Physical Bondage versus Spiritual Bondage

 

When defining both physical and spiritual bondage they carry two distinct principles while both containing the same precept-being held captive.  At some point in our lives we are to break free from this bondage.  During our life we may attempt to utilize every resource we know to rid ourselves of this bondage.  Buying self-help books, investing in pyramid schemes, and listening to gurus on talk shows are but a few avenues people use to get themselves out of bondage.  Once we are relieved of this bondage we vow not to be held captive again.  Unfortunately for some, they are never able to break free from their bondage whether it is physical or spiritual, or both.  And yet there are those who haven’t truly understood what got them into bondage and even after they break free they allow themselves to fall right back into it.

When we talk about physical bondage, the main principle is that it is temporary.  It doesn’t last your entire life (eternal life that is!).  An example of this would be serving time in jail.  You are bound by the confinement of a cell until you’re released.  Another example would be, being in financial debt.  By being in debt you aren’t able to save money for unexpected emergencies or your child’s education.  You’re being held captive from your future.  Now these two examples show that not only are there different kinds of physical bondage but that you don’t have total control while in bondage.

The other part of physical bondage being temporary is that it only lasts while you’re here on earth.  You can’t take it with you.  But I am here to tell you that the key to overcoming your physical bondage is to not worry about it.  That’s right!  Don’t worry about it to the point where it affects your attitude or the way you live your life.  Jesus says in Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I tell you do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, or what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes?’

Now let’s talk about spiritual bondage.  If physical bondage is temporary, then we should know that spiritual bondage is eternal.  Being in spiritual bondage or not will determine if we end up in heaven or hell.  But here’s the good news, God has given us the opportunity to choose whether or not to be in spiritual bondage, therefore it is our choice.  But you must decide while you’re here on earth.  So you see, there’s a lot more at stake.  And since we don’t know how long we’ll live, we better decide today and not tomorrow.

Before I tell you how to ultimately break free from spiritual bondage let me give you a heads up,-the devil and his demons don’t want you to be released from your spiritual bondage.  Once he knows that you are beginning to take the right path, he will put you on his hit list.  We must be aware that there is a spiritual battle going on around us (Ephesians 6:12).  While Jesus Christ is receiving us, satan is trying to condemn us.  The devil and his demons (fallen angels) are out to recruit as many souls as possible.  Even when he starts to lose one, he brings in reinforcements to get them back.  Luke 11: 24-26 tells us that when an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it, then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’  When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.  Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wickedly than itself, and they go and lie there.  The final condition of that man is worse than the first.  So you see we must be on guard even when we begin our walk for Christ.

So, how do we break free from this spiritual bondage?  Well let me first tell you that there are two levels of spiritual bondage.  You must break free of the first level in order to break free of the second.  There is no other way, no matter what the world will try to tell you.  To be released from the first level of spiritual bondage you must accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.  You confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God sent His only son Jesus Christ to die for our sins and that He rose again (John 3:16).  After that you confess your sins and ask for forgiveness.  

Thank you Jesus you have been saved!!  You are set to spend eternity in the kingdom of God.  But wait… what about that second level of spiritual bondage that we talked about earlier?  Well you see once you turn your life over to the Lord you must start living your life as Jesus did.  You must rid yourself of your old sinful life and begin a new one through Jesus Christ.  You must turn from the ways of this world.  Paul wrote in Colossians 3:5-8 to put to death, therefore whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry and because of these the wrath of God is coming [on those who are disobedient].  You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.  But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips.  If you don’t turn from the ways of this world and surrender your life to Christ you risk falling back into that second level of spiritual bondage.  But if you allow the Holy Spirit to change your way of thinking then your thought patterns will change.  Once you change your thought patterns you will change your actions, which will then change your behavior.

In order to keep ourselves from falling back into spiritual bondage we must grow mature in our faith.  It tells us in Hebrews 5:13-14 that anyone who lives on milk being still an infant is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness, but solid food is for the mature who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.  So we are to continue to grow in our faith in God so that the devil can’t trick us.  We must go to God for everything.  We must pray without ceasing, constantly asking for wisdom, knowledge, and strength.  And then we can forever break free from spiritual bondage-and that is the joy only God can bring.