Drawn Out of Captivity and Into Freedom
Insights From Vacation Bible School
No You Don’t—Got the Red Flag, Dude!
It was raining, so recess moved indoors.
Seventy-five kids in a church sanctuary—that’s not playtime; that’s chaos waiting to happen.
To keep us from tearing down the Kingdom (literally), Miss Marla announced a game of hide-and-seek. Each of us got a red flag.
Ryan asked, “What’s the flag for?”
“If you get caught,” Miss Marla explained, “you can wave it once and get a free pass out of jail.”
Everyone cheered and ran off to hide.
And then, predictably, we forgot about the red flags completely.
When I caught Ryan, he grinned and said,
“No big deal. When I go to jail, I’ll just wave my flag and get out again!”
That’s when it hit me later in life:
The flag wasn’t just a game rule. It was a gospel clue.
Drawn Out
Moses’ name literally means “to draw out.”
And that’s what God still does — He draws us out of captivity and into freedom.
He drew Israel out of Egypt through the Red Sea.
He draws us out of shame, addiction, fear, and guilt through the blood of Jesus.
He doesn’t just set us free from something — He sets us free for something.
We all wave red flags in life — warnings, regrets, surrender signals.
But the ultimate red flag was the cross.
Once lifted high, it became our permanent pass out of bondage.
Freedom’s Not a Flight—It’s a Crossing
Like Israel, we often get stuck in the wilderness—free from Egypt but not yet walking in the promised land.
We accept forgiveness but resist freedom.
We know we’re saved, but still live enslaved.
But through Christ, we’ve already crossed over.
The sea of sin has closed behind us; the Promised Life stretches before us.
And just like Ryan, when we’re “caught,” we can wave the red flag of grace—not as an excuse to hide again, but as an invitation to live free.
Reflection
What’s your red flag—an area where you need to receive grace instead of earning it?
Are you still living near the borders of your old captivity?
What would it look like to step fully into the freedom Jesus has already won for you?
Prayer
Abba Father, thank You for drawing me out of captivity and into freedom.
Help me remember that the red flag of Your blood has already set me free. Teach me to walk, not as one hiding, but as one redeemed. Amen.