Spiritual Freedom

I desire greater freedom because my soul is already free. Through study and introspective thought, I seek to understand the truth of this statement.

When Jesus told his audience that they would know the truth and the truth would make them free, they took issue, saying they had never been enslaved. While technically we can also make this claim, few of us can deny that we have had times when we were enslaved by fear and anxiety. For many, fear is a constant companion that has become so familiar it is accepted as a standard feature of the human experience.

If we grasp the truth that God did not give us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power (2Timothy 1:7), we have a clear starting point for our experience of spiritual freedom. What is this spirit of power and how do I claim it? Many will utilize guided meditations or music to calm unruly thoughts and emotions. But this will not go far enough, for the freeing power we seek is not found in the realm of thought and emotion that changes from one moment to the next. We must look deeper to find the freedom we seek.

Remember, spiritual recovery is not about gaining something we do not have. It is about reclaiming something that has been ours all along, but we have misplaced or lost sight of it. In quiet stillness we wait, we listen, we feel for that subtle energy of Being that stirs in and as our true essence.

While our attention readily scurries to the realm of thought and emotion, we practice pulling it back to our quiet center. We do this in special times when we are alone, but we also do it in the midst of our active day. If fear or anxiety creep in, we deny it the right to seize our attention. We remind ourselves that our soul is already free, and we let its light of freedom shine through our consciousness.

Practice this 7^th step every day this week. I desire greater freedom because my soul is already free. Through study and introspective thought, I seek to understand the truth of this statement.