Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).
Therefore if the Son sets you free, You shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
Yes, it is Jesus who has made us free from the bondage of sin and our past struggles. Many know this, but yet still feel and believe they are chained to their past, failures, and current struggles. I must say it is a tight rope to walk through.
The world constantly tells us we are in bondage to our wrongs, failures, and shortcomings. People are always telling us we don’t measure up to the world’s standards. This alone can have us chained up looking for someone or something to set us free.
The truth is that our liberation was given to us on the cross. God knew we could never pay the debt for all we would do wrong and everything we would go through. There is no condemnation with God. God has always been about liberation since the garden. He put rules in place for Adam and Eve in the garden to protect them, not restrict or control them.
Satan uses people to try and enslave us on a regular basis. People tell us at young ages what we are not. If you want a person to struggle to love themselves, Satan knows to start early tearing our self-esteem apart and weakening the love we have for who we are as a person.
Many of us live a life full of negative thoughts, and I understand it well because I live it. Sometimes, thinking positive is hard for many of us. We often approach everything and everyone with negative thinking. Sometimes, life has made us feel or believe that good things, times, and people are rare.
In essence, this holds validity, but it is negative to see the world through that lens. It is also a form of bondage or a chain holding many of us back from what God wants to do in our lives.
God never intended for us to have spiritual chains holding us back, but many of us do. Breaking free is hard. You must understand that you are not alone. Many people are chained up spiritually. We can be chained to our past, mistakes, losses, failures, abuse, pride, unforgiveness, loneliness, anger, selfishness, negative thinking, etc.
Now that we understand the chains that hold us back, it’s time for a remedy. How does one free themselves from spiritual chains?
You must seek God because He will be honest with you about the chains holding you back. You can also seek godly counsel. This should be someone who has known you for a long time. It should also be someone who will be honest with you, but not bruise you and add to what you may often feel about yourself.
Once the chains have been identified, it is time to fight to break free. It’s time for God’s word, inspirational books, prayer, therapy, and changing your daily routine so that it reflects working on your chains. This can mean meditation when you first get up instead of scrolling.
It can also mean adding exercise to your routine. The truth about exercise is that all you need is 30 minutes about five times a week. That’s two hours and 30 minutes. Trust me, you waste that amount of time on something each week. More than likely, it’s probably scrolling. Exercise also releases endorphins, which are the feel-good hormones. It gets the mind in a good place, especially if you work out first thing in the morning.
Lastly, it’s time for you to know yourself through the lens of God’s word and a relationship with him. It will take some time. This is the journey I am currently on, and I will admit it is different. It has shown me so many areas where chains need to be broken.
Be encouraged the chains will break!
Google Images. (2023). Breaking chains [Clip art]. https://www.royalperspectives.com/a-prayer-of-thanksgiving-for-the-power-over-sin-based-on-1-john-21/
Resilient Inspired Spiritual Excellence R.I.S.E. 