After the Chains Are Gone

My chains are goneI've been set freeMy God, my Savior has ransomed me- Chris Tomlin’s “Amazing Grace”

I have been feeling led to write this blog post since summer, but I have not gotten around to it because I am still growing in my understanding of freedom. There are some days that I question if God has truly set me free. For years, spiritual chains and shackles consumed my life. 

There’s this lyric from Christian rapper KB’s song “Doubts”: 
I'm a grown man but I feel like I have the same struggles I dealt with since I was a teen
Sometimes I feel like I'm one sin from you saying that you are done with me
Am I deceived, Am I deceived? 

It makes me realize that we serve a God who takes our struggles, shortcomings, failings, issues, and chains. Everything that we may struggle with, we have to know that Christ already died and rose again for them. It’s not something we have to question or wonder why, it’s something he just does for us because we are his children. 

The thing is that we doubt. We doubt God’s power, we doubt ourselves, we doubt our situations. 

You see that the word explicitly says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” John 8:36.  “And you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:32.  John 14:6. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to…set the oppressed free” Luke 4:18.

Jesus came to save the world (John 3:16-17). He came to give us life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). He has already given us our freedom. 

I remember crying at the altar one Sunday at church for God to free me and forgive me. And He said something so simple like, “I already have.” GOD ALREADY HAS FREED US! It’s our doubts that make us question his power and his power that he has given us. 

Jesus didn’t pray for healing of our diseases, minds, and spirits because he has already done it. He prayed for our faith! (Luke 22:32). 

And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” Matthew 17:20. (Mark 16:18) This is for our spiritual mountains too!  

God wants us to believe in his power and the power that he has given us. If demons flee at the sound of God’s voice, then they should at yours too. That same Spirit that rose Christ from the grave is in you! (Romans 8:11). 

Honestly, if we believe and activate our faith in Christ, those chains that presumably have us locked away should melt away like wax. It is also important to remember that this battle is spiritual. Know your weapons (Ephesians 6:10-18) and use them daily. Christians don’t get a break, we are in a fight for our souls everyday.  Jesus commands us to pick up our crosses daily, (Matthew 16:24) but the awesome thing is that we serve a God who will help us carry them too. 

Too often our chains are already broken, but we stay there because we don’t know we can get up. If you are still locked up, do what Paul and Silias did. They prayed and praised God until they were free (Acts 16:16-40). 

And if you struggle with your faith, ask God to help your unbelief. (Mark 9:24). He is a God who understands. 

 http://youtu.be/V7eZD3TKn_M ~Mary Mary's Shackles :)

Love, 

Courtney