned were released, as well!
That’s really worth reading this article!♡
“Why should we wait?” by Cora Catherine Mason:
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/28g0u6p42s4
Thank you Evan
Thank you deeply Evan!♡
Already in former times I cleared my thoughts, knowing that the Christ is present in me working for good which leads to healing. And that healing is the release out of the mental prison, out of mortal sense, lifting us up to spiritual sense, as Evan mentions!
I always love the wonderfully comforting and inspiring hyms. And I am also very grateful for the very helpful articles here. Thank you dear “J”.
Thank you all….this has been a uplifting experience for me to read all of your comments inspired by Evan’s lesson.