Saturday, August 17, 2013

Set the captives free


“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”[a]

There is a saying in AA, "you are as sick as your secrets".  Our secrets are killing us.  I guess in a way we all have secrets.  I am not talking about those.  I am talking about the destructive ones.  The ones that oppress us, keep us prisoners, us or our loved ones.  These secrets of oppression, addiction, mental illness, abuse, poverty, handicaps, that we have shared with no one, either because we are embarrassed, hopeless, scared, don't want to gossip or hurt someone, wives don't want to dishonor their husbands, don't know what to do, you are free in the name of Jesus to tell someone in order to get help.  These all are illusions and lies. The church is not immune to these lies.  We have to share our secrets with someone trustworthy of our heart in order to break free.  Satan loves for us to keep secrets, keep things in the dark.  There is no help there.  Jesus is the light of the world.

You may not have any idea who you can go to but I promise you there is someone out there that will help you.  God has an army of His people that are called to proclaim the good news.  Find someone that will not condemn you but will give you wisdom, support and the help you need for you or whoever touches your life that you love and care about.  Go to a pastor, yours preferably, but if not someone, an elder, a friend in the body of Christ that loves the Lord, a christian counselor, a support home or place, maybe another family member, someone that will and wants to help you.  Pray God will lead you to just the right person who will step out in faith into your life of confusion, pain and suffering.  Get others, even a couple of people to pray for you and those needing help and helping.  I am praying for you now.  Don't be someone who is afraid to be free.  Who feels safer in their own prison than willing to face fear and move out to life.  It is hell where you are.  You don't have to pray to go home to heaven to escape the pain anymore.  There is freedom and life.  Reach out and take it.  Jesus promises it.

We are not to run from these people.  Some people don't want to get involved.  They are scared to cause trouble. Don't want people mad at them. They don't know what to do.  Think it is not their place, always someone else.  I know many of you are not running from these people but seeking them out.  We are called to set the captives free.  It is our calling as a christian no matter what you think your gifts are.  If you honestly don't think you can help this person with this situation, go with the person, to someone who can.  We must break these chains that hold us and are killing our families, marriages, children, and loved ones and Gods church. Work to get our laws changed.  Be proactive. Our prisons, grave yards, streets, homes and churches are full of these people or those whose lives have been taken because of this.  It could be you.  Only by the grace of God is one of these people not you or someone you love.  It may have been.  Maybe that is why you have such a compassion, a heart for them now. It is Jesus. It is a gift from God and a blessing to you to be able to move into the mess of someone else life with hope and truth. They will be forever grateful.  Don't be hasty but seek wisdom and a multitude of counselors if necessary to help someone.  Get educated now, if you are not, on how to help the body of Christ, the broken hearted be whole and free.  They are people who God wants to give life and life abundant to.  He can and will do that through you.  He is calling us to obey Him and do it with a heart of love for Him and others. We are anointed for this purpose. You are here, now, for such a time as this. Christ died to set the captives free.  It is for freedom that we are free.  We all are free in Christ because of the cross.  Lets give the truth to the captives.  You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free, free indeed.

I do not write this to make anyone feel guilty.  I write it to me to not live in regret but to do something for someone else. They did it for me.

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