šļø Bird Cage YOUāRE FREE! š
šļø Bird Cage
YOUāRE FREE! š
The Door Is Open ā What Are You Waiting For?
John 8:36 (KJV)
āIf the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.ā
Written by Lauretta Scott
iPublishub-Books ā Publishing with Purpose & Faith
š¶ Praise the LORD, Iām FREE!
Oh, yāall!
There is an old gospel song about being free, no longer bound, and having your soul at rest!
PRAISE THE LORD! IāM FREE!Ā šš½š„
Now, THAT song right there takes me all the way back!
Back to the early days of my salvation!
Back to my new beginnings with God!
Back to June 1990, when I was baptized in Jesusā Name and filled with the precious gift of the Holy Ghost!
OH, WHAT A GLORIOUS TIME! šš½
I remember being so on FIRE for God! š„
Nothing was going to stop me from pressing my way through!
Not the tests!
Not the trials!
Not the opposition!
NOTHING!
I loved going to church then, and I still love going today!
But there was something so beautiful about those early days when everything seemed fresh, exciting, and new.
I was learning how to walk with God, how to trust Him, and how to surrender my life completely to His will.
But yāall know something?
Just because you are saved doesnāt mean you wonāt be tested!
OH, NO!
As the years passed, the fire of testing began to turn up!
And I mean TURN UP! š„µš„
Iām talking about that fiery furnace kind of heat!
Yāall know what Iām talking about, right?!
The kind of testing that makes you wonder whether youāre going to make it through!
But Iāve learned something over the years.
Not every fire comes to destroy you. Some fires are permitted to refine you!
Some experiences reveal what is still hiding in our hearts.
Some expose fears we didnāt even know were there.
And some teach us to trust God in ways we never had to trust Him before.
The Lord was teaching me, purifying me, sanctifying me, and bringing me into greater spiritual maturity.
But little did I know that one day, God would use something as simple as a BIRD CAGE to teach me a lesson about freedom!
š¦ Hey, Blog Friends and Family!
Now, before we go any further, I have a question!
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN FREE TO LEAVE SOMETHING, BUT TOO AFRAID TO WALK AWAY?Ā š³
Think about that for a moment!
The door is OPEN!
Nobody is holding you!
Nobody is blocking your exit!
The chains have been broken!
Yet somehow, youāre STILL standing inside the very thing youāve been praying to get out of!
OH, MY GOODNESS!
WHAT IN THE WORLD?! š¤£
Well, welcome to todayās blog!
BIRD CAGE ā YOUāRE FREE!
Now, I know!
Strange title, right?!
But stay with me because weāre going somewhere!
As I was meditating, the words Bird CageĀ dropped into my spirit.
And yāall already know how I operate when it comes to blogging!
When a title comes, I donāt sit around trying to figure out every little detail.
I JUST START WRITING! āš½
And somehow, as I continue, the message begins to unfold.
So, grab yourself a comfortable seat because Iām about to share a true story from my life that I have never forgotten!
LETāS GO! ā¤ļø
š©šŖ The Morning Everything Was Spinning!
Many years ago, when I was living in Germany, something very strange happened to me.
One morning, I woke up from my sleep feeling extremely dizzy!
And when I say DIZZY, I mean DIZZY! šµāš«
OH, LORD!
My equilibrium was so off balance that I could barely move!
I couldnāt get out of bed!
My head felt like it was spinning around and around!
Yāall ever been on one of those roller coasters that twists, turns, drops, and spins you in every direction?!
š¢ WELL, THATāS HOW I FELT!
Except I hadnāt been anywhere near an amusement park!
I WAS IN MY BED! š¤£
And to make matters worse, I began feeling nauseated! š¤¢
I couldnāt understand what was happening.
Why had I awakened like this?
Why was everything spinning?
What in the world was going on?!
The only thing I could do was remain in bed and wait for the dizziness to subside.
And let me tell you!
THIS IS A TRUE STORY!
Now, here is where things get interesting!
šļø The Dream About the Bird Cage
Sometime after that experience, my then-husband encountered a woman pastor he worked with.
During their conversation, she asked about me.
He explained what had happened that morning when I awakened feeling extremely dizzy.
And what she told him next was something I would never forget!
She told him to tell me not to be afraid because she had experienced a dream about me.
A DREAM?!
ABOUT ME?!
OH, NOW WAIT A MINUTE! š³
Yāall know that got my attention!
She began explaining what she had seen.
She said that in the dream, I WAS STANDING INSIDE A BIRD CAGE!Ā š¦
But hereās the interesting part!
THE CAGE DOOR WAS WIDE OPEN!
WIDE OPEN!
Nobody had locked it!
Nobody was standing outside preventing me from leaving!
There was nothing physically blocking my exit!
Yet I WOULD NOT COME OUT!
Why?
BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID!
Oh, my goodness!
Imagine that!
The door was open, but I was still standing inside!
She explained that in the dream, she came into the cage with me.
And then something unusual happened!
She began to DANCE WITH ME! šš½
She said we were spinning around and around and around!
DANCING!
TURNING!
SPINNING!
Almost as though she was encouraging me to praise my way out of the cage!
And yāall!
Remember how I woke up feeling like everything was spinning?!
She believed the dream and my experience were spiritually connected.
She told my then-husband that I shouldnāt be afraid and shared what she believed God was revealing through the dream.
GOD WANTED ME TO BE FREE!
The cage door was already OPEN!
But FEAR was keeping me from walking through it!
Now, I cannot medically explain why I experienced that episode of dizziness, but I have never forgotten the spiritual lesson I received through that dream.
Because what I heard in that message was something much greater than a bird cage.
LAURETTA, THE DOOR IS OPEN!
YOU DONāT HAVE TO STAY THERE ANYMORE!
YOUāRE FREE!
š The Door Was Open, But I Was Still Afraid!
Now, Blog Friends and Family!
I want you to really think about this!
How many times have we prayed for God to deliver us from something, only to discover that when the opportunity to move forward finally comes, WE ARE AFRAID TO MOVE?!
We pray for freedom!
We pray for change!
We pray for new beginnings!
We pray for restoration!
But when God begins opening doors, sometimes we stand there looking through them, wondering what might happen if we actually walk out!
WHAT IF I FAIL?
WHAT IF I GET HURT AGAIN?
WHAT IF THEY REJECT ME?
WHAT IF I MAKE ANOTHER MISTAKE?
WHAT IF THINGS DONāT WORK OUT?
WHAT IF?!
WHAT IF?!
WHAT IF?!
OH, MY GOODNESS!
Sometimes the very thing keeping us in bondage isnāt a locked door. Itās the fear of what might be waiting on the other side!
And thatās what I want to talk about today!
š¦ Whatās Your Bird Cage?
Let me ask you something!
What is YOUR bird cage?
Is it FEAR?
Is it REJECTION?
Is it ABANDONMENT?
Is it LOW SELF-ESTEEM?
Is it the memory of a failed relationship?
Is it the disappointment of something that didnāt work out?
Is it the fear of starting over?
Is it unforgiveness?
Is it shame?
Is it the opinion of people who never believed in you?
Or could it be that youāve grown so comfortable living within certain limitations that youāve forgotten what freedom even feels like?
OH, HELP US, LORD! šš½
Because sometimes we become so familiar with our struggles that we begin to mistake familiarity for safety!
And just because something is FAMILIAR doesnāt mean itās where God wants you to remain!
YOU CAN BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO A CAGE THAT GOD NEVER INTENDED TO BE YOUR PERMANENT HOME!
Let that sink in!
šŖ The Prisoner Who Refused to Leave!
Now, letās imagine something for a moment!
Picture a man who has spent 25 YEARS in prison.
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS!
Day after day!
Year after year!
The same walls!
The same routine!
The same restrictions!
Until finally, the day arrives when his sentence has been completed.
HEāS FREE!
The prison officials open the gate!
His family is standing outside waiting to welcome him home!
Theyāre smiling!
Theyāre celebrating!
Theyāre calling his name!
āCOME ON! YOUāRE FREE!ā
But instead of walking out, the man stops at the gate.
He looks outside.
He sees his family.
He sees the open road.
He sees a world he hasnāt experienced in 25 years!
And then he says something nobody expected!
āNO! I CANāT LEAVE! IāM AFRAID!āĀ š±
WHAT?!
SIR!
YOUāVE BEEN RELEASED! š¤£
THE GATE IS OPEN!
YOUR FAMILY IS WAITING!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!
But he continues standing there.
Why?
Because he doesnāt know what life will look like on the other side!
What if he canāt adjust?
What if he fails?
What if the world has changed too much?
What if he canāt make it?
And instead of stepping into his freedom, he turns around and walks back toward the place that once confined him.
Now, isnāt that something?!
He was no longer being held by his sentence.
HE WAS BEING HELD BY HIS FEAR!
And isnāt that what happens to some of us spiritually and emotionally?
God opens the door, but we keep looking backward!
We know weāre supposed to move forward, but we keep rehearsing yesterday!
We want something new, but we are terrified of leaving what is familiar!
And sometimes, we find ourselves returning to the very patterns we prayed for God to deliver us from!
OH, LORD!
šš½ Whom the Son Sets Free!
Galatians 5:1 (KJV)
āStand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.ā
Now, THIS scripture right here!
The Apostle Paul reminds believers to STAND FAST in the freedom Christ has given them!
In other words:
Donāt surrender your freedom!
Donāt willingly return to bondage!
Donāt allow yesterdayās chains to become todayās identity!
And donāt let fear convince you that you belong somewhere God has called you out of!
Because Jesus did not come merely to show us the door.
HE CAME TO MAKE US FREE!
And when the Son makes you free, YOU ARE FREE INDEED!
ā¤ļø Did I Come Out of the Cage Immediately?
Now, let me be transparent with yāall!
After that pastor shared her dream, did I immediately walk out of every fear and limitation in my life?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
I wish I could tell you that I woke up the next morning and every struggle disappeared!
But that would not be the truth.
I donāt remember the exact moment when I began stepping out of that figurative bird cage.
I canāt give you a particular date or time.
But I can tell you something!
I AM NOT THE SAME WOMAN I WAS BACK THEN!
PRAISE THE LORD! šš½š„
Through the years, God has walked me through some difficult seasons.
There have been disappointments.
There have been tears.
There have been moments of uncertainty.
There have been situations that tested my faith and challenged everything I thought I knew about myself.
But through it all, God has been faithful!
And today I can say:
I AM FREE!
Now, does that mean I never experience another trial?
NO!
Does that mean fear never attempts to creep back into my thoughts?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Does that mean rejection and abandonment never try to remind me of my past?
OH, THEY TRY!
BUT HEREāS THE DIFFERENCE!
I DONāT HAVE TO GIVE THOSE THOUGHTS PERMISSION TO HOLD ME CAPTIVE ANYMORE!
When fear comes knocking, I remind myself of what God has said!
2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
āFor God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.ā
When rejection tries to convince me that Iām unwanted, I remind myself that I am loved by God!
When abandonment attempts to whisper that Iām alone, I remind myself of His promise:
Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)
āā¦I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.ā
OH, THANK YOU, JESUS! ā¤ļø
And when my past tries to convince me that I can never move beyond what happened, I remember that God is still writing my story!
My past is part of my testimony, but it does not have authority over my future!
I MAY REMEMBER THE CAGE, BUT I DONāT HAVE TO LIVE IN IT!
šš½ Itās Time to Dance Your Way Out!
Now, letās go back to that dream for just a moment!
Remember what the pastor said?
She came inside the bird cage and began to DANCE with me!
SPINNING!
TURNING!
DANCING!
And when I think about that dream today, I see a beautiful picture of PRAISE!
Because sometimes, while weāre waiting for our circumstances to change, God is teaching us how to praise Him right where we are!
Not because everything is perfect!
Not because every question has been answered!
Not because we understand everything happening around us!
But because we know WHO holds our future!
And yāall!
Praise has a way of shifting our attention from the size of our problem to the greatness of our GOD!
Remember Paul and Silas?
Acts 16:25ā26 (KJV)Ā tells us that while they were imprisoned, they prayed and sang praises unto God.
And suddenly, an earthquake shook the prison, the doors opened, and their bands were loosed!
OH, GLORY TO GOD! šš½
Now, Iām not saying every difficult situation will disappear because you start dancing!
But I am saying this:
DONāT ALLOW YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES TO SILENCE YOUR PRAISE!
Praise Him while youāre waiting!
Praise Him while youāre healing!
Praise Him while youāre learning!
Praise Him while youāre rebuilding!
And praise Him as you take those first steps into the freedom He has given you!
Because you donāt have to wait until you feel completely fearless before you begin walking by faith!
šļø The Cage Was Never Your Final Destination!
Blog Friends and Family!
I want to leave you with this thought.
A bird was created with wings!
Wings designed to stretch!
Wings designed to move!
Wings designed to soar!
Yet imagine a bird sitting inside an open cage, looking out at the beautiful sky, afraid to spread its wings!
The sky is there!
The opportunity is there!
The door is OPEN!
But the bird refuses to fly!
WHY?!
Because it has become accustomed to the cage!
OH, MY GOODNESS!
DONāT ALLOW YOUR FAMILIARITY WITH BONDAGE TO MAKE YOU AFRAID OF FREEDOM!
God has not called us to live imprisoned by fear, shame, or the mistakes of yesterday.
He has called us to walk by faith!
To trust Him!
To grow!
To mature!
To heal!
And to live in the liberty Christ has provided!
So whatever your bird cage represents today, I encourage you to bring it before the Lord.
Ask Him for the courage to face what has been holding you back.
Ask Him for wisdom to recognize the doors He is opening.
And ask Him for the strength to take the next step.
Because sometimes freedom begins with one courageous act of obedience!
ONE STEP!
ONE DECISION!
ONE MOMENT OF TRUST!
š„ I Declare ā IāM FREE!
Today, in the mighty Name of Jesus, I pray that every person reading this blog will experience the freedom that comes through Jesus Christ!
May every stronghold of fear be broken!
May every lie of rejection lose its grip!
May every wound of abandonment find healing in the love of God!
May every person struggling with shame, unforgiveness, or the pain of yesterday discover the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ!
And may we have the courage to walk in the freedom He has provided!
NO MORE LIVING AS THOUGH THE DOOR IS LOCKED WHEN CHRIST HAS MADE US FREE!
NO MORE ALLOWING FEAR TO MAKE OUR DECISIONS!
NO MORE RETURNING TO THE VERY THINGS GOD IS CALLING US OUT OF!
IN JESUSā NAME!
AMEN! šš½ā¤ļø
š¦ One Last Question!
Before you leave this blog, I want you to picture something.
Youāre standing inside a bird cage.
The door is WIDE OPEN!
You can see the sunlight!
You can feel the fresh air!
You can hear the birds singing outside!
And suddenly you realize something.
THE DOOR ISNāT LOCKED!
IT HASNāT BEEN LOCKED!
And now you have a decision to make.
Will you continue standing inside, wondering what might happen?
Or will you trust God enough to take that first step?
Because, my dear Blog Friends and Familyā¦
THE DOOR IS OPEN!
YOUR WINGS STILL WORK!
AND YOUR STORY ISNāT OVER!
So go ahead!
SPREAD THOSE WINGS! šļø
AND WALK IN THE FREEDOM CHRIST HAS GIVEN YOU!
PRAISE THE LORD! IāM FREE!Ā šš½š„
And remember this:
The cage may have been part of your journey, but it was never meant to become your identity!
Until your next Aha Moment,
Lauretta Scott
Founder of iPublishub-Books
Publishing with Purpose & FaithĀ ā¤ļø
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