We can feel trapped and chained by many different things. We might be in a tricky financial situation that we can’t see a way out of, we might be feeling hopeless and wondering if life can ever get better, we might be dealing with fear, or we may have temptations that we’re struggling to break free from. But God wants to set us free from everything that stops us from living a full and abundant life. Jesus said, ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’ (John 10:10 NIV). We can’t have life to the full if we’re being held back by chains. God has the power to break the chains that are around us. He can free us from anything we’re facing. It’s not about us trying to break the chains in our own strength. There will be practical things we can do to help ourselves, but the strength we do these things in has to be God’s, otherwise we’ll become exhausted and discouraged. Often we say we want freedom and we ask God to break the chains, but when He does we can struggle to step out of them. Instead of stepping out of the chains which are now around our feet into the freedom we have, we pick the chains up and put them back on ourselves. Freedom can feel unnatural and uncomfortable when we’ve been enslaved to things for a long time. We can feel lost without the problems we’ve been dealing with. But the abundant and full life that Jesus promised is far better than a life with chains. Are we ready to step out into a life of freedom?

What Now?

Have a read of 2 Corinthians 3:17. The Spirit lives inside each of us, so freedom is continually happening. Ask God to help you step out of the chains He’s broken in your life.