09/05: Bondage and Freedom
Category: General
Posted by: Pastor German
Praise God to you who have taken the time to visit our website to read my nuggets, thoughts, or comments. As you know, if you have been reading my words of encouragement, I am a big reader of the devotional “Experiencing God Day by Day” by Henry and Richard Blackaby and again, in its entirety, I wanted to share the devotional entitled: “Comfortable in Our Bondage”. I have highlighted several areas for emphasis and what I will give some commentary on at the end of the devotion.
And they said to them, "Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us." (Exodus 5:21)
It is possible for people to become so accustomed to their bondage that they resist efforts to free them. The Hebrews had been slaves in Egypt for four hundred years. Slavery meant that they were not free to do God's will or to go where they wanted. Moses had come to tell the Israelites how they could experience freedom, yet they were more concerned about the reaction of their taskmasters than they were about pleasing God. For them to be free would mean that the pharaoh they were serving would be angry! It would mean that the Egyptians they had served all their lives might attack them. Freedom from their slavery did not seem to be worth the hardships they would inevitably endure.
When God sets out to free us, there will often be a price we will have to pay. Grief can be a terrible form of bondage, yet we can become comfortable with it. We can grow so comfortable with fear that we don't know how to live without it. As destructive as our sinful habits and lifestyle might be, we may prefer living with the familiar, rather than being freed to experience the unknown. We may recognize the harmful influence of a friend but choose to reject God's will rather than offend our friend.
As incredible as it seems, the Israelites were angry at Moses for disrupting the life of slavery to which they had grown accustomed. Have you been lulled into a comfortable relationship with your bondage? Do you fear change more than you fear God? Are you willing to allow God to do what is necessary in order to free you?"
The highlighted areas are where I want to share my thoughts! Most importantly, I believe immediately after reading, we thought of the big areas of being in bondage. For the Israelites it was slavery, for today, we think about bondages of pornography, homosexuality, drugs, alcohol, areas we call the “big” bondages! But have you thought about fear, grief, anger, jealousy, poverty, undisciplined with finances, sickness and disease, UNBELIEF, as being bondages? I believe that they are! And I know that they may be many more that I have not named! Each has the possibility that having been in them for so long we become so comfortable in it that when the WORD comes to free us from our bondages, we resist because it will change the way we have been living our lives. As this devotion started off: It is possible for people to become so accustomed to their bondage that they resist efforts to free them.
Moreover, the price we have to pay to indeed to be free of our bondages is going through the process of being free! It won’t be a cake walk to come out! Why? Well our foe the devil doesn’t want us to come out! The enemy does not want us to be free from his grips! Anyone being introduced to the WORD of GOD will come under attack! The consequences of coming out of a very bad relationship – some may have to face threats from the one you are trying to get away from, instead of staying in a relationship whereas you are physically and verbally abused and in these days this is in heterosexual or homosexual relationships. The consequences may be having to endure a court proceedings to resolve financial situations, i.e, lawsuits or bankruptcy! Yes, we may have to endure the price to pay, but when it is all said and done YOU WILL BE FREE! We can declare like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, [I am] free at last!”
Furthermore, let us all take inventory of our lives! Let us consider the questions: "Have you been lulled into a comfortable relationship with your bondage? Do you fear change more than you fear God? Are you willing to allow God to do what is necessary in order to free you?" My brothers and sisters, I pray that you will ask Holy Spirit to examine your life! Ask Holy Spirit to reveal anything that hinders your relationship with the Heavenly Father! And if by chance you are reading this and you don’t have a relationship with the Lord through the person of Jesus Christ, see this note as a message from the LORD to come to Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Savior! Get into a good Bible believing church and begin your journey of being set free from your bondages. Don’t resist it but embrace it and live victoriously! Those bondages are sent directly from the pits of hell to disrupt your walk with God! The awesome thing about it all is that the LORD will continue to pursue us and speak to our hearts to be set free! Know that when the LORD sets you free you will be FREE INDEED, TOTALLY FREE!
And they said to them, "Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us." (Exodus 5:21)
It is possible for people to become so accustomed to their bondage that they resist efforts to free them. The Hebrews had been slaves in Egypt for four hundred years. Slavery meant that they were not free to do God's will or to go where they wanted. Moses had come to tell the Israelites how they could experience freedom, yet they were more concerned about the reaction of their taskmasters than they were about pleasing God. For them to be free would mean that the pharaoh they were serving would be angry! It would mean that the Egyptians they had served all their lives might attack them. Freedom from their slavery did not seem to be worth the hardships they would inevitably endure.
When God sets out to free us, there will often be a price we will have to pay. Grief can be a terrible form of bondage, yet we can become comfortable with it. We can grow so comfortable with fear that we don't know how to live without it. As destructive as our sinful habits and lifestyle might be, we may prefer living with the familiar, rather than being freed to experience the unknown. We may recognize the harmful influence of a friend but choose to reject God's will rather than offend our friend.
As incredible as it seems, the Israelites were angry at Moses for disrupting the life of slavery to which they had grown accustomed. Have you been lulled into a comfortable relationship with your bondage? Do you fear change more than you fear God? Are you willing to allow God to do what is necessary in order to free you?"
The highlighted areas are where I want to share my thoughts! Most importantly, I believe immediately after reading, we thought of the big areas of being in bondage. For the Israelites it was slavery, for today, we think about bondages of pornography, homosexuality, drugs, alcohol, areas we call the “big” bondages! But have you thought about fear, grief, anger, jealousy, poverty, undisciplined with finances, sickness and disease, UNBELIEF, as being bondages? I believe that they are! And I know that they may be many more that I have not named! Each has the possibility that having been in them for so long we become so comfortable in it that when the WORD comes to free us from our bondages, we resist because it will change the way we have been living our lives. As this devotion started off: It is possible for people to become so accustomed to their bondage that they resist efforts to free them.
Moreover, the price we have to pay to indeed to be free of our bondages is going through the process of being free! It won’t be a cake walk to come out! Why? Well our foe the devil doesn’t want us to come out! The enemy does not want us to be free from his grips! Anyone being introduced to the WORD of GOD will come under attack! The consequences of coming out of a very bad relationship – some may have to face threats from the one you are trying to get away from, instead of staying in a relationship whereas you are physically and verbally abused and in these days this is in heterosexual or homosexual relationships. The consequences may be having to endure a court proceedings to resolve financial situations, i.e, lawsuits or bankruptcy! Yes, we may have to endure the price to pay, but when it is all said and done YOU WILL BE FREE! We can declare like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, [I am] free at last!”
Furthermore, let us all take inventory of our lives! Let us consider the questions: "Have you been lulled into a comfortable relationship with your bondage? Do you fear change more than you fear God? Are you willing to allow God to do what is necessary in order to free you?" My brothers and sisters, I pray that you will ask Holy Spirit to examine your life! Ask Holy Spirit to reveal anything that hinders your relationship with the Heavenly Father! And if by chance you are reading this and you don’t have a relationship with the Lord through the person of Jesus Christ, see this note as a message from the LORD to come to Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Savior! Get into a good Bible believing church and begin your journey of being set free from your bondages. Don’t resist it but embrace it and live victoriously! Those bondages are sent directly from the pits of hell to disrupt your walk with God! The awesome thing about it all is that the LORD will continue to pursue us and speak to our hearts to be set free! Know that when the LORD sets you free you will be FREE INDEED, TOTALLY FREE!
