Self-Centeredness Creates A Prison
Introduction
Jesus Came to Set Prisoners Free
Have you ever noticed how exhausting life can become?
We spend enormous amounts of time and emotional energy trying to build a successful life, establish our identity, protect our reputation, provide security for our future, manage our circumstances, and avoid disappointment. When things go well, we feel hopeful. When they don’t, we become discouraged, anxious, frustrated, or afraid.
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- Criticism wounds us.
- Failure discourages us.
- Financial setbacks create worry.
- Unexpected interruptions frustrate us.
- Uncertain futures produce anxiety.
- Relationships become complicated.
- Our plans change.
- People disappoint us.
Without realizing it, much of life becomes a continual cycle of pursuing what we believe we need and reacting to whatever threatens it.
Life can begin to feel like a prison.
Jesus recognized that humanity was living in a kind of bondage far deeper than political oppression, financial hardship, or physical suffering. He came to free us from a prison that holds the heart, mind, and soul.
When He announced the purpose of His ministry, He declared:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” (Luke 4:18, NKJV)
Later, Jesus explained where true freedom is found:
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32, NKJV)
And then He made an even greater promise:
“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36, NKJV)
If Jesus came to set us free…what exactly are we imprisoned by?
One of the greatest prisons is so familiar that many people never recognize it. It quietly shapes our thinking, our emotions, our decisions, and our relationships. It convinces us that life revolves around building, protecting, and satisfying ourselves, until we become consumed by the very things we hoped would make us secure.
The prison is called self-centeredness.
Most people think self-centeredness simply means pride or selfishness.
Scripture reveals something much deeper.
It is one of the primary ways the enemy keeps us distracted from the life God created us to live and the purpose for which He created us.
Jesus not only came to open the prison door—He came to restore us to the freedom, relationship, and purpose we were created to enjoy.
As we’ll discover,
The more life revolves around you, the smaller your world becomes. But as Christ takes His rightful place at the center of your life,
The more life revolves around Christ, the larger your purpose becomes.
In the pages that follow, we’ll learn how to recognize this prison, understand how it is built, discover why it matters so much, and see how following Jesus leads us into the freedom and purpose for which we were originally created.