Today I want to speak to you about Bondage and Freedom in order to help you get from the state of being in bondage into the state of freedom and to help people understand what bondage really is where it comes from in our lives; and to help understand what freedom really is? Personal freedom, spiritual, emotional, physical and understanding the state of and the crises of financial freedom can all be known over time, so stay with me here today!

Today I want to give you the definition of bondage and freedom and give you a few questions you can ask yourself figure out where you are on the scale of bondage and freedom and, to help you move from one state to another.

What is bondage? Bondage is the inability to act, speak or do according to your own free will and inner guide.

What is Freedom? Freedom is the ability to move about, act, think, speak and do as you desire without imposed hindrances or restrictions. The bible says, “If there had been any law whereby this freedom could be compelled, then verily by the law would that freedom have been given.” If there had been a way that god could have compelled man to be fully equipped with all his freedom and still remain an individual, then God would have, and we would not have to strive for our freedoms.

Freedom Has its Restrictions

Instead, God created man with the freedom to discover himself. And after experiencing a bit of freedom in one area, we are filled with an inner desire for more freedom in other areas in our lives. But, even freedom has its restrictions. Yes, I am free to kill, but that would create emotional, spiritual and physical bondage and create pain in the lives of others.

So, with freedom, comes responsibility to use it for our own good first, and for the good of others, and of course the world around us. We should never be reckless with our freedom. See, God never designed suffering for vengeance but, suffering comes as a result of our wrong use of the law of freedom and bondage.

All suffering is the result of ignorance and the wrong use or application of Divine Laws. Holmes says in the Science of Mind that suffering or evil is neither person, place or thing, but is an experience which we are allowed to have because of our divine individuality or freedom, until through negative experiences we learn to use the law in positive ways or affirmatively. For instance...

God does not punish the mathematician

God does not punish the mathematician; the unsolved problem does. We are not necessarily punished for our sins, but by them. Sin is therefore its own punishment, and righteousness is therefore, its own reward. In this sense, we are the delivers of our own freedom and bondage, and the creators of our own joys and pains.

Here-in lies the irony of personal freedom. It is absolutely and always in our own power to control.

Intellectually speaking, we have the mind of God. We know we have the Mind of God but yet we live in chronic states of poverty, ill health, depression and confusion. It’s brothers against brothers and sisters against sisters Mothers against daughters and Fathers against sons. Our families are chronically ill and drug addiction is robbing us of our very souls.

Systems that Enslave Us!

The biggest causes of these problems lie in 1. Religion and harsh, judgmental religious beliefs. 2. The race belief and focus on sin, sickness, scarcity and death and our 3. Education systems teaching us erroneous ideas of life and creation and not equipping our children with knowledge of God and creation and love.

These have caused us to turn from the knowledge of loving God and love, to a punitive God and suffering. Instead of waiting for a “judgement day,” we’ve started early and begin judging ourselves and others harshly now. And they have also taught us to rely on these systems for our knowledge and we criticize those who forge for truth outside these traditional teaching forums. 4. Television, Reality shows. How illicit and ignorant behavior is glorified in the media for financial gain. Even if people do act this way in their own real personal lives, who is there to guide them. They may have parents that have tried and failed?

Religion, beliefs, the education systems and television in themselves are not “bad,” but it’s the use we make of them?

1. The first question I want you to ask yourselves is, “Am I in bondage?

2. Am I in emotional bondage- what has a hold on me emotionally? Does it have anything to do with the race belief system of sin, sickness, scarcity and death?