How To Break The Chains Of The Past
Colossians 1:13-14 “For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins."
How many of us dreamed of a Knight in Shining Armor swooping in to rescue us as little girls? How many of us dreamed of being a Princess treated like royalty by a Prince? Or having a King & Queen for parents? Well, I'm not sure any of our 'younger selves' could even come close to imagining the actual kingdom of darkness that our True Prince rescued us out of!! If we could actually see the tar-pit of death and destruction that we once were in, in our sins.... we'd see the REAL rescue Jesus did for us! Yes, sometimes we recognize it, but I feel like I for one, sometimes forget and take it for granted, that I'm saved.
Today, the MEF (minds eye flash) of the true depth and darkness of utter loss, pain, fear, shame, hate, crime, drugs, .... the picture of being weighed down, pulled back, and in a pit full of tar that sinks down even deeper! The cold, wet feeling in the complete darkness that almost takes your breath away... sin is sin. No one sin is worse than another. Lying is the same as murder in Gods book. If you think about it, a lie really is murder! It's killing truth. Ouch! Trying to walk in this muck weighed down with so many different sizes and types of chains, is so difficult! I can see a light, way off in the distance, yet every step I take to get closer to it, seems to make it that much farther away. I'm being urged on, step by step, by a yearning desire to reach the light. I can hear a soothing voice, telling me to "let go of that chain, give it to Me" and as I look down at the chains around me, I'm just not sure... so I grab one of the small ones that is still shiny and thin like the chain that a rapper wears around their neck. That one seems ok to let go of and give up. As I do that, almost instantly, the light is closer now. Again, the voice says, "let go of 'that' chain, give it to Me" - I can feel the 'request' of the chain He is asking for, as the big fat one, that is weighing me down the most - but I've carried it SO long! It has become comfortable to me. So, I divert my attention, to a different chain around me, one that is a bit darker in color, thicker that the dog chain I let go of already.... this one, as I touch it, has memories of many disappointments attached to it. I realize, that I'm tired with this chain around me, so I take it off, and let it go. Now, the light is even closer. I can actually almost feel the chill of the darkness fading. My steps also seem to be in a less-deep tar. I keep walking, dragging and pulling some of these chains that seem to have gotten even longer as I am walking towards this light. Then, out of nowhere, there is a sudden burst of wind, cold as ice, and thick with wetness! It's as if a big dragon came in and breathed all over me! Then it happens - each and every chain I have on, gets MORE links added to them! Even though the ground I am walking on, seems to not be as deep or hard, no the weight is SO heavy. But there is something about that light. Something drawing me to it, urging me to keep walking. - FLASH forward, I'm not sure how much time - and I am even closer to the light now. The strong yet soothing voice is urging me a bit stronger now, to let go of ALL of the chains, ALL at once! I'm stunned, breathless, confused... then He steps into the light, arms open wide, asking for me to give them ALL to Him. I'm uncertain, cautious, fearful, nervous... you name it - all at once! Yet, He seems SO certain! I try explaining some of the chains, and the reasons why they are there on me...He doesn't care! He wants them anyway! WHAT?!?! I'm still unsure, and yet as I start to touch the chains, and think perhaps, "ok, maybe this one" His hands are right there, and He immediately lifts it from my hands! Wow! The relief I feel! The weight of the pressure lifted off is SO good!! So, I try looking at another one, still avoiding the big, fat ones that are hurting me the most. One by one, as I touch the chain and realize what or who helped put that on me - I feel and hear Him saying, that it is OK, let Him take them from me. All of a sudden, I'm caught up in a flash of fear and hesitation! Doubt. "Why? Why are You willing to take these chains from me? I don't want you to wear them. I don't want anyone to even 'know' where all of these came from, let alone have THEM wear them!" Calmly, peacefully, and yet urgently, His voice says, "My dear precious child, I have already bought and paid for these chains. I'm just here to collect them, so you can be free. So you can experiance true and real love, forgiveness, mercy and grace. Let me take these chains from you. ALL of them. Even THAT one." Then as if a jolt of electricity zaps me, He touches the big, dark, heavy, rusted chain that has been there the longest. I feel the urge to jump and run away from Him, to grab on even tighter to the chain. But as I take a step back, it is like stepping back into the darkness, the cold, wet hard to breathe darkness - and I stop! As I touch the chain, there is a mixture of cold and warm. There is a mix of heavy and light. It is SO confusing! But then, I SEE Him! His eyes are filled with compassion! His eyes show even more - like He is experiencing each and every link in that chain! Tears fill His eyes, but not of disgust or judgment, but FULL of compassion, mercy, love, LOVE! Forgiveness, and craziest of all - understanding! Oh my goodness! I realize His words and requests are real and true! That He CAN handle these chains, even better than I ever could. As I am tempted to look back in to the darkness, He touches my hand and the chains at the same time. Once again, He soothingly says, "Let go, give these to Me, let me give you new clothes. Let me take you out of this darkness, and walk you into this...." as He opens wide His arms and the light from the other place is ALL on Him! Like He is a wall, and it is all held right there, right behind Him. I can hardly take it any more!! I'm so cold, shivering right down to my bones! Weak from the long road and far travel I've been on! The feelings of hunger and thirsts are overwhelming! I just KNOW He will quench this. Well, I decide, to try more. To give Him more of the chains. His hand reaches out, and guides my hand to the biggest, fattest, heaviest chain I have. He lays my hand gently on THAT chain, and then He lifts it from the underside. Just a fraction. But THAT fraction feels like a million tons! He looks me straight in the eye, not wavering, not judging, but asking - for me to let go. For a quick second, as I feel fear and doubt again, He lets the chain fall back on me, resting its weight on me. I instinctively react with a big push/shove motion - and WHAM!! It's OFF!!! Lifted! Gone!! Well, then it takes me milliseconds to trust Him and start throwing off ALL of the chains! Each and every one! Gladly, with joy and laughter! Pretty soon, I am standing on firm ground, surrounded in warmth, love, joy, peace... and I JUMP in to His arms with gladness! Instantly I am free! Rescued from years and years of darkness. I'm instantly transferred into this new place of light, joy, peace, forgiveness, mercy, kindness - and most of all - LOVE!! WOW!! Amazing love! How can it be, that He would even "want" to save a retch like me?!?! But He did!
I'm SO THANKFUL to our wonderful and mighty King who slays dragons for each and every one of us DAILY!! Dragons out of the pit of darkness, that we can not even see! His Full Armor is for US to put on EVERY day, so that we can confidently KNOW we are in the beautiful, peaceful, light, bright, loving, accepting, merciful, forgiven Kingdom of God!!! We ARE transferred out of the prison of darkness, released in to the newness and freedom of His Light - Jesus!! Don't let the enemy fool you, convince you, lie to you - and suck you back in to darkness! You ARE a Daughter of the King, worthy of His love and care!! Today, I pray you ask the Holy Spirit to give you glasses of truth, to look thru His lenses and see any darkness you have been held down by. Any chains you are hanging on to. Then, be BRAVE my sister, accept His help to let it go, get rid of the chains that are holding you back from accepting and receiving His full and complete love! I'm praying for you and His truth. I'm praying you see, hear, and feel His love like never before today!
How many of us dreamed of a Knight in Shining Armor swooping in to rescue us as little girls? How many of us dreamed of being a Princess treated like royalty by a Prince? Or having a King & Queen for parents? Well, I'm not sure any of our 'younger selves' could even come close to imagining the actual kingdom of darkness that our True Prince rescued us out of!! If we could actually see the tar-pit of death and destruction that we once were in, in our sins.... we'd see the REAL rescue Jesus did for us! Yes, sometimes we recognize it, but I feel like I for one, sometimes forget and take it for granted, that I'm saved.
Today, the MEF (minds eye flash) of the true depth and darkness of utter loss, pain, fear, shame, hate, crime, drugs, .... the picture of being weighed down, pulled back, and in a pit full of tar that sinks down even deeper! The cold, wet feeling in the complete darkness that almost takes your breath away... sin is sin. No one sin is worse than another. Lying is the same as murder in Gods book. If you think about it, a lie really is murder! It's killing truth. Ouch! Trying to walk in this muck weighed down with so many different sizes and types of chains, is so difficult! I can see a light, way off in the distance, yet every step I take to get closer to it, seems to make it that much farther away. I'm being urged on, step by step, by a yearning desire to reach the light. I can hear a soothing voice, telling me to "let go of that chain, give it to Me" and as I look down at the chains around me, I'm just not sure... so I grab one of the small ones that is still shiny and thin like the chain that a rapper wears around their neck. That one seems ok to let go of and give up. As I do that, almost instantly, the light is closer now. Again, the voice says, "let go of 'that' chain, give it to Me" - I can feel the 'request' of the chain He is asking for, as the big fat one, that is weighing me down the most - but I've carried it SO long! It has become comfortable to me. So, I divert my attention, to a different chain around me, one that is a bit darker in color, thicker that the dog chain I let go of already.... this one, as I touch it, has memories of many disappointments attached to it. I realize, that I'm tired with this chain around me, so I take it off, and let it go. Now, the light is even closer. I can actually almost feel the chill of the darkness fading. My steps also seem to be in a less-deep tar. I keep walking, dragging and pulling some of these chains that seem to have gotten even longer as I am walking towards this light. Then, out of nowhere, there is a sudden burst of wind, cold as ice, and thick with wetness! It's as if a big dragon came in and breathed all over me! Then it happens - each and every chain I have on, gets MORE links added to them! Even though the ground I am walking on, seems to not be as deep or hard, no the weight is SO heavy. But there is something about that light. Something drawing me to it, urging me to keep walking. - FLASH forward, I'm not sure how much time - and I am even closer to the light now. The strong yet soothing voice is urging me a bit stronger now, to let go of ALL of the chains, ALL at once! I'm stunned, breathless, confused... then He steps into the light, arms open wide, asking for me to give them ALL to Him. I'm uncertain, cautious, fearful, nervous... you name it - all at once! Yet, He seems SO certain! I try explaining some of the chains, and the reasons why they are there on me...He doesn't care! He wants them anyway! WHAT?!?! I'm still unsure, and yet as I start to touch the chains, and think perhaps, "ok, maybe this one" His hands are right there, and He immediately lifts it from my hands! Wow! The relief I feel! The weight of the pressure lifted off is SO good!! So, I try looking at another one, still avoiding the big, fat ones that are hurting me the most. One by one, as I touch the chain and realize what or who helped put that on me - I feel and hear Him saying, that it is OK, let Him take them from me. All of a sudden, I'm caught up in a flash of fear and hesitation! Doubt. "Why? Why are You willing to take these chains from me? I don't want you to wear them. I don't want anyone to even 'know' where all of these came from, let alone have THEM wear them!" Calmly, peacefully, and yet urgently, His voice says, "My dear precious child, I have already bought and paid for these chains. I'm just here to collect them, so you can be free. So you can experiance true and real love, forgiveness, mercy and grace. Let me take these chains from you. ALL of them. Even THAT one." Then as if a jolt of electricity zaps me, He touches the big, dark, heavy, rusted chain that has been there the longest. I feel the urge to jump and run away from Him, to grab on even tighter to the chain. But as I take a step back, it is like stepping back into the darkness, the cold, wet hard to breathe darkness - and I stop! As I touch the chain, there is a mixture of cold and warm. There is a mix of heavy and light. It is SO confusing! But then, I SEE Him! His eyes are filled with compassion! His eyes show even more - like He is experiencing each and every link in that chain! Tears fill His eyes, but not of disgust or judgment, but FULL of compassion, mercy, love, LOVE! Forgiveness, and craziest of all - understanding! Oh my goodness! I realize His words and requests are real and true! That He CAN handle these chains, even better than I ever could. As I am tempted to look back in to the darkness, He touches my hand and the chains at the same time. Once again, He soothingly says, "Let go, give these to Me, let me give you new clothes. Let me take you out of this darkness, and walk you into this...." as He opens wide His arms and the light from the other place is ALL on Him! Like He is a wall, and it is all held right there, right behind Him. I can hardly take it any more!! I'm so cold, shivering right down to my bones! Weak from the long road and far travel I've been on! The feelings of hunger and thirsts are overwhelming! I just KNOW He will quench this. Well, I decide, to try more. To give Him more of the chains. His hand reaches out, and guides my hand to the biggest, fattest, heaviest chain I have. He lays my hand gently on THAT chain, and then He lifts it from the underside. Just a fraction. But THAT fraction feels like a million tons! He looks me straight in the eye, not wavering, not judging, but asking - for me to let go. For a quick second, as I feel fear and doubt again, He lets the chain fall back on me, resting its weight on me. I instinctively react with a big push/shove motion - and WHAM!! It's OFF!!! Lifted! Gone!! Well, then it takes me milliseconds to trust Him and start throwing off ALL of the chains! Each and every one! Gladly, with joy and laughter! Pretty soon, I am standing on firm ground, surrounded in warmth, love, joy, peace... and I JUMP in to His arms with gladness! Instantly I am free! Rescued from years and years of darkness. I'm instantly transferred into this new place of light, joy, peace, forgiveness, mercy, kindness - and most of all - LOVE!! WOW!! Amazing love! How can it be, that He would even "want" to save a retch like me?!?! But He did!
I'm SO THANKFUL to our wonderful and mighty King who slays dragons for each and every one of us DAILY!! Dragons out of the pit of darkness, that we can not even see! His Full Armor is for US to put on EVERY day, so that we can confidently KNOW we are in the beautiful, peaceful, light, bright, loving, accepting, merciful, forgiven Kingdom of God!!! We ARE transferred out of the prison of darkness, released in to the newness and freedom of His Light - Jesus!! Don't let the enemy fool you, convince you, lie to you - and suck you back in to darkness! You ARE a Daughter of the King, worthy of His love and care!! Today, I pray you ask the Holy Spirit to give you glasses of truth, to look thru His lenses and see any darkness you have been held down by. Any chains you are hanging on to. Then, be BRAVE my sister, accept His help to let it go, get rid of the chains that are holding you back from accepting and receiving His full and complete love! I'm praying for you and His truth. I'm praying you see, hear, and feel His love like never before today!
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