In John 8:36, we read, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” NLT   We have been set free, but so many of us have allowed the shackles around our minds to bind us so tightly that we aren’t willing to allow the freedom to become a reality to us.  Let’s pretend that I set a gift in front of you, wrapped in a box. When I set the box in front of you, I tell you that within the box you are going to find items you have wanted for years.  You look at me, look down at the box, but you choose not to open it. Due to this decision, you will not benefit from the contents of the box.  This scenario can be used to help further our understanding of the freedom made available in Jesus.  We are free, but we can live an entire life in shackles if we choose.  In Mark 2:22 Jesus says, "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins." NLTFor me, this scripture shows us that Jesus does not want to pour new thinking into an old mindset.  In other words, if someone has a mindset that keeps them in the shackles, and they are unwilling to part with it, what good is their freedom doing them?  When we allow ourselves to be transformed by the love of Jesus, we will start to soften in our mindsets.  Through this softening, we can begin to identify areas in our lives where we are hindering freedom to be a current reality in our life.  Just one example of this hindrance to freedom would be negative thinking.   Humans can set their minds to see the negative in almost any situation. I will example what I mean.  Years ago, I was at a birthday party for a lady I knew.  When it came time for the husband to give a gift to his wife, he very excitedly presented her with the gift box.  She took one look at the unwrapped box and began to complain about his “gift wrap” selection. She was so irritated at what he chose, that she refused to open the gift.  Find this ridiculous?  It is, but if we allow our minds to stay in the shackles of wrong thinking, we too will miss out on what Jesus has brought to offer us.  Again I site this scripture.   “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” John 8:36 NLT   The freedom that Jesus offers is there for us.  Please remember that the Lord gives gifts that look different than the World’s definition.  Try applying this realization to your life the next time that you are facing a difficult situation.  God is offering you freedom in the trouble, but it probably does not look the way you are expecting it to, you have to be willing to dig deep within the “gift box” in order to receive of this offering.  Pastor Daniella  http://pastordaniellaministries.weebly.com https://twitter.com/PastorDaniella