They chose the robber over their friend. They told the authorities that they were better off with a robber roaming than their friend free. They were blinded and their minds saw the foe as the friend and the friend as the foe.
Recently, God told me to give up some conversations. He said I don’t need them. They were just wants and they were cluttering my time. They stole quality time from me. Kai! My people, it was not easy to let go. And these conversations were just good while they lasted o. In other words, they had no lasting effects. The Holy Spirit has told me to let go of unforgiveness and pride and bitterness. They were stealing my joy and peace.
Yes, you may say that you have a right to hold on to that addiction. Maybe like me, you unknowingly got involved in it. And you feel like it gives some relief from your hard life. Truth is, it is robbing you of your progress because you are enslaved to it.
You may be holding onto your pain. That’s your only defense mechanism against the world, right? But you know that it is suffocating you! Your brain is alive but you are heart-dead.
We often set the robber free in our lives and keep Jesus at a very great distance. Perhaps, we are scared of what we’d have to give up if we let Jesus come behind the bars that hold us bound- the anger; the unforgiveness; that relationship that’s sucking out life from us but is the ugly familiar; that phone we bought by defrauding our parents; the car we bought with blood money(money that was meant for improving hospitals but was moved to our bank accounts).
At least we know that the robber will only do what he knows best- rob.
Jesus cannot be caged. He renews your life once He is let in. Let Him behind those bars that keep you imprisoned- the heartbreak; the pain; the loneliness; the addiction; the sickness; harmful relationships.
CAN WE STOP CHOOSING THE ROBBER(S) OVER OUR FRIEND, JESUS?
P.S- The first paragraph refers to the Jews who told Pilate to release Barabbas the robber and imprison Jesus Christ. (John 18:40)
© Toluwanimi Lazarus (2019)
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