Submitted
by David Miller
He brought them out of darkness and
the deepest gloom and broke away their chains” (Psalm 107:14).
Chris Tomlin has a wonderful song
called “Amazing Grace” -
“My chains are gone. I’ve been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood, his mercy reigns.
Unending love. Amazing grace.”
My God, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood, his mercy reigns.
Unending love. Amazing grace.”
We listen to it often, so
much so that I think we each can sing it from memory but do we get the point of
the song? It took me awhile to recognize
the deep impact that the song actually carries.
What are the chains that bind you? In order to be set free from our chains, we
must first identify just what it is that is keeping us imprisoned. What is
holding us back? What have we allowed to be a chain in our lives for so long
now that we barely even recognize it?
It’s odd, actually,
because we get so used to the way we have always been, that we cling to the
things that are holding us back from experiencing all that God truly wants to
give us. Excuses such as, “You know how
I am, I just have a bad temper,” or “I’m just depressed” or “I lack
self-confidence” or “I’m too shy.” All of these things can be true about us,
but using them as an excuse to keep from trying something new means that we are
embracing the very chains that keep us entrapped.
The beauty of it is
that once we identify our chains, we are free to leave them at the cross of
Christ. Perhaps we have asked Christ to set us free but the reality is that
maybe we are too scared to let the chains go ourselves because we are
accustomed to being bound by the chains to the point that they are now a
crutch. An excuse?
It is not easy to
admit our weaknesses. But I have learned through the years that if I honestly
lay these things out on the table in front of Christ, then Satan has one less
weapon to use on me. He cannot handle the truth, nor can he make me feel guilty
for something I left at the altar long ago.
Because of the
blood of Jesus, we are free. You do not have to be a prisoner to the chains any
longer. Christ did not extend His love
to you so that you have to continue in the bondage of the chains of addiction,
doubt, worry, bad habits, tempers, insecurities, etc. He does not want you to hang on to the chains
any longer, either. He came to give you life and give it to you more
abundantly. John
10:10 (NASB) 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I
came that they may have life, and [a]have
it abundantly.
Satan will do
everything he can to destroy your witness and kill your joy. He will manipulate the truth, make you think
that you are unworthy of grace and deny you the freedom you can experience in
Christ. But look at the promise we get
from Jesus, John
8: (NASB) 6 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
Christ can break
the chains that bind you once and for all.
Take them to the altar and leave them there. Christ can and will set you
free from all that binds you. You have
to make the first step, you have to let go.
He stands ready to set you free, with finality.
