“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
Victory! A person does not need to look far to find familiar anthems touting the victory of broken chains. Popular song lyrics, book titles, and sermon topics impart the good news of freedom and victory in Christ Jesus. Rightfully so! Our freedom from the bondage of sin through Jesus Christ is something to celebrate!
Sadly, those anthems ring a bit hollow for many people. Countless Christians struggle to live in complete freedom afforded us through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They continue to carry broken chains, albeit untethered, long after the chains have been broken and the person has been set free.
The list of things that threaten to hold us in bondage seems to be ever-growing. Addiction, fear, anxiety, stress, grief, unforgiveness, hate, jealousy, depression, envy, pride, and guilt over the past (to name a few) are serious realities. Realities threaten to tether us to the wall of defeat and steal our joy.
A chained animal will quickly learn the boundaries determined by the length of his chain. He will rarely attempt to venture beyond the chain’s length as long as he feels the chain’s weight around his neck. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, He breaks all the shackles and sets us free.
Reluctant to leave our burdens and weary of the oppressive weight, the fragments become part of daily life. Like the formerly tethered animal, we hesitate to venture outside familiar boundaries. Instead of living in victory, we trudge through each day, bearing the unnecessary weight.
How do we discard the broken chains that continue to be a burden? Bible study, prayer, and worship! Bible study reveals God’s truth about a matter, prayer brings help in releasing the unnecessary weight, and worship infuses joy in the journey.
- Addiction: Psalm 50:15 “Call on me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
- Depression: Psalm 3:3 “But you, Lord are a shield about me, my glory, the lifter of my head.”
- Anxiety and stress: John 14:27 “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you…”
- Jealousy and envy: Ecclesiastes 4:4 “And I saw that all toil and all skill in work spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and striving after wind.”
- Grief: Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
- Fear: Isaiah 43:1, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine.”
- Unforgiveness: “Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
- Pride: James 4:6 “…God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
- The Past: Isaiah 43:18-19 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. See, I am doing a new thing…”
Are you longing for complete victory? Put down the chains; leave them at the foot of the cross where Jesus paid the price to set you free. Carrying the weight of untethered chains is a choice. Christ broke the chains and set his children free. Choose to set aside the chains of bondage and move forward in victory!
In Jesus Christ, you have been untethered from every possible shackle in the enemy’s prison. You are free, indeed. Praise the name of Jesus forever.
Charlene Miller
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#charlenemillerblogs