Freed From Bondage

Titus 2:12

training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

Are we trained to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions as this verse states? Have we disciplined ourselves to be able to resist temptation? This can only be done through the power of Christ.. He is the only One who can break our bondage to sin, He can free us from our place of misery. I know that any time that I have succumbed to a sin, especially an addiction, I feel miserable, yeah the pleasure was there, but it was brief, I had to satisfy it again in order to keep that pleasurable feeling. But each time, I knew that I was giving over a piece of myself to becoming a slave of sin. Each time, I felt miserable because I knew it was wrong, but so often I didn’t care. My pleasure was about me. I knew that it was wrong, regardless of if I would admit that it was. But yet, I basically ran back to my misery. I felt like since I was hopeless that I may as well continue. That since I had rebelled against God so many times, that one more time wouldn’t matter. I felt powerless to my addictions. I was chained to it with shackles I could not break. No matter what, I could not get myself free from my misery. Sometimes, I gave up even trying to get free.. Others, I would seek to break free, but would give up after a few successes. I would say prayers, asking God to help me get free from my addictions and sins, but would not truly seek to be freed. Anytime that I was released, I would run back to my shackles and begin to reattach them. In other words, I was a stupid prisoner. I was beaten time after time by my sin, I was left empty, broken, miserable, lonely, bitter, and so much more by my addictions, but yet I could not leave them. I was constantly reminded of what I had done and figured that what I had done would define me in everyone’s eyes, so why try to change it any longer? I finally realized how stupid I had been, being freed from miserable captivity, but yet never wanting to leave my misery. Christians, I know I am not alone in this thinking and these actions. I know that I am not the only one who has run back to their addictions time and time again, never truly seeking to escape. Feeling empty, seeking to fill voids that won’t be filled, trying to find the pleasure I once had, but finding nothing. But family, it doesn’t end there. Because finally, after so many years of hearing the crucifixion story, it became reality. I finally realized that my sin was nailed to that Cross. That I have been freed from that bondage. That through Christ, ALL things are possible. That compared to Him, sin has NO POWER of me. My past is in the past, I must live today for today. I can’t live life based upon the mistakes I made, I have to take each day on its own and fight to live a life pleasing to God. But there are some things we have to realize in order to do this, 1) in order to succeed, we must truly seek the LORD with all we are. If we don’t, this is all pointless. What is the point of breaking free from bondage if we have no where to go? Walking aimlessly won’t get you anywhere. This is not meant to keep anyone from seeking freedom, but rather to help them find guidance. I don’t want anyone to not give up their addictions, but I know that with God is going to be much more purposeful than without Him. He is the only One who can fill those voids that addictions couldn’t. He is the only One that can mend the broken heart. So instead of seeking to break free and go no where, break free and run to Love, God, who saved you from your addictions and has empowered you to break away from them. 2) As warriors, getting ready to fight to break our bondage, we must be trained. We have to be trained in order to be successful. I am saying that we have to be able to our way up to our addictions. Most people have to quit one step at a time, decreasing their fulfilling of the addiction continually until it is gone. Some people completely lose their passion for that addiction ad no longer do it. It brings them no satisfaction and no pleasure anymore and they have no desire to do it, coupled with the fact that God hates sin and any addition that is not literally necessary for life (bare essentials not luxuries) is considered sin. Addictions include but are not limited to gluttony (VERY common in America), sexual addictions (sex itself to pornography to self pleasure to lust and everything in between), violence, drinking and drugs, lack of self control, poor stewardship (incorrect or irresponsible use of money, gifts from God, and other things), laziness (HUGE struggle for many people, including myself to an extent), suicidal thoughts, addictions to memories of the past that remind us of our sinful nature and loom over us (seemingly haunting us), addictions to our ego and receiving glory, addictions to money, we can even build up addictions to ignoring God’s call in our life, and soo much more could be included in this. But how often do we train ourselves to fight these addictions and whatever else may be in our lives? How often do we train ourselves to be righteous and holy? How often do we train ourselves to fully and completely give it to God? I fear, not enough... 3) Lastly, how can we expect to win if we are never in the word or on our knees? Simply put, as warriors going to fight this addiction, how can we win if we don’t have a sword or guidance? The Word is our sword and prayer is our access to the infinite and almighty God. Yet how often do we sit in prayer? Ask yourself, what would our lives be like if we took the time we spend on facebook or watching television or spending time with friends or texting instead used it in prayer and reading the Bible? We are willing to spend hours and hours on ourselves and social networking and television and our friends, but we won’t even give God 5 minutes of our day many times? This is a real problem family. How is it that we can say that God is ruler of our lives and that we love Him more than anything, when we refuse to give Him any of our time. We refuse to speak to Him in prayer and we refuse to seek His direction and commands in His word. We honestly should be ashamed of ourselves. I truly am. I mean, how selfish am I, that I tell the Creator of the universe and the one who died to redeem me that I and my friends and television and the latest gossip is more important to me than Him? Who am I to do that? Family, again this is not to discourage but instead to encourage change and exhort you to seek the King above all else. Only through Him will we overcome addiction and sin and experience meaning and definition and peace ad joy. Let’s give Him all of our problems and all of our blessings. To Him be the praise in the bad and the good. Not by our power but by His may our chains be broken and our lives be healed.

Seek Him and change with even the core of who you are and your deepest darkest secrets and regrets, trust Him.