Oh how we love our independence! And yet we are so given to slavery. We get enslaved, enslave ourselves and hold others hostage too. We think we’re free, but we are constrained by so much. All of us are slaves.

We become slaves to:

• Money, food, drink, drugs, lust.
• Power, privilege, entitlement.
• People’s opinions. (They are stronger than we think.)
• Prevailing culture (values, ideas, language, and even fashion).
• Pride and self-justification.
• Past failures and disappointments.
• An unforgiving, bitter spirit toward others.
• Fear and worry.
• Appetites for excessive pleasure, entertainment, and indulgence, gambling our futures away on present thrills.
• Generational sin and personal sin.
• Routine. (Yup, feeding our own comfort and preferences can shackle us and inhibit growth.)
• Even our own independent way of doing things bars us from believing better can be found outside of ourselves.

And it gets worse. Like turnovers in sport, release from one slavery often leads to another enslavement. Like endless games of capture-the-flag, we get the banner and then lose it. 

There seems to be no getting out of our own way. No momentum built. No final, declared winner.

In steps, Jesus. He fights for our forever freedom. He fights for it better than we do. He releases us from everything that binds. He offers freedom from enslavement to not just any but all of the above. He holds the keys (Revelation 1:18). 

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed“ (John 8:36).

So let’s remember Jesus daily in the midst of our battles for independence. See His Cross. Raise His banner high, like soldiers before battle, like team flags that flood the court during breaks in stiff competition. 

Follow Him to freedom. This is why He fought and died, and rose again – for our freedom. He alone is fully committed to this victory and ensures it.

Reflect: Which bondage bullet above is shackling you right now? Have you ever been released from a bondage? How? Did it return? If so, why? Are you enslaved by thinking that Jesus is not enough?

A prayer to consider: O LORD, I need Your help. Free me from thinking I can save myself or that there are other means that truly emancipate and fully satisfy. 

Help me to make much of Jesus today, finding my rest and freedom here. Don’t let me add to Your gospel. Thank You for fighting for my freedom from all that threatens me. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Amen.