When I read the word "slave" in scripture, I can't help but have a micro-cringing moment and immediately focus on renewing my mind on what that means. This morning, I decided to look it up in a dictionary and see where that led me.

The first thing I noticed is that the beginning working definition that came up online was that of being property, an "enslaved" person who is so against their will. Then, there was a definition of when one device was controlled by another.

So far so good, as I felt like I was tracking in biblical understanding as I know that in God, we have a choice to be slaves to sin or slaves of righteousness.

The second thing to come up focuses on verb usage, such as "slaving away" and the act of making someone a slave. Given the few variations after this bit of research, I grew a bit weary, wondering if I should give up on considering the concept of "slave" as something we can choose.

Then I paused in reflection on scripture and began to write this:

I am not held, forced to servitude and subservience to another because of them. I am a slave because of me.

The reality of the "slave mentality" is that the person who is forced to be a slave to other people eventually believes what other people say they are and then truly is a slave to them, forced through suffering to maintain this understanding by sheer lack of willpower. Yet, we hear stories of those titled as slaves by other people who instead choose to be slaves of righteousness in body, mind, and spirit, no matter what others may call them. What a powerful testimony to their faith, indeed.

Romans 6:17-18 - But thank God that although you used to be slaves of sin, you gave wholehearted obedience to the teaching that was handed down to you, which provides a pattern. Now that you have been set free from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.

I think we sometimes get so bogged down by the persistent pressures of sin that we give up and give in, thus becoming slaves to sin. However, when we learn what it takes to build habits, the patterns we gain from the teachings handed down to us, we can change what and who we choose to be slaves to.

Soon, I'll jump into the daily prayer video for this month, day 29 of the 31 days of prayer. The theme is OBEDIENCE, and I pray this helps me and others connect with one of the spiritual disciplines that helps us be resilient to the point of being slaves to Jesus Christ, following and serving to the point that we experience divine freedom from whatever this world tries to press on us.