Be Still: 30 Devotions for the Hopeful HeartSample

Show Me the Chains

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. GALATIANS 5:1 ESV

Even in our very best, all of us have things that are holding us back from experiencing the best God has for us.

Sometimes that can be an inherently bad thing, like an addiction or an affair, choices of separation from God that we know are restricting our ability to walk freely in Him.

Other times, our entanglements look like the roses in our life. There is nothing wrong with the resources, hobbies, or relationships we have, but due to our stewardship of them, they have become idols. What the Lord desired for our good can quickly be used against us if we are not aware, prioritizing Him first and foremost.

We all have our kryptonite, and while we know it is hurting us, we still crave its existence or the outcome it brings. We fear who we will be without the substance. We worry that we will lose the possibility of a promotion if we work any less. We concern ourselves with meticulous details of our appearance.

These things in our lives become chains, and they prevent us from pursuing our calling. Our fulfillment becomes compromised by our comfort because our comfort has become our kryptonite. We fear what life would look like without our crutch, and we deceive ourselves into thinking all is okay. We can manage, right?

This crutch steals our joy and works hard to make us forget our identity in Christ. We were created to live courageously. To live freely. To do the hard things and look differently than the world. We were not designed to hang out in mediocre places, because our God has an abundant life in store for us.

Let’s let Him reveal our chains—however they look—and be willing to take them off. Surrender will require transparency of our struggles, awareness of God’s promises for our lives, patience with ourselves, and fervent fortitude as we take a step into freedom. He is near and He is working. Let us run with the wind at our back and our eyes on Jesus.

Dear Jesus, thank You for making us free. There is nothing we must do to loosen our chains except to fully trust in You. Show us our limitations; break off our fears. Lead us in Your righteousness. In Jesus’s name, amen.