Freedom doesn't always start in comfortable places. Sometimes freedom starts in the dark.
A man I met just a week ago had an encounter with a CMN audiobook that led to an encounter with Christ that led to an encounter with reality that led to an encounter with another person. Then — boom! — people were set free.
As he was listening to the Maximized Manhood audiobook alone in his car, a thought occurred to him. He might—maybe possibly could —have been perhaps at least partly—be responsible, maybe just a little to blame, for his massive marriage issues.
He prayed. He repented to God alone in the dark. He cried. Then his heart started changing. Clarity came. He had loved her. He had wronged her. Now they were all paying for it—him, his wife, their children.
Feeling foolish, ashamed, he took time at home and bowed his head, afraid even to look up, and dove deep into prayer. He repented. It was real. He lifted his hands and started thanking God. He knew the path … sacrifice always brings life. Repentance is a gift.
He and his wife sat together that afternoon. He asked her to forgive him. They prayed together. That broke the bondage … freedom arrived.
The man's story is not unlike the story of Paul and Silas. Men who had walked with Jesus. But now they were stuck in jail. It wasn't necessarily their fault, but they nevertheless were stuck.
Dark. Painful. Stone walls and iron chains. No comfort. No applause. No visible victory.
But in the darkness, Paul and Silas started singing.
A weak man whines in the dark.
A strong man worships in the dark.
As Paul and Silas worshipped, the prison doors rattled and flew open; Paul and Silas were FREE, and in their freedom, every other prisoner was set free.
My new friend, out of the darkness of his despair, prayed and asked God to forgive him … then he asked his wife to forgive him … everything changed. And freedom arrived. Light defeated the darkness.
And now—two years later and living in the joy of a restored marriage—the joy on his face was unmistakable as he told me the story. There was freedom in his heart and in his eyes. Freedom visits the man willing to worship and pray and be real.
But here's the catch—what he did in the dark didn't just change him. What he did when he surrendered, repented, and openly, with a full heart, raised his face in praise, then took action in it—that changed his marriage, his future, his family, and has
become an inspiration to dozens of other men.
Your obedience is not just about you. Your prayer life is not just about you.
Your fight for Christlike manhood is not just about you.
Brother, do not quit in the dark. Do not surrender in the prison. Do not let guilt or painful memories steal your praise. Like Paul and Silas —let the song of Jesus rise out of your heart and chest until hell hears it, heaven answers it, and the men around you begin to believe it.
Go after Jesus. Admit wrongdoing. Free your heart before our gracious, loving God.
Pray strong. Sing loud.
Let freedom sing. This is our season to make it loud!
