The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - 7 Responses to Feeling Imprisoned

Episode Date: May 3, 2024

Have you ever felt imprisoned? There are many types of “prisons” people may experience such as work, a relationship, and many other types. How should you respond to these “prisons”? Jeff Cavins takes a look at this from the perspective of St. Paul who did experience a real prison. In particular, Jeff takes a look at Paul’s writings to the Philippians. Snippet from the Show “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail]. Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit https://media.ascensionpress.com/?s=&page=2&category%5B0%5D=Ascension%20Podcasts&category%5B1%5D=The%20Jeff%20Cavins%20Show for full shownotes!

Welcome to the Jeff Kaven show, where we talk about the Bible, discipleship, and evangelization, putting it all together and living as activated disciples. This is show 374, seven responses to feeling imprisoned. Welcome to the show again this week, Jeff Kavans with you. Have you ever felt imprisoned? Maybe you haven't been to prison, but maybe you felt like you're in some kind of prison, whether it be work or a relationship or home, whatever it might be, contracts, whatever. Well, we're going to talk about how to respond to that today. So you might fit one of those categories. Maybe you do feel imprisoned with a deal you made a long time ago and you can't seem to get out of it. Time shares.

Well, that could a lot of people feel like that, don't they? Well, we're going to talk about the prisons in your life and how to deal with them, and we're going to take a look at it from the perspective of Paul, who was in prison in Rome, and he wrote four different letters. And we're going to draw from Philippians today because that was one of the letters that he wrote to the whole community at Philippi. And he was there on the second missionary journey and the third missionary journey. And now he's in Rome, and Epaphroditus is the one who came and gave him some money and some supplies, and then Paul sent his letter back to the Philippians via Epaphrodites. So let's get into that today. By the way, before we do, if you do want some show notes, and I have seven points today of how to respond to feeling like you're imprisoned, maybe this is for somebody else in your life, and you want to share it with them. Appreciate that, but maybe you want to share the notes as well. Well, all you got to do is type my name, Jeff Kavens, in one word, Jeff Kavans, and send it to the number 33-777.

Text it to the number 33-7-77. We'll get you on board. Hey, I'm looking forward to seeing some of you at the Eucharistic Revival in Indianapolis in July. That's going to be good. I'll be there. I'm going to be giving one of the breakouts. And looking forward to that, going to be giving some new information about the Eucharist that I've never really, really said much about out there. I think people will appreciate it and it'll help them grow in the Lord. And I have, I'm not being fed. That book is in its second, it's a second edition. And seriously, want to talk about the Eucharist and you want to share the Eucharist with your friends.

You really need to get, I'm not being fed. Ascension published it and I'll put that in the show notes today. It's a small enough book that you can pass on to people who don't read a lot and that we just pack a lot. in it from a Bible perspective. What is the Eucharist? What's the difference between Eucharist and Welch's grape juice and bread? And we're going to get into that in the hunger of the heart. All right. So let's get into this today, shall we? I want to grab my Great Adventure Bible here, and I'm going to do a little bit of reading with you. And so if you want to get a hold of your Bible and turn to Philippians, and if not, if you're jogging or you're in the car, I'll read it for you.

don't worry about it. This great adventure Bible that I have in my hands here is starting to get worn. But that's always a good sign. If you're a disciple of the Lord, I would suggest using that sword of the spirit quite often. Okay, so Paul, let's take a look at this. Paul wrote four prison epistles, well, letters. He wrote one to the Ephesians. He wrote one to the Philippians, one to the Colossians, and then one to Philemon. And so when you read those four letters, they are called prison letters, and he was in house arrest in Rome. And everything that you read about in there is from the perspective of Paul, who's in prison.

Now, he did say at one point, follow me as I follow Christ, and so you can learn so much about his attitude and his response to being in prison and learn so much from it and put it into practice in your daily life. But again, before we look at the seven here, let me just remind you about that feeling of being in prison. You don't necessarily have to be in a prison like a couple weeks ago. I was in Ferguson unit in Texas. And shout out to all my brothers and sisters down there in Houston and guys that went into the prison with me with Jerry, Deacon Jerry, and all the guys. A big shout out to you. you don't have to be in prison to feel like you're in prison.

In fact, most of the people who are in prison in America today feel like they are in prison. And it certainly can happen in a relationship. I have spoken to so many people. In marriage, they feel like it. They feel like they're imprisoned and they don't know what to do or where to go or who to talk to, but their life has kind of come to a halt in terms of feeling free. I have also run into people who are in contractual relationships and they don't know how to get out of it

and so since they can't get out of it or at least it seems like they can't get out of it how are they going to live in it right and at work oh the number of people who feel like they're in prison at work there's no upside there's no glass ceiling to smash this is as good as it gets at least they think and they don't know what to do about employment

financially people feel this way too that they waited too long to take care of the financial needs in retirement and they're not sure what to do so let's take a look at what paul recommends here seven attitudes of paul from philippians that just might be some help to you the first one is this god is completing the work that he started in you he's not done okay so i would call that first one, God's not done. He's not done with you. Now, Paul wrote to the Philippians in chapter one in verse six, he said, and I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Now, I love that scripture. And the reason that I love it so much is that it just reminds me every time I hear it, which is a good scripture, by the way,

to bury in your heart because the Holy Spirit can call that up anytime and minister to you, comfort you with it. The reason I like it so much is it's a reminder constantly that life isn't over, that God is going to complete the good work that he began in me. And I love that because if you have that feeling that this is the end of the road, this is as good as it gets, you are as mature as you're ever going to be, happy as you're ever going to be, well, that can be discouraging, can't it? But if you have the perspective that Paul had, as he was in prison, that God is still doing a good work in me, and he's passing that on to the Philippians, that God is still doing a good work in you, no matter where you're at or how you feel,

God is in the process of completing something in your life. And so I would ask you, what is God doing in your life? What do you feel that God has been doing in your life in terms of your attitude, your outlook on the situation that you're in, the cooperation in relationships, your sense of hope, Hebrew word Tikva, this idea of looking at the future through God's eyes, not your own, because that can be discouraging, but looking through it through God's eyes. Now, you might not even have any idea of what God is trying to complete in your life, and that means that as you feel like you're in prison, you should be asking God,

what are you trying to do in my life? What are you trying to do? What are you working on in my life right now? Well, if you got a bad attitude, it certainly is going to be your attitude and your response to the situation that you're in. Maybe he's trying to make you more dependent upon him in terms of your feelings and your happiness. Because if you depend upon feelings, in prison, well, I got one message. Good luck. Because that's a hard place to just depend upon

your feelings. You've got to walk by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, walk by faith. That is, you agree with him and what he says about you, and you're going to entrust yourself to him. You're not going to just mourn. You're not just going to moan and complain about your situation. It always happens to me. I'm eating worms. I feel like a worm, all that. No, you want you want to see it from God's perspective knowing this is not over. So I would encourage you not to put a period in the sentence of your life where God put a comma. So God is completing the work he started in you. Number two, if you feel like you're in prison in some way, then God wants to help you find joy in your suffering, joy in that so-called prison of you.

yours. And listen to what he says in Philippians chapter one. He talks about his present circumstances, and it's in Philippians one starting in verse 12. And he says this. He says, I want you to know, brethren, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole Praetorian Guard, and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. and most of the brethren have been made confident in the Lord because of my imprisonment and are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear. Isn't that beautiful? And you can read all the way on to the end here, verse 24, where Paul talks about if he's going to stay on in the earth here, he'd like to go be with the Lord for sure, but if he's going to stay on in the flesh,

it's going to mean fruitful labor. But back to this, what he's going to do. said here. This is so good. He said that his imprisonment in Rome has actually become known throughout the entire Praetorian Guard. In other words, those guards who come to work in the morning and go back to their families at night and all the problems in their life, they're affected by Paul. They know something of Paul. And so Paul is demonstrating that life can be found in a situation that you are not exactly happy about and some of the guards might have fit that bill in spades maybe they felt like this is as far as they're going to go or they're tired of being told what to do and maybe they feel like their their chattel their cattle they're they are their property and so what paul says is

that most of the brethren have actually have actually become confident in the lord because of my imprisonment. Now, I can only guess that they felt more confident because they saw how Paul endured. And Paul was confident. Even in prison, he was confident. And he spoke boldly of the word of God without fear. And so these other believers, the brethren, they're feeling more emboldened. And they speak the word of God without fear as well. You know, sometimes we just need examples in our life, don't we, of people who are in the midst of difficult times, but man, their examples spoke loud. How many times have you heard someone say that they know of someone who was struggling with cancer and they struggled for six, seven, eight months, and they suffered.

And they'll say something like, they passed away last week, but I've got to tell you, in all that time, I never heard them complain. I never heard them complain. they always were optimistic and they were always applying that suffering in union with Christ which you can do and that's what Colossians 124 says I rejoice in my suffering for your sake and I fill up that which is lacking in the sufferings of Christ so what's lacking in the sufferings of Christ is the mystical body the sufferings in the mystical body of Christ and that's you and John Paul the 2nd was asked what could be lacking in the sufferings of

Christ that we would be filling up. And his answer was nothing but that you might come to know the love of God he's made room in his suffering for you to participate. So you can taste it, you can feel it, you can hear it, you know the love of God by joining your suffering with him. And so you can find joy and suffering even if you are in Ferguson Unit or whether you're in a job that you just can't seem to get along with. I'll tell you one thing. Most of the guys at Ferguson Unit would love your job just saying number three one day every tongue will confess that jesus is lord so what paul is saying in philippians chapter two verse five and on is he is saying to us that no matter what the circumstances are in your life and his is a prison circumstance he says uh he says that

you will finally confess that jesus is lord and so will everybody else all the soldiers around Paul will, all of them, fellow prisoners will. Someday, everyone's going to confess that he is Lord. Listen to what it says here in Philippians 2, 5, and on. Have this mind among yourselves. We're reading from Philippians again. Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God,

did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him, the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So that third point is that one day, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

In other words, you could say that while you might feel like you're in prison and your buddies are out there really doing what they want to do and you're not doing what you want to do, we know one thing for sure. You're all going to meet at the finish line. And at the finish line, they're going to confess that Jesus is Lord, something you've known all along. And so while it looks like we're all starting off at different starting blocks and that we all have a different kind of race, we're all going to end at the same place. At the end, everyone's going to confess that Jesus is Lord. So if we're going to confess that one day, why not start now and confess that He is Lord of your life in your circumstances right now?

Do not fall to that temptation to just start complaining about your circumstances, complaining about how. how you got there, complaining and blaming other people for that imprisoned feeling that you have today. You, with your tongue, confess that Jesus is Lord. To the glory of God, the Father. That's a good one right there. All right, we've got one, two, three, four more to go. We're going to take a break.

And when we come back, we're going to look at those. We're here in the book of Philippians, right? the letter of to the Philippians. You're listening to the Jeff Kaven show. I'm my name's Father Mike Schmitz. I want to let you know about an exciting announcement that could revolutionize the way you listen to the Bible in the air and the catechism in the year. Ascension has released a new Bible and Catechism app called the Ascension app. No, here's what you get. In this app, you get the entire text of the Great Adventure Bible. This is incredible. You also get the entire text of the Catechism in the year podcast and the Bible in a year podcast. And the Bible in

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This app will change your life. We are talking about how to respond, seven responses to feeling imprisoned, and we're using Philippians as our text. Because Paul is writing to the Philippians from prison. It's one of four. You've got Ephesians, you've got Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. That's what makes these four so golden is not only what he says, but where he's saying it from. And you can learn so much from it. Okay, the fourth one is, all is loss compared to knowing Jesus, Philippians chapter three and verse seven. Listen to this. Doesn't that sound good? You've got those nice, great adventure Bible pages filled with the Word of God, filled with hope, filled with direction, filled with nutrients for the soul. Can't get enough of it. I've been devouring it lately. I've been a pig lately. Just eat,

it up. Okay, so Philippians chapter 3 versus 7 through 11 we're talking about compared to Jesus and knowing Jesus, look, let's be honest. It's all considered a loss compared to that. It's all going to end up in the garbage heap compared to knowing Jesus. It's all dung compared to knowing Jesus. Don't get uptight about it and lose sleep over it. Okay? You got the best thing in life right now, and that's knowing Jesus. Listen to what it says. Philippians 3, starting in verse 7, Paul writes and he says, But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus,

my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible, I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Who, golden, golden, right there.

And what's he saying? he's saying that if you feel imprisoned or you are in prison and you're somehow getting this, which I have several people around the country who are in prison and people share podcasts with them. So what he's saying here is that if you feel in prison and you're looking out those bars of life and you are pining after something, you are, you feel bad because you're not in, that situation right now. Paul's saying, hey, look, even if you had all of that right now, even if you had that job, even if you had that boat and home and even if you had that, that phenomenal, $900 skateboard, whatever it might be, it's all dung compared to knowing

Christ. It's all done. Why not turn this on its head and start rejoicing in the Lord and saying, you know what, I've got the greatest thing in the world. I have the greatest thing in the world. I know Christ. Number five, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say, rejoice. What do you do when you feel like you're in prison? Start praising God. Start thanking God. It's the formula in the Old Testament. Every time Israel was surrounded by enemies, not every time, but a lot of the times when they were surrounded by enemies, like Jahashafat, King of Judah, they were surrounded by three enemies. They didn't know what to do. They felt imprisoned. So what did they do? Well, Jehoshaphat said, I'm surrounded by all my enemies.

I don't know what to do, but my eyes are upon you, O Lord. And then he called the choir, and they came out with their robes, and they started to sing. They started to praise God, and guess what? The three enemies turned on each other. And so there's power in prayer. There's power in praise. There's power in Thanksgiving. Now what Paul said to the Philippians in chapter four, starting in verse four, as he said,

rejoice in the Lord, and by the way, all this is in the show notes for you, if you are jogging. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything. But in everything, by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Isn't that good? That is good. And I cannot emphasize this enough that if you are feeling down and imprisoned in that relationship, just take some time every day. Put it on your smartphone, even if you got a dumb phone. Do it. and that is set aside an hour every day at the top of the hour maybe at two o'clock or seven o'clock or 11 in the morning or whatever hour you want and at the top of that hour just take a few minutes

to just put everything down turn the computer you know off or down just praise god rejoice in the lord thank him for what you have don't focus on what you don't have thank him for what you have You, my friend, will be surprised. I'm telling you, I've been there, student Jeff, you'll be surprised at what it does to your heart to start rejoicing in the Lord, always. Number six, whatever is good. Think about these things. One of the hardest things we have to do or have to deal with when we feel like we're in prison

is what to think about. Because as inmates around the country have bars around them in their cell might, be four by eight or some five by eight whatever it happens to be uh when you're in there long enough you start to think about bad things and when your prison in your life maybe you're not in a real prison with bars you're in a spiritual prison or an emotional prison a relational prison with bars you you sit there long enough and don't do something about it uh it'll get to you and you'll start thinking some pretty squirly things. You'll start thinking about how bad it is or what you should have done.

It's the would or should or could have. It's rehearsing it. It's nursing it. It's cursing it. You know, all that. All that that that we've talked about in the past. But what is a good thing to think about when you feel this way? Well, Paul says it so plainly in Philippians chapter 4.

and he says in chapter four in verse eight and nine listen to what he says here this is golden this this is so good he says finally brethren now he's saying it from prison get that finally brethren whatever is true think about that whatever is honorable think about that whatever is just think about that whatever is pure think about that whatever is lovely whatever is gracious think about those things if there is any excellence if there is anything worthy of praise think about these things what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me do and the god of peace will be with you now this this isn't some tv psychologist talking to you here today. This is the Apostle Paul, one half of the two superstars of the Book of Acts.

The two men that made up the new Remus and Romulus, the founders of Rome, they're the founders of the new Rome. And what's he telling you to do? He's saying, this is exactly what to think about. And so you can take your thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. If you start thinking squirrely things in that imprisonment that you feel, it's only going to get worse. But if you take your thoughts captive and say, no, I am not dwelling on that, it's not true, it's not honorable, it's not just, it's not pure, it's not lovely, it's not gracious. I'm not going to think about those things. I'm going to start to think about the things I should be thinking about and give God praise.

My friend, I promise you it'll change your day. I really do. I'll promise you or you're 26 minutes back. I don't know how I'm going to get it back, but I'll work on it. And then number seven, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Isn't it beautiful? Philippians 413. Let me read it to you here. This is probably one of the greatest life verses out there. Minds of Galatians 2.20, but this could come in second or third easily. He says, from prison. Oh, that's so good. Okay, I'm going to back up. Verse 10 first. I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I complain of

want, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know. I know. how to be abased, and I know how to abound in any and all circumstances. I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance, and want. This guy's learned a lot, hasn't he? He's the apostle with great experience. And then he says in verse 13, after saying all that, I can do all things in him who strengthens me. Wow. Put an exclamation mark there. That is amazing. I can do all things in him who strengthens me. Let me ask you today, do you need that strengthening? I bet you do. Seven reasons or seven responses to feeling imprisoned. This is one of them. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I would recommend that you write some of this down on an index card.

For example, I would write down on an index card, God is completing the work in me. Write down a few things he's doing in you right now. And you have a visual reminder that he's still working. You find joy in suffering. What are you going through? Well, write down the things that you can praise God about. He says, whatever is good, think on these things. write down those things that are things that you should be thinking about, write them down on an

index card, put them in your purse, put them in your pocket, put them in the car before you start the engine, read them. And then that one verse, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Maybe you want to write that down and carry that around with you today. That'll make a big difference. It really will. And what is the final one? I threw in a bonus here. I don't normally do this, but out of the abundance of my gratitude for you listening, I have thrown in a bonus. You can call it number eight. I'm just going to call it a bonus. What do you learn? What do you learn from the letter to the Philippians when you feel like you're imprisoned? Here it is. People are watching you. That's it. People are watching you. People are watching you. People are

looking at you. They're wondering how you're going to deal with it. Your kids are. Your spouse is. Your friends are. Your roommate is. Your pastor is. Your friends in the neighborhood, the guys you go to the bar with and have a drink and laugh. Everyone's watching you. Just like Paul in prison, the guards were watching and some of them even converted. Other prisoners were listening. We see that theme in the book of Acts. When they were in prison, others were listening. to them praising God. In prison, people are watching you. You might want to write that down on a card.

Just write down seven or eight people who are watching you right now in your life. Carry that around with you. So I would say out of those eight, somehow, some way, you can come up with a royal flush here. You really can. You got quite a hand. And you got a lot to do while you're feeling like you're in prison. You just might find out if you put these into practice that,

this wasn't so bad after all. I really got a lot out of this. I have grown. All right. So let me pray for you. It's been a pleasure to be with you this week. And if you like this show, delicately. Don't smash it. Delicately, gently. Hit that button. And share your thoughts online because that's part of the algorithm. And you can be a part of other people being blessed or finding solutions. to the prisons of their life. So you and I are working together. Again, that book, I'm not being fed. That'll be in the show notes. I hope you can get that and read it. And let's pray.

In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, Lord, it is with an optimistic heart that I lift up my friend to you today. And I ask you to revitalize them, to encourage them, to spur them on to good works. And I thank you, Lord, that while they are sensing

this place of prison in the marriage, at work, wherever, that you have given us an example in Paul and how to respond. And I pray that we will all do it and we will all be victorious in this. In Jesus' name, amen. Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. And listen to this. As I go out today, I love you. And that's why I'm here. God bless you. We'll look forward to talking to you next week.