By Lori Altebaumer
"The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners." – Psalm 146:7
As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day with parades, concerts, cookouts, and fireworks, the podcast explores a deeper form of freedom: spiritual freedom from unforgiveness. The episode delves into how clinging to unforgiveness can feel justified and give a false sense of control, but ultimately, it only causes suffering to the person holding onto it.
Psalm 146:7 speaks of freedom as being unbound and set loose, yet unforgiveness binds us as prisoners of our own making. The podcast describes how bitterness grows in the fertile soil of unforgiveness, constricting our hearts and giving the enemy a foothold in our spiritual lives. By withholding forgiveness, we think we're punishing those who hurt us, but we're the ones imprisoned.
God offers the key to this self-imposed prison. In Christ, we are new creations (2 Corinthians
5:17) and can step into His promise of freedom at any time. Unlike nations that fight physical battles for freedom, our freedom is a gift from God when we surrender to Christ (Isaiah 61). Jesus Christ, who forgave His crucifiers, offers us the strength to let go of unforgiveness and receive the abundant life He promises (John
10:10).
The episode concludes by challenging listeners to accept God's offer of freedom by choosing to forgive, following Jesus' example (Luke
23:34).