Freedom.  It seems everyone wants to be free yet we often struggle to even admit when we are not.  When Jesus stated that holding to His teachings would lead people to know the truth that would set them free, the religious leaders bristled at even the hint that they had ever been slaves to anyone or anything.  Over the next 27 days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the book, “Living Free”, that I wrote several years ago to help you discover a life of freedom found through a consistent gazing into, and practice of, the perfect law of God’s Word.

Here is day six with an important reminder that living free in Christ means that you, and those around you, can live free from the captivity of sin.

Free From Captivity

“I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.“
Isaiah 42:6-7 (NIV)

“O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains. I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD.”
Psalm 116:16-17 (NIV)

Have you ever been trapped in a place or situation and then been set free?  How did it feel to be captive?  How did it feel to be set free?  Is it possible there are things you are captive to that you don’t even realize?  Is it possible to live free even when you are confined for some reason?  How?  How does gazing into the perfect law of God set you free from the captivity of sin?  What does being free from the captivity of sin mean to you?  Does it mean you will never sin again, or something else?  Why?

Unlike a physical prison, sin’s captivity doesn’t always confine us to a specific place but it does make us captive to a way of life that keeps us apart from God.  God’s perfect law sets us free from the power of sin and death through the blood of Jesus.  Even if we should find our self confined for some reason, through Jesus we can still live free from the captivity of sin.  As you pray, ask God to help you live free from the things which try to take your heart, mind, and soul captive.  Pray that you would not re-enter that captivity once Christ has set you free.

In prayer,

Tom