About You
I don't know what you are dealing with in your life, and I don't know what chains may be holding you in their grasp, but I do know that Jesus loves to set people free from seemingly impossible circumstances and strong chains. It doesn't matter if you are in chains of shame, guilt, sexual immorality, drug addiction, or anything else. To Jesus, a chain is a chain. It also doesn't matter what the chain is made of. He can break them all! And even better, He wants to break them in your life! He wants you to walk in freedom, and He wants the glory for how you live your life!
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​ If you find yourself shackled by some type of chain, then I would assume that you are likely either living a secret life of strife and turmoil out of fear of being found out as you try to hide the real you, or if you have reached out to people, maybe they have not been able to help you in your process of deliverance. That’s ok; there is still hope! That is why it is called a process. Don’t give up! As Mt. 7:7 says, keep seeking!
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Here are 10 Truths to Get You on the Path to Freedom:
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1. KNOW THAT JESUS WANTS YOU TO BE FREE! He does not want anyone to live in the grips of sin, regardless of what specific sin that is. He wants you to walk in freedom from bondage. That doesn’t mean that you won’t ever sin again. It just means that sin will not control you with its chains of slavery and addiction. You do not have to ask if Jesus wants you to be free from chains of sin. He clearly does. There is no doubt about that! But likely, you will have a role to play in your process of deliverance.
2. FINDING FREEDOM WILL LIKELY NOT COME EASY. If it did, you would probably already be free. There are certainly times when Jesus delivers someone instantly from a sin that has kept that person in chains most of their life. But typically, Jesus uses a “process of deliverance” to help people find freedom. This process is what He uses to develop character and strength in your life. It is also what He uses to help you continue to walk in freedom after you find it. The process can be long, and no fun at all, but it is a process, and there is a point to it in your life. It can be a difficult road, with many peaks and valleys. Most journeys towards freedom are like that. Be on the lookout for how God wants to use the process in your life. Difficulty and struggle are normal. Don’t be discouraged. Don’t quit!
3. YOU ARE PROBABLY GOING TO NEED SOME HELP. You may need professional help, or you may simply need a strong, relentless friend who will hold you accountable on a regular basis, and continually ask you the hard questions in life, because they love you, and want to help you find freedom. But either way, you will likely need a person or two to walk with you through this journey toward freedom. God uses other people in our lives. Surround yourself with people whom God can use in your life.
4. YOUR PROCESS OF DELIVERANCE MAY TAKE LONGER THAN YOU WANT IT TO. In fact, I can almost promise you that this will be the case. Chains don’t just fall off easily. They have to be pried off, knocked off, cut off, or blasted off. That’s why they are called chains. Set your mind and your heart on pursuing Jesus in the long haul. Pursue Him more than you pursue your freedom. In fact, don't pursue freedom; pursue Jesus! He is the prize! Freedom is a benefit. Please reread those last three sentences! You didn’t get into your chains overnight, and you likely won’t get out of them overnight either. Commit to persevere, no matter what!
5. EMBRACE THE PROCESS! Don’t fight it. Unless God instantly delivers you from your chains, which He does do at times, you are going to have to go THROUGH YOUR process. Yes, YOU have a process to go THROUGH. That is how God wants to lead you to find your freedom. Embrace the process that God leads you through. Do all you can to learn from it, and fight from your heart for what God wants to build in your life. Don’t worry if God doesn’t set you free from your chains instantly. He probably won’t. He may want you to walk WITH HIM through the process for a time, maybe even a long time. Embrace that, and trust Him.
6. YOU WILL HAVE SETBACKS. Yes, I said WILL. You will likely fall back into whatever holds you captive. But that doesn’t mean you are defeated. It just means you are that much closer to walking in freedom. God wants to use your failures in your process, so let Him do that! Defeat only comes if you choose to quit pursuing Christ in your life, and you choose to live with your chains. That’s defeat! Proverbs 24:16 says, “Though the righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.” When you fall, don’t lay there and have a pity party. Get back up and keep walking toward Jesus, thanking Him for forgiveness, and a thousand second chances! You are not perfect or complete yet, and you won’t ever be this side of eternity. Setbacks are part of the process that God will use in your life. Learn from them! He is your joy! He is your righteousness! He is your prize! Keep seeking Him! Regardless of setbacks.
7. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOUR CHAIN IS MADE OF. It makes no difference if your chain comes in the form of sexual addiction, drug addiction, pornography, lying, stealing, cursing, smoking, gambling, or whatever else you can think of. He is the ultimate Chainbreaker! Jesus is able to break all chains and has done so in thousands of people’s lives who have been held in the same chains that hold you. So don’t lose hope! Don’t ever believe that whatever it is that has you in chains is stronger than Jesus. That just isn’t the case. Whatever your chain is made of, Jesus is stronger! He can break any chain!
8. TAKE STEPS OF FAITH! Whatever holds you captive, begin to take actionable steps AWAY FROM your chains. You may not find your freedom instantly, and that is ok. But start taking steps of faith away from your bondage. Friends keeping you in sinful habits? Drop them, and make new friends. Is alcohol your issue? Go now and pour out everything you have. Struggle with pornography? Get a friend involved with some accountability software. Just start taking steps! That is what is important. Don’t sit there in prison waiting for the prison guard to come open your cell. Freedom usually doesn’t come like that. God wants you to be a part of your process of deliverance! Do something to expedite the process. Do it today! Take action! LIKE NOW!
9. CELEBRATE SMALL VICTORIES! Hear this; in all wars, there are many battles. Celebrate when you win a battle! The war may not be over for a long time. But take a break, and celebrate when God helps you win even a small battle in your war. And even better, call a friend so they can celebrate with you. All victories are worth celebrating! Don’t miss an opportunity to celebrate when God helps you gain a victory in your battle! We are quick to get down on ourselves when we fall, but slow to rejoice when we stand. Turn that around, and celebrate!
10. SAY “YES” MORE THAN YOU SAY “NO.” I believe that this may be one of the best pieces of advice that I can give you. We hear continually how we need to say “no” to sin, and there is truth in that statement, no doubt. But I believe there is an ever truer statement that is more beneficial for a person in chains. And that statement is this: Say “YES” to the life you want MORE THAN you say “NO” to the temptation that you face. There is more power and more life in your “YES” than there is in your “NO.” Don't miss this! When you face temptation, you will find more power to walk away from that temptation by choosing your better option (your yes) which is the alternative to your sin, than you will be simply saying “NO” to your sin. The yes provides that better outcome that you sincerely desire in your life, where the no is only a partial answer, leaving you without the positive alternative clearly stated. Choose the better option in your life, rather than just saying no to the lesser option. There is way more power in saying “YES” to life than there is in just saying no to sin.
If you have any questions about these issues, or any other issues or struggles, feel free to email me from the Contact section below.