Are You In A Prison?

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son (Col 1:13)

We are going to do an interesting study. I enjoy watching action movies, especially with those that deal with escaping prisons, and concentration camps. There are three of my favorite movies that in which I have found some interesting Biblical analogies---

• The Shawshank Redemption
• Escape from Sobibor.
• The Great Escape

Let’s start with the Shawshank Redemption narrated by Morgan Freeman. We see the central character Andy Dufresne, who was a banker that was falsely accused of his wife’s murder. While in jail, he experienced many abuses, was assaulted sexually while serving his time, but then a ray of light. He overheard the captain of the guard talking about an inheritance that he had, but was worried about the taxes.

Sensing an opportunity, he managed to talk to the captain about getting his inheritance tax-free. Since Andy was an accountant, he soon found favor with the guards and would do all their tax returns. He also enjoyed protection from the guards in return for his services. How does that apply to us in a Biblical sense?

When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. (Prov 16:7)

You may be in a prison of persecution or being persecuted on the job or by a loved one? Perhaps you have been tormented by this constant onslaught of harassment? If you are experiencing any of these things, you are not alone. Just as Andy Dufresne saw an opening to win favor with the prison guards, God can do the same for you.

While I was working at Verizon, I had a co-worker who hated my guts. He gave me a lot of grief and problems. It got so bad that I was thinking of quitting my job, but thank God for my wife. God gave her wisdom, used her, and encouraged me to stay the course.

I wanted to escape my prison, but God had me to stay. So, I prayed for my enemy every day using scriptures of love. Soon, God started to turn his heart, and the persecution as well as the torment stopped. During those times of peace, my enemy confided in me that he wanted a position that paid well in the company. He encouraged me to pray, and he said that if he got that position, he would buy me a sandwich.

Time passed, God softened my enemy’s heart, and he helped me on my job. Afterwards, after praying blessings for him, he got promoted. He was out of my department, and soon God brought a spirit-filled brother to work with me. As for the sandwich, the day he got promoted, he was looking for me to make good on his promise. Unfortunately, I had taken the day off and missed my blessing. (Smile)

Your prison of persecution can be a source of learning and blessings. The word says to rejoice when you are being persecuted, for great is your reward in heaven. You can get the blessings of heaven just by praising God during your ordeal. I can testify to it; God can even open the prison door into freedom and deliverance adding to your testimony.

Redemption

There are other Biblical comparisons to this movie: Andy Dufresne was taken advantage of by a cruel jail warden. He made him fix the books on his crooked political and financial dealings, but Andy did not lose sight of his freedom. His vision was to escape and move to Mexico; years have passed and he had a plan.

By using a small hammer, he made a big hole during his confinement years. Covering it with a Raquel Welch poster, he covered the big hole. It was during that time that he took the warden’s financial records, as well as his shoes in a bag, and made good his escape. He made his way through the dirty sewers and swam his way to freedom.

Since the warden used a fictious character to cover for his perverted deeds, Andy adopted his identity and made off with about $300,000 of the warden’s money. He also sent the warden’s crooked records to a newspaper. To sum it up, the authorities went after the warden and he winded up committing suicide.

Notice that Andy assumed the identity of a fictious person. As we analyze this on a Biblical principal we were in prison, but when we got born-again, a chain of events happened--

• We escaped from our prison of sin and death.
• We assumed the identity of a real person—Jesus Christ.
• We got back everything that the enemy stole from us and experienced His blessings.
• Our enemy fell into his own snare and lost souls that escaped from his prison

Conclusion

Perhaps you have been in a prison; a prison of false accusations, a place where there is no hope. I am here to tell you that Jesus paid for it all. He opened the prison door, gave you an identity, and has a place of milk and honey waiting for you. So, my question is—What are you waiting for? Go and possess the land.

Would you like to find out more on how to escape from your prison? The first step is to accept God's gift of eternal life. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Click on this link and repeat the prayer enclosed for an exciting adventure in Christ.....

https://thechristiancorner.org/2021/02/01/the-sinners-prayer/

For more information on the Shawshank redemption, click on the link below...

https://youtu.be/PLl99DlL6b4?si=lTXj6QCFCFiuzwo4

Reprint courtesy of www.thechristiancorner.org