Are You Bound

I have been going to a recovery class at the church that I go to and have discovered that there are many people that claim to be Christians that are still bound and struggling with bondage in their lives.  Some are still in their bondage and can’t seem to break free.  Now I am not implying that if you are a true believer you won’t have to struggle with temptation because that is inevitable.  But I think to always say I can’t help but sin because I am not perfect is very detrimental to a believer.  If your mindset is this, that I am always going to sin because I am not perfect, then I believe you will always sin but far more times than you need to.  What you are doing is convincing yourself that you have to sin and then you do and it starts to become an endless cycle of sin and confess, sin and confess, sin and confess and on and on it goes.  Maybe the problem is this, that many believers think that they are still bound, not realizing that they have been set free.  

Think of this, Jesus didn’t shed His blood and die and be buried and resurrected again to make bad people good, no, it was to make dead people live.  God’s Word says that we were dead in our sins and trespasses.  Jesus came to break the bondage of sin and trespasses in our lives and to set us free.  Think of this, spiritually we were dead, then when we repented and confessed and turned away from our sins, the precious Holy Spirit of God quickened us and we became alive spiritually.

Please read Romans 8:5-17, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

This is good news and may get you off that roller coaster ride you have been on for so long.  God’s Word also says this in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

The problem is we don’t look diligently for the way out, think of Joseph when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him, he ran out naked.  There are some temptations you don’t even have to think about, you just move on instinct and flee the situation.  I want to share a story with you that I heard, or read, quite a while ago so I will give you my version of the story.  It goes like this; a farmer had a big farm and one day his donkey came up missing so he searched for it for a few days and then he found it in a ditch all tied up.  He went down and untied the donkey and said, “let’s go,” but the donkey just laid there like he was still tied up.  Then the farmer hollered at the donkey, but that didn’t help either, then he slapped the donkey on the butt and tried to get him to move, but he still laid their like he was still bound. Then the farmer went and pried and pushed on the donkey until he finally got up and the farmer got him out of the ditch.

Now think about Lazarus, when Jesus said, “come forth,” he did but he was still bound until Jesus said to unloose him.  I wonder how many believers fall into this same category; they have received the Lord but they think they are still bound.  There is no bondage that the Lord hasn’t broken in a believer’s life, and He can break whatever the bondage is in yours, or my, life also, I am living proof of that.  God’s Word says that it is not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit sayeth he Lord!!  No weapon formed against God’s people will prosper and when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God will raise a standard against him!!  What we need to do is to resist the devil and he will flee from us.

I have given you something to think about and to act on and I hope you will.  May God bless you and yours and may you all have a super day!!  And don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord for He is worthy!!