Bible Study
“Free of Chains”
I saw a video of an elephant who had been chained for thirty one years, she was finally released from captivity. Her rescuers had found her both sick and captive. Her desire was to leave with them and enjoy her freedom. But at first the video showed she was confused about her new life. But soon she is ready for a new life.
That is the picture of a person captive to sin.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9
“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” (Romans 6:18, NIV)
We find ourselves chained to habits sometimes they have been with us for long time. It might an addiction that we cannot break away from and it can take any number of forms but it has control on us and over us. We are helpless to break it on our own just like the elephant who had chains on her neck and around her ankle. There is no way to get free on our own no matter how hard we try.
As with the elephant someone found her as a captive to her it was chains, to us it is the chains of sin. As Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” What can we do we can decide to set them aside; we want something better. The decision is ours as the first step.
But we cannot do it alone the One who died for our sins is the one who can set us free by unlocking the chains that have us bound so tightly. Like the elephant we want to leave but we are uncertain about the future. That is a natural feeling. What do we do next, where can I go for some help and understanding, how do I live in this new environment that seems to be changing with every breath I take? What are my next steps that I fear may lead back to where I just left.
Jesus has the answers and it is found in the Answer Book that book is His Word the Bible. Find a good translation to read, if you cannot afford the library has one, if you want your own let me know our church will provide you one. The next step is to find a Bible believing church that will help you grow and gain knowledge and help you understand how to resist that from which you have left. Not all churches believe the explicit Word of God but there are many that do. Find one, visit it, give it two or three weeks and ask God to lead out of there if it is not the right one for you. He will do what you ask because He wants you grow in your belief in Him.
Here is the link to the video if you want to look at it. https://www.facebook.com/upsoclthekiwi/videos/632339025907995/?rdid=9frGjaGWp4C170L4
God Bless.
Asbury Chapel 