122. SETTING CAPTIVES FREE. Exodus 3:7.

The Bible tells us in (Exodus 1:14.) That for four hundred years (About six generations) Israel was enslaved by Egyptian taskmasters who oppressed them and ‘made their lives bitter’ You can understand their feelings of helplessness when you consider the areas in your own life where you have struggled for freedom from old habits. for years or even generations, Whether it’s Anger, Food, Alcohol, Drugs, Sex, Money or Abusive relationships, we experienced or are experiencing the same sense of powerlessness in our struggle. And repeated bids for freedom from these habits or addictions only seem to produce increased feelings of hopelessness that lead us to give up trying altogether. But, the Israelites cried out to God, and He responded. (Exodus 3:7.) ‘I have seen the misery of my people… heard them crying out… and am concerned about their suffering.’ Today God sees you, God hears you, and is concerned about you. He told them in the very next verse (3;8) what He was going to do for them. He said “I have come down to them to rescue them… to bring them up out of that land, into a good and spacious land flowing with milk and honey… Notice, He had ‘come down to bring them up’ How did He do that? Their deliverance called for the death of the spotless Passover lamb and applying its sacrificial blood to their doorposts, and having cooked and eaten the lamb while being dressed in their travelling clothes, staff in hand, were ready to leave captivity behind. Now, God wants you also to prepare for your journey to freedom, but not by your own futile human efforts. As we are told in (1Corenthians 5:7) ”Remove the old yeast of sin so that you may be a new batch of dough, being ready to leave your old life behind. Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed.” Freedom in Christ now awaits you. When the Israelites (Psalm 107:13-14) ‘cried to the Lord He saved them...He brought them out of darkness...and broke their chains’...And He can set you free from whatever is holding you captive. Not just for a short temporary space of time, but long-term freedom. 1(John 8:36) tells us ‘If The Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed’ Believe it! Here are two steps you can take to freedom. (1) God said in (Jeremiah 29-13) “You WILL find me when you seek me with all your heart” So forget about dignity and decorum, desperate situations call for desperate measures!. Stop trying to handle it alone. If you could save yourself, you wouldn’t need a saviour!. Give it to God. (1Peter 5:7.) tells you to ‘Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you’. The word Cast means to throw something away from you just like a fisherman casts a net or a line far away into the ocean. Jesus will handle it. There is nothing so big that God can’t handle it, and nothing so small that He won't bother about it. That’s how much your God loves you. Dare I say it but, this is our biggest problem. Understanding and believing just how much God loves us. And to try to understand that, we need to ask ourselves this one question “For whom would I give my Son’s life?” and then multiply your answer a million times. There is absolutely nothing God wouldn’t do for you, unless He knew it would do you harm and no good So think on that for a few minutes before you complain or criticize Him who said in (Jeremiah 29:11) “For I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and not for disaster. To give you a future and a hope.” (2). Feed your Soul. Your Soul is a Spirit, and just as your body needs feeding regularly with proper food such as vitamins, calories, proteins etc so your soul also needs feeding regularly with spiritual foods, like Prayer, regular, Teachings and Scripture reading. Just as your body will die without being fed and nourished with the necessary vitamins, calories etc. so too your Soul will die if it is not nourished with the necessary food it requires to stay alive and receptive to God’s Word and prayer which is the food for your soul. God has shown us very clearly that how it is with our body, so it is with our spirits. Just as we wouldn’t put anything bad into our own bodies, God wouldn’t put anything bad into our soul. Why? Because we are The Body of Christ .(His Body) And He will prepare, preserve and protect His Body. But for that to take place, we have to feed and nourish it regularly with spiritual life-giving food. Freedom is a two-part process. The first is communion with Jesus Christ. The Israelites fed on the passover lamb in preparation for leaving slavery. And Jesus, The Lamb of God. declared. in (John 6:51) “I am the living Bread… Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Sharing your feelings and needs with Him will lighten your burden, relieve your loneliness and nourish your soul. In (Luke 4”18) we read, Jesus came to proclaim freedom to the prisoners. And To set the oppressed free. The second part is meditating on Scripture. Rejecting God’s Word caused the Israelites to become slaves; (Psalm 107:11-12) “Because they rebelled against the Word of God and despised the counsel of The Most High, They fell down, and there was none to help” To have a healthy soul and to be set free and stay free, feed it everyday on God’s life-giving Word. There is no way around it Do it, or slowly die! Some things in Scripture are plainly Black-and-White, and this is one of them. Do it and you WILL succeed, don’t, and you probably wont. God is faithful to His Word. Thank you for reading these few words on being set free. If the Doctor told you to take a medication once a day to keep alive, I’m sure it would become a priority in your life, A daily half hour reading and meditation will keep your Soul alive, alert and vibrant. Because The Bible is one of the main ways God communicates His Will to His Children. To opt for the alternative could be disaster for your soul. Think about this very seriously, the eternal life of your soul can slowly starve to death without it. God Bless Phaline ----------------------------------