October 21, 2020
Have you ever been captured by someone or something? I have. Are you currently a captive of something? Are you a captive of addiction, alcohol, substance abuse or gambling? Or maybe you are captive to an eating disorder? Do you harm yourself? Do you over work and are unable to leave your work at work, or working longer hours than you should be? Are you a captive of emotional abuse, physical abuse, spiritual abuse or sexual abuse? Are you a captive of sin? No matter how you are captured there is someone that will set you free.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible deals with setting the captives free. It is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendago, who were bound and thrown into a furnace that was heated seven times hotter than normal. In fact, it was so hot that it burned up the men who threw them in to it. But This is what happened. “Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?’ They answered and said to the king, ‘True, O king.’ He answered and said, ‘But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.'” Daniel 3:24-25 (ESV) These three men had a Savior, the Son of God. He set them free from the ties that bound them and delivered them from the effects of the flames around them, saving their lives.
Just like in the case of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendago. We all need to be set free. The good news is that Jesus Christ came to set us free. This is prophesized in Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”. After reading this passage in the Synagogue in Nazareth Jesus said, “And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”, Luke 4:21. If you are captive to anything Jesus came to set you free. Place your captivity in His hands humbly ask Him to set you free and believe that He will. He came to earth for you and me to set us free. Trust in Him to set you free because He will.
There was a time in my life in which I was held captive. I was captive to sin. I was a sinner. I could not get free on my own I needed a Savior. Jesus Christ saved me from the devil and my sin. He saved me from death. If you do not know Jesus, the true source of hope does not abide in you. Learn how to get the hope you need. Learn how to know Jesus
If you have not read my previous blogs you can find them here.
You can find my book, Hope Amid Hopelessness: Our Abba Father Provides a Way Through Mental Illness here.
eBook or Audiobook versions can be found at Westbow Press or Christianbook.com at Amazon or Google
