“He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed. . . . Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” ---(Luke 4: 18, 21 (NIV)--[recommended that you read LUKE 4: verses 14 thru 30)--
We understand what it means to be in bondage physically, to be locked up, shut in, chained, to not have the liberty to come and go or make choices. We understand the opposite of that, freedom, to be unrestrained, unchained, to have liberty to come and go and make choices. Just as certainly as there is a physical component to bondage and freedom, there is a spiritual component; and the spiritual forces in your life are far more powerful than any lock that could confine you to a room.
--There are spiritual forces that can take every appetite, every desire, every part of the human experience and cause it to become a kind of bondage. Many things that are familiar parts of life under the sun―food, money, possessions, alcohol, sex, etc.―are not inherently evil or wicked. But when they are misused they can become compulsive and controlling because there are spiritual forces that want to see you shackled and unable to fulfill the purposes God has for you. But we are not without hope! This is one of the reasons Jesus came: “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners . . . to release the oppressed.” Let us not be naïve about the spiritual forces that try to keep us in bondage. But neither should we underestimate the power of God that is ours to live in freedom.
**THINK ABOUT IT Is there anything in your life that is not inherently evil but has become a point of bondage for you? Consider the power to live in freedom that God has already supplied for you.
**PRAYER -"Heavenly Father, I thank You for the Holy Spirit who is my helper and for Jesus Christ who is our Advocate and Mediator. I am grateful for Your Word, which is a light unto my path. Please reveal anything holding me back from the spiritual freedom You desire for my life. Thank You for Your great deliverance through the Cross of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen."~~
**Blessings, ***Pastor Allen Jackson **Intend Ministries [Please read (Isaiah 61: verses 1-2). Also read (Luke 4 verses 18 thru 21) = We see Jesus read these exact words in the Synagogue when He began his Public Ministry. However He added, "To Proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (Sadly, the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they tried to throw Jesus down the cliff. But, passing through their midst, He went His way. Jesus Christ is the Messiah! )+ --"PROCLAIM THE GLORY OF THE LORD"/ Steve Green / (Speakers Needed, Words not on Screen~ Praise the Lord, the Messiah has come!)<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k54cQ85CGj4> ---------- -------
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." [John 14:6]
