I have been thinking about chains lately. Not real chains, but chains from a biblical perspective; the chains that “bind us” from being the person the Lord wants us to be. There are praise and worship songs about these chains… songs that sing of breaking every chain, Jesus as the Chain Breaker, or chains being gone allowing us to be set free; I am sure there are many others.
That all sounds fantastic! The Lord truly is the Chain Breaker/Miracle Worker/Promise Keeper, and chains are broken every day. But let’s look at chains from a different angle. Perhaps we have been praying and praying for a chain to be broken, sometimes for months or years. What if that chain was actually broken long ago but we keep holding on to it thinking we are still bound, when in reality all we need to simply do is open our spiritual hands and let the chain go? Perhaps we have become so comfortable with a chain that it has become part of our life, making us hesitant to let it go completely? Do you have a chain you could be holding on to? An addiction or bad habit? Resentment towards someone? A health concern?
Another concept about chains is that sometimes we hold chains that do not even belong to us. We pick up or take hold of others chains thinking we are helping that person, when we are actually binding ourselves with their chain. We get wrapped up, tangled up in someone else’s mess, which it is fine to try to help someone, but it is not okay to become so involved that it becomes our “mission”, causing us to lose sight of what the Lord wants. There is a fine line of balance and boundaries we must pay attention to when helping others.
When the Lord created man, He never intended us to be bound by anything. He did not even bind us to obey him; He gave us a free will. He wanted us to be free; free to worship him, free from sickness and disease, free from all the bitterness and anger we now experience in the world today. But the enemy does not want us to be free, and as long as we are on this earth the enemy is working to keep us in bondage, imprisoned. The biggest chain he uses is the chain of Fear. It is a small one-syllable word, yet it evokes a multitude of reactions and creates chaos. Fear is the driving force of chains not being broken or broken chains being held on to. With that being said, if you are still holding on to a broken chain, that sinister Chain of Fear needs to be dealt with, which means… you are still bound, at least to one chain. It is a vicious cycle. I dare say without a doubt, the majority of Christians have an underlying spiritual Chain of Fear, just as the enemy intended.
If you have been around Promise Helpers any length of time, you know the spiritual weapons we have access to to break these chains, even the biggie- Fear. Fear is big, but our God is bigger; no, He is biggest. Nothing can stand in our way when we call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever chain that has you bound, whatever chain you are holding on to, whatever the enemy throws at you, you can find peace and rest in the Lord.
It is ironic to think the Creator of man, the King of Kings WANTS US-- we who have turned and sinned against him-- wants us to be FREE from bondage. Yet his enemy who has nothing to do with our existence but only seeks to steal, kill, or destroy us, wants us under his authority and in bondage.
Our Heavenly Father gave us authority to stand against his enemy and the ability to defeat the enemy, and yet, not all Christians know how to use this authority. It is vital Christ Followers use this authority, especially this day and time. Our time on earth is short, shorter than it has ever been. Satan is in full blown attack mode hitting the world from every angle. Do you know how to use the God-given authority to fight Satan and how to break the chains that bind you and completely let them go? If not, dig into the Word of God and ask our Holy Spirit to show you and help you. He is the greatest Teacher on earth. Our fall retreat is also an awesome place to learn. We have spirit-led speakers of the Truth at every retreat, so I encourage you to register today! Blessings to you.
To God be the Glory
