It seems most humans are born with a spirit of independence and strong will. It is always amazing to observe a little child exhibit stubbornness and determination when something is "forced" upon him. Parents concern themselves with proper nutrition and safety for the child. But children do not readily eat what is before them, nor do they always come when called and obey instructions. They have their own thinking process - and that is as it should be. We were not all created out of the same mould. The determination to develop our own thinking patterns can be very positive. It is one inner drive of the mind that will seek a new and better way of doing things. There is a creative power behind the person who will dare to look at things a little differently.
We seem to chafe at the thought that our actions and thoughts are controlled. We will often struggle for "freedom" even when that action puts us in a worse situation than we were before. We just do not like anyone "telling us what to do." We yearn for what we perceive of as freedom - though we often do not know what that really is. When we feel hemmed in by culture, religion, our job, finances or parents, we will struggle to escape. We do not realize that there may not be anywhere to escape to, it may be an illusion. Often we fancy ourselves in a prison that has been forced upon us. The responsibility of parenthood in the face of a faltering economy, and being forced by circumstances to deny our wants - are two examples of what may press upon us. We want to get out of the box! We want to get out of the prison we think we are in.
When we consider the true facts of why we think as we think or do what we do, it ought to be clear that our home-life, education, mental ability, society and every circumstance of life, has made us what we are. All of those ingredients are active within our mind and define what the box is that we feel we are comfortable in, or whether we want to escape. We will always be hemmed in by the state of our mind - and our mind is in a constant state of growth and flux. One box we are in may seem good, but the passing of time and change may make us feel like prisoners. We may change, but in reality only enter another box. We change constantly, so our concept of liberty, freedom and success is also shifting. Our sense of being restrained is a changeable thing.
Peter was a disciple who learned many lessons in his service to God. He experienced the adulation of some (Acts 10:25,26) and the attempt of others to buy the power God had given to him (Acts 8:19,20). Peter issued a strong warning to some who had come to think differently through the calling from God and had progressed in a good spiritual direction. He was concerned that once they had "come out of the box" of error that they had grown up in - and then entered the "box of truth", they might once again slip back into the error and still think they had actually found a new sort of freedom (2 Pet. 2:18-21). The grave warning from Peter was directed toward those who were allured by "great words of emptiness" by promising them liberty. Thus, a person can know the truth about spiritual matters and rejoice in that knowledge, but through enticement and deception, become slaves of corruption. As Peter noted, a person is in bondage to him who overcame him. Thus we can see that our "box" may have seemed a good one, but became one in which we feel pummeled and beaten. Unhappiness, disappointments, wrong expectations, and intellectual vanity can cause us to believe we have been duped and trapped. So we move out of that box - jump from the frying pan into the fire.
Peter had a further concern for those who were in "God's box." He cautioned about allowing the freedom and liberty that conversion has brought, to begin to be used as a cloak for some device (I Pet. 2:15,16). It is all too easy for a person who has been saved through the blood of Jesus Christ to begin to believe he or she has been somehow specially blessed and chosen above others. That gives them the authority and ability to correct others and to be critical. Jesus spoke about this within the context of the latter years in which we now live. He was speaking to God's people who were given gifts from God. Some were blessed for being good servants, some had become evil and were beating upon others (Matt. 24:43-51). The warning from Jesus is graphic and ought to drive some fear into our minds. We are told to stand back and examine ourselves at least once every year (2 Cor. 13:5). Are we in the right box?
We have a dilemma when it comes to self-evaluation. We can allow thought patterns to form and creep in and change us. Suddenly we will be in a new "box" of thinking and we will not realize that it has happened to us. During a recent golf tournament, I heard the commentators explaining how one of the best golfers had developed a little habit during his swing, which caused him to miss many shots. It required the expert observation by an outside person to determine what he was doing. Professional golfers have worked very hard for years to be able to perform at the highest level. Even they are prone to developing new golfing habits without knowing it. That principle seems to apply to everything we do as humans. We hear of new bridegrooms who think and act differently after they are married from the solicitous and kind manner with which they courted for marriage. What changed? They slipped into a new "box" or way of thinking.
The point I am making is that all people think in a "box." We also exchange boxes from time to time. At conversion, God demands that we discard and forsake all of our thought patterns and learn to think as He does. We are to forsake the former person we were (Rom. 6:6). We are no longer to be slaves to sin - or to think in any way but His. God writes His laws on our hearts and minds so that we are obedient to Him - slaves to God one might say (I Cor. 7:22). There is only one "box" where truth, freedom and liberty reside. That is found when we conform to the commandments and laws of God. When we strive to use His words as our guide in thought and deed. Yes, obeying God does entail putting aside our personal preferences and thoughts and conforming to His. Any other form of thinking originates from Satan and is a combination of our human lusts and desires, self-deceptions and willingly following the thoughts of another. History is littered with men who have gained the loyalty and devotion of others, and led them to suffering and death. Among those are Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Religions that teach about angry gods that must be appeased have also caused people to enter a way of thinking that allowed human sacrifice and various immoral and ungodly activities. These activities were often cloaked as doing a service to God (John 5:16-18).
We are given the ability to choose which "box" we prefer to think in. But we can deceive ourselves into thinking we have gained liberty, when we have only found death. We can grow careless with the great responsibility God gives and find ourselves changing until we no longer recognize good and evil, holy and profane. Conversion includes a continual development. We grow toward God and not away from Him. Our minds are not static, they are constantly changing and we need to be on guard for what we allow ourselves to believe. True believers can be misled and deceived if they allow themselves to think they are being constrained. That freedom of choice and decision is given to mankind and is necessary for our development. Jesus said: "become you therefore perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). When our minds tell us we have it made and can let down our guard, then the red flags of danger should be waving. We are given a mirror in the perfect law of liberty (James 1:23-25). God expects us to use it and stay in His "box."