Comfortable in Our Bondage

Comfortable in Our Bondage

"And they said to them, 'Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us." Exodus 5:21

Serving in the ministry of addiction recovery has been a real eye-opener in many ways. There are some folks that from the moment that they trust Christ, they are free from their bondage. Others work through their "besetting sins" and continue to put to death their bondage (I die daily ...).

There are some guys that just struggle and struggle and struggle. I had a conversation with a friend last week who said, "Bill, I just don't know why I can't get victory over this area ..."

Well Dr. Henry Blackaby's insight really nailed the problem -- for some of us -- we are just more comfortable in our area of bondage. Listen to his practical words of wisdom:

It is possible for [us] to become so accustomed to our bondage, that we resist efforts to free us. The Hebrews had been slaves in Egypt for four hundred years. Slavery mean that they were not free to do God's will or to go where they wanted.

Moses had come to tell the Israelites how they could experience freedom, yet they were more concerned about the reaction of their taskmasters than they were about please God. For them to be free would mean that the Pharaoh they were serving would be angry! It would mean that the Egyptians that they had served all their lives might attack them. Freedom from their slavery did not seem to be worth he hardships they would inevitably endure.

When God sets out to free us, there will often be a price we will have to pay. Grief can be a terrible form of bondage, yet we can become comfortable with it. We can grow so comfortable with fear that we don't know how to live without it.

As destructive as our sinful habits and lifestyle might be, we may prefer living with the familiar, rather than being freed to experience the unknown. We may recognize the harmful influence of a friend but choose to reject God's will rather than offend our friend.

As incredible as it seems, the Israelites were angry at Moses for disrupting the life of slavery to which they had grown accustomed. Have you been lulled into a comfortable relationship with your bondage? Do you fear change more than your fear God? Are you willing to allow God to do what is necessary in order to free you? " -- Experiencing God -- the Devotional

Brother (sister) ... is there an area on bondage that must go? Are you too comfortable with it? Purpose in your heart to surrender it and experience His power and forgiveness. -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 12; 2 Kings 15-16; John 3:1-18

Great Quote: The church has spent so much time inculcating in us the fear of making mistakes that she has made us like ill-taught piano students; we play our songs but we never really hear them because our main concern is not to make music, but to avoid some flub that will get us in dutch...I have now heard the strains of grace, and I grieve for my friends who have not". Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace?