03/14/2023
In the time of Jesus, not all slaves were taken in war, or against their will; some sold themselves into slavery for one reason or another. I am not talking about indentured servitude here, but slaves for the rest of their lives. Have you sold yourself as a slave to something or somebody? Before you answer no, are you sure? Do you have an addiction or some sin you keep hidden?
“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”
Romans 6:16 ESV
In our daily lives we make choices as to who, or what, we will allow to influence us, and once we do, they, or it, will always be with us. Whether we choose to take drugs, look at pornography, or to righteously serve God, each of these things we open ourselves up to has a lasting impact on us. There is no eraser that can wipe the marks from the whiteboards that are our minds. As I read my devotional this morning Oswald Chambers spoke of this very thing when he wrote about how we should accept personal responsibility for allowing ourselves to be dominated:
"The first thing to do in examining the power that dominates me is to take hold of the unwelcome fact that I am responsible for being thus dominated. If I am a slave to myself, I am to blame because at a point away back I yielded to myself. Likewise, if I obey God I do so because I have yielded myself to Him." - Oswald Chambers
So, we make the choice to sell ourselves into slavery. The good news is that we can also choose not to. We can say no to drugs, pornography, and all manner of sin, just as we can say yes to Jesus Christ. However, you are probably saying "that's fine but I have already chosen sinful things that have enslaved me... what now? Am I lost?" The answer is both yes and no... if you are trying to escape your bondage alone then you will most certainly fail and are trapped in your condition, but if you accept Jesus Christ into your life then escape through Him is more than possible; it is absolute. Chambers spoke to this as well. and puts it this way...
"There is no power in the human soul of itself to break the bondage of a disposition formed by yielding.... there is no release in human power at all but only in Redemption. You must yield yourself in utter humiliation to the only One who can break the dominating power... the Lord Jesus Christ" - Oswald Chambers
I personally know someone who is an addict, he is many years sober now, but will readily tell you that he will always be one step away from being sold once again into his past slavery by yielding to the old master to which he was enslaved. Over and over he entered rehab only to fail a short time afterward; that is until Jesus Christ came into his life. When that happened the power of the risen Christ strengthened him and rescued him from that old master, which was a combination of drugs and alcohol. Isaiah spoke about this power to open the prison doors for those in bondage:
“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;”
Isaiah 61:1 ESV
And Jesus repeats these words in power within the book of Luke...
“"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."”
Luke 4:18-19 ESV
Isaiah knew it and even predicted the coming of Jesus, and when Jesus Christ came to the world He freed the oppressed. He redeemed the enslaved and not just for a day, like the rehab centers did for my friend, but for life, and eternal life. He is a new coating that overlays the writing on our mind's whiteboard. He writes a new story atop the old tragedy that was there before. He takes the failure of self-rehabilitation and covers it in redemption and righteousness.
So who do we serve? Which master control our lives? Power? Money? Sex? Drugs? The list is long and the regrets can appear overwhelming, but Jesus can remove the guilt and free us from our enslavement… to every one of them. He can buy us back from those we have chosen to enslave ourselves to, and insert himself as the good master of our lives. He can wash away the pain and heartbreak with joy, peace, and love.
So today let's confess the slavery in our lives, and humble ourselves before God. If we do this we will find that His Son is waiting to redeem us and return control to our lives to us. It was the bad choices that brought us to our knees, but by making this one good choice Jesus can save us. You see, He is the "redo button" for our lives. If you find yourself in need of redoing, then pray this prayer with me this morning.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your love for me and the strength and power you bring to my life. Lord, I have made bad choices that have enslaved me to sin and to the world; redeem me Father and let me find release from them through your Son Jesus Christ. Take the cuts from my body, the needles from my arms, the lies from my tongue, the sinful acts I have committed, and wash them all away with the blood of your Son Jesus. You know that I am not able to save myself, and now I fall at the feet of Jesus and wash them with my tears. Dear Lord, have mercy on me, and cover me in your grace. Lead me to a new life in you, and with your people. Let my sins fall away and my eyes be fixed upon you forevermore.
Rich Forbes