Category Archives: Enslavement

Battles, Bible, Enemies, Enslavement, Freedom, Oppression, Rescue, Salvation, Scripture, Slaves

IT WAS FOR FREEDOM

GALATIANS 5:1

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

Why do people fight wars? Most of the time it is for freedom. One group is trying to force another group to live a certain way, to surrender to their army, to deny their beliefs in favor of another. It’s almost always one group trying to force their will on another. We will see in today’s verse that spelled out so clearly.

Paul is emphatically stating that freedom is ours. That is why Christ died – to set us free. But from what? Well, he states that in the second part of the verse. He says, “do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” Here he is referring, of course, to the slavery of the law. The law was forcing these young believers to follow the old Mosaic law, which Christ has set them free from. He was the final, perfect sacrifice for all mankind. They were free.

APPLICATION

All over the world today, Christians are facing the loss of their freedom – freedom to worship, freedom to share Jesus. Check out The Voice of the Martyrs website (www.persecution.com) to read some of the stories they share about these saints. We often think this sort of thing doesn’t happen in the 21st century. How wrong we are.

What else does God’s Word say about our freedom? Jesus explains it so well in the gospel of John. John 8:31-36 says, “31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ 33 They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, “You will become free”?’ 34 Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 Now the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.’”

There is really nothing else to add to that. Jesus said it all. The Son sets you free. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Aren’t you glad? No longer slaves. We’ve been set free! Sin has no more power over us. The penalty of sin has been removed. Praise His holy name.

Lord, I give You praise for the freedom You have given me in and through Christ. 

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Accountability, Age, Bible, Enslavement, Family, Home, Maturity, Responsibilities, Scripture

A CHANGE OF POSITION

GALATIANS 4:7

“Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

From time to time in life we have the opportunity to change positions. What do I mean by that? Well, we move from son to father to grandfather (which is the best, by the way). We may move from employee to employer. And for many young ladies, they may move from bridesmaid to bride. All significant changes. All involve a change in responsibilities. But they all also carry with them a change in how they are seen by others.

Paul goes through a progression in today’s verse – slave to son to heir. Of course, Paul is speaking in spiritual terms regarding each of these. We all were once a slave to sin, bound under the chains with no hope for freedom. But as believers in Jesus, we each became sons (or daughters) to our heavenly Father. We are in His family now. And as such, we are now heirs to all our Redeemer possesses. We are called joint-heirs with Christ in Romans 8:17.

APPLICATION

As I mentioned, with a change in position, comes responsibility. In each stage of my life, my responsibilities changed from son to father to grandfather. As a believer, I have responsibilities as part of this family. Billy Graham once said, “Our faith becomes stronger as we express it; a growing faith is a sharing faith.” Do you believe that? Look at these verses.

In Mark 16:15 Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Paul told Philemon in his letter to him (v. 6), “and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.” One more. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:15-16, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

One of our major responsibilities as believers is to share our faith, to tell others the good news. Will you do that today? Ask the Lord to give you one person to share with today. Ask the Lord to help you lead one person to Jesus today. Share the greatest story ever told. Share how He has changed your life. Do that today.

O Lord, I go so many days without sharing my faith. Give me someone today to talk to about Jesus.

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Abiding, Abundance, Bible, Boasting, Brokenness, Dependence, Enslavement, Filled, Glorify, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Promises, Scripture

FILLED UP

ZECHARIAH 10:10

“I will bring them back from the land of Egypt and gather them from Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon until no room can be found for them.”

I have fond memories of family gatherings at my Grandma Carter’s house in Georgia. Just about every Thanksgiving and Christmas, all the family (uncles, aunts, cousins galore) would come and eat and laugh and eat some more. The house would literally be running over with people. Grandma didn’t have a big house, so every room was full. What a blast!

Here in verse 10 today, we see God promising that He will fill the land of Israel again to overflowing with His children who will return from Egypt and Assyria. What a change from the desolate landscape of previous years. People will be looking for places to live. But just like my Grandma’s house, these people will be celebrating and loving each other.

APPLICATION

God wants to fill you to overflowing with His love and His Spirit. You may feel like the children of Israel in Egypt and Assyria. You feel trapped, enslaved by some sin or some circumstance. Oh beloved, put your trust in the same God who delivered Israel. He knows exactly where you are. He allowed you to go there. So, He can bring you out. But you have to be willing to go with Him.

Paul tells us in Colossians 2:6-7, “6 Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” As you walk with the Lord, He will fill you to overflowing. Do you believe that? I do.

I experienced this recently on a trip to Africa. During the worship time at a conference, I was praying for our speaker when God suddenly drove me to my knees in prayer. I have never experienced that before. As I prayed, I began to weep, and then He spoke to me so clearly. He told me to have the men (about 100 of them from all over Africa) to pray over this speaker in their heart language. It was an incredible moment of overflowing. Allow Him to fill you, as well, as you submit to Him and give the Spirit room to move.

Lord, I praise You for Your Spirit which fills me to overflowing.

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Abiding, Bible, Choices, Devil, Enslavement, Following, Hope, Pride, Return, Scripture

FAILURE TO RETURN

HAGGAI 2:17

“‘I struck you and every work of your hands with scorching wind, mildew, and hail; yet you did not come back to Me,’ declares the LORD.”

When I read today’s verse, my thoughts went back to a dog I used to have. That dog was bad about running away from home. If he got off his leash or out of his fence, he would take off and be gone for days. Most of the time I would have to track him down by neighbors’ reported sightings. You would think he would happy being fed, loved on and cared for, but he had other plans it seemed.

Even though God judged the nation of Israel in the past through the destruction of the crops with scorching winds, mildew and hail they did not return. Amos 4:9 uses almost the same words as Haggai. “‘I struck you with scorching wind and mildew; The caterpillar was devouring Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees; Yet you have not returned to Me,’ declares the LORD.” About 200 years separated these two prophets which tells us they were very slow to return to the Lord.

APPLICATION

Our failure to return to our Lord may not span 200 years, but we are just as disobedient. He tries to draw us back, but we reject Him. We are comfortable in our sins. Just like my runaway dog, we like the “freedom” that we think we have on our own. We don’t see the dangers that lurk behind every corner. The devil loves runaway Christians. He will continue to lure you away.

So, what must we do to return? It’s pretty simple. Just stop running. Stop, turn around and fall into the arms of Jesus. Now, what does that remind you of? How about the story of the Prodigal Son that is told in Luke 15:11-32. It says the son came to his sense and returned. Even though he probably still smelled like pigs, his father embraced him and welcomed him home.

If you are like me, you probably stink with sin sometimes, especially if you have been wallowing in it. God has been calling you home, but you have ignored Him. Return to Him. Come home. He is waiting for your return.

Come home, come home. Ye who are weary come home. Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling, calling all sinners, come home.

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Accused, Bible, Consequences, Enslavement, Freedom, Rescue, Scripture

JAIL BREAK

MICAH 2:13

“The one who breaks through goes up before them; they break through, pass through the gate, and go out by it. So their king passes on before them, and the LORD at their head.”

There have been so many movies about prisoners breaking out of prison. I think of The Bird Man of Alcatraz. I have seen James Cagney make prison breaks. And who can forget all the Westerns that included breaking out of the Sheriff’s jail? All these have one thing in common – getting free from confinement.

Micah, in today’s verse, is portraying the people of Israel breaking free from their imprisonment. “The one who breaks through” is a reference, according to some scholars, of Christ, Who sets us free from our enslavement to sin. But the last phrase tells it all – “and the Lord at their head.” He is the one responsible for their freedom.

APPLICATION

Are you enslaved today? Romans 6:16 says, “Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” You see, we are slaves to something.  

I have never been in jail (at least not yet, lol), but I can imagine how I would feel to be confined somewhere that I could not leave. When you are enslaved to sin, there is no escape. You cannot get out of this enslavement by yourself. You do not have the power to break the yoke of sin. But thanks be to God, He sent His Son to set us free.

I love Isaiah 61:1. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD anointed me to bring good news to the humble; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to captives and freedom to prisoners;” We have a mission to proclaim the good news. We can help point others to the One Who breaks through.

Thank You, Father, for breaking through the walls of sin as I call upon Your name.

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