Breaking Free from the Prison of Time

Do you know that as Christians, we are free from the prison of time?

What does it mean for us to live free from the prison of time? What is the effect on how we see and process our daily lives with all their troubles, fears, and worries?

Breaking Free from the Prison of Time with the Lord

We are all familiar with the story of Lazarus in the Bible: one of the rare resurrections Jesus did. Jesus deliberately took His time and didn’t prevent Lazarus from dying and his sisters’ hearts from experiencing heartbreak.

Why would Jesus do that? He had his reasons, and one of them was to resurrect Lazarus. The resurrection itself was an amazing miracle (although Lazarus did die again), and with all believers, awaits the grand resurrection and full redemption.

But Jesus made a point, expressed in His profound statement:

 “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25=26, NIV)

This statement, if we believe it, has enormous, life-changing implications for us.

The most important fact is that the Lord is not dependent on time. Therefore, there is nothing fatal or irreversible for Him.

We live in time as temporal beings, and we are dependent on it. But the Lord frees us from this dependency.

He takes us out of the temporal framework and transfers us to another reality, in which time as we know it doesn’t exist. This is eternity: living outside time.

The Lord frees us from the prison of time and sets us into eternity by giving us eternal life.

The Lord frees us from the prison of time and sets us into eternity by giving us eternal life.  #eternity #freedom #trustGod #hope Share on X

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Eternal Life in God’s Presence – the Greatest Gift

Through His death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ gives to those who trust in Him the greatest imaginable gift: eternal life in God’s presence.

 ^“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28, NIV)

Our eternal life begins now at the moment of our salvation when the Holy Spirit resurrects us spiritually. We continue to live this eternal life in our earthly, temporal bodies, while the Lord prepares us for the fullness of eternity and redemption.

With every breath and every step, we are losing the temporal and gaining more of the eternal. We gain more and more reality, being prepared for the ultimate reality: seeing God as He is and living in His presence in our new, immortal bodies forever.

 “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:3, NIV)

While we are waiting for this glorious future, what does it mean to live with eternity in mind, free from the prison of time? 

What it Means to Live Free from the Chains of Temporality

The Lord gives us not only freedom from sin and death but also from the constraints of time and temporality. Walking in this freedom influences us on all levels in our daily lives, struggles, and fears. Here are some examples.

Free from the Fear of Aging and Death

The fear of aging torments many people who worry about all the limitations, vulnerabilities, potential weaknesses, and illnesses that aging can bring, and ultimately dying.

However, against the backdrop of eternity, our age and death don’t matter anymore. We are forever safe and secure in His hand, and our lives are hidden in Him.

^“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:3-4, NIV)

Free from the Fear of Missing Out

Another widely present fear, especially in today’s culture, is the fear of missing out (FOMO). We worry and fear that we are missing out on information, events, and experiences; just missing life and all the exciting things it holds. 

The truth is, if we are with the Lord and walk in step with Him, there is nothing we will miss that His loving hand has meant and prepared for us. Besides, we have all eternity to gain experiences we can’t even imagine.

Free from the Regret about Unfulfilled Dreams and Longings

Everybody has experienced or will experience the crushing pain of unfulfilled dreams and longings. The sting of this kind of disappointment and discouragement pierces deeply and poses many questions.

Fixing our minds on eternity makes it much easier to process our disappointments and find hope, healing, and joy amidst unmet expectations and unfulfilled longings.

The truth is, we are on the way to wholeness and completion. We will experience the complete satisfaction of our deepest longings and desires when our transformation is over.

Then, we will truly have everything and live fully in the reality of seeing God face-to-face and enjoying Him forever. Because the One Who has placed eternity in the human heart is our truest and deepest dream, desire, and longing.

Fixing our minds on eternity makes it much easier to process our disappointments and find hope, healing, and joy. #encouragement #hope #eternity  Share on X

Freedom Is Possible When We Draw Near to God in Our Disappointments

If you want to learn more about how God used my disappointments, unmet expectations, and broken dreams to transform and bless me, my book, “Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings,” is for you.

Let me take you on a journey through 13 painful experiences, showing the losses and the precious blessings in each of them.

More Encouragement for You

If you need more resources, encouragement, and comfort when you go through pain, grief, and despair, I can highly recommend these books. Check them out.

Trusting God in All the Things: 90 Devotions for Finding Peace in Your Every Day by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk

The Night Is Normal by Dr. Alicia Britt Chole

Make Up Your Mind: Unlock Your Thoughts, Transform Your Life by Denise Dubois Pass and Michelle Nietert

Life Can Be Good Again by Lisa Appelo

It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lisa Terkeurst

Hope When Life Unravels: Finding God When It Hurts by Adam Dooley

Restoration Year – a 365 Days Devotional by John Eldredge

The Garden Within by Dr. Anita Phillips

Hope for the Hard Days by Sarah Geringer

Lean into Grace by Stacey Pardoe

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Your Turn

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