Many of us are facing some sort of spiritual bondage. While the Bible promises us that we can experience true, uninhibited freedom, there are times where we feel like that freedom is nothing more than a pipedream. If you have been in bondage for as long as you can remember, today can serve as a turning point in your life. Looking at a popular story in the Book of Acts gives us greater insight into how we can discover freedom in our own lives.
There is a battle constantly raging for control of your soul. On one hand, you have a God in Heaven who offers you uninhibited freedom. When we embrace God’s freedom, we are able to better fulfill our role in His Kingdom and embrace His plans for our lives. However, there is an opposing force that would seek to keep us in bondage. Satan and his forces of darkness hate the idea of you truly experiencing freedom. If he can convince you to keep your soul tethered to the regret and shame of your past, or to your current temptations, he can prevent you from truly experiencing freedom.
How long has it been since you felt like you were truly free? If you’re like many Christians, you can’t even point to an exact time in your life where you felt like you were truly experiencing freedom. It’s not uncommon for bondage to become our normal, meaning that we’re missing out on the fullness of what God has for you.
The Book of Acts contains many powerful stories of the Holy Spirit doing miraculous works in the lives of believers. One such story involves Peter, who had been imprisoned for preaching the Word of God. Today, discover how God delivered Peter from his bondage, and what it means for you in your quest for freedom.
Acts 12:3-5 (TPT)
When Herod realized how much this pleased the Jewish leaders, he had Peter arrested and thrown into prison during the Feast of Passover. Sixteen soldiers were assigned to guard him until Herod could bring him to public trial, immediately after the Passover celebrations were over. The church went into a season of intense intercession, asking God to free him.
Herod had made a name for himself by arresting disciples. By the time we get to Acts 12, James, the brother of John, had been beheaded. History teaches us that other believers had been martyred and imprisoned in the years that passed between Christ’s ascension in Acts 1 and the events of Acts 12. In an attempt to further endear himself to the Jewish leaders, Herod arrested Peter, who was one of the most outspoken members of the early Church.
One of the primary reasons that Satan wants to lure you into captivity is because he wants to silence you. Your story is powerful, even if you don’t realize it. There are people around you who need to hear about what God has done in your life. You may not have a conversion story like the Apostle Paul, but your transformation story is a powerful one. In the same way that Herod sought to silence Peter, Satan wants to silence you.
While Peter was imprisoned, a group of Christians started praying on his behalf. On the surface, the situation looked hopeless. Not only was Peter in prison, but there were 16 armed guards watching him around the clock. Herod was obviously worried about what God could do on Peter’s behalf. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have invested so heavily in keeping him bound.
One of the most powerful resources that you have at your disposal is the group of believers in your life. All of us experience seasons of captivity and bondage. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for things to look so bleak that we’re not even sure how to pray for ourselves. Thankfully, God has put other believers in your life who can pray for you when you don’t feel like you can pray for yourself.
Acts 12:6-8 (TPT)
The night before Herod planned to bring him to trial, he made sure that Peter was securely bound with two chains. Peter was sound asleep between two soldiers, with additional guards stationed outside his cell door, when all at once an angel of the Lord appeared, filling his prison cell with a brilliant light. The angel struck Peter on the side to awaken him and said, “Hurry up! Let’s go!” Instantly the chains fell off his wrists.
Peter had resigned himself to the fate that awaited him. How do we know that? Because Peter was asleep. While the Church was praying for him around the clock, Peter had lost all hope, and had instead, decided he would simply sleep away his last night.
It’s a sad statement to make, but there are times where we become so accustomed to our own bondage that we sleep through it. Perhaps you have grown so used to feeling like you’re being held back that you’re able to rest in the face of your captivity. When things are out of sync in our lives, we usually lose sleep. However, when you’ve accepted the way that things are, you close your eyes and acknowledge that it’s your normal.
The angel of the Lord wasn’t scared of the number of guards that surrounded Peter. Not only was he chained to the wall, but he was sleeping between two guards. 14 other guards stood at the door, removing any hope that Peter may have had. None of that mattered to God.
Your captivity isn’t strong enough to startle the Savior. While He recognizes your pain, He is not limited by the same things that limit you. When the angel of the Lord hit Peter on the side to wake him up, He didn’t try to figure out the logistics of an escape. Instead, He told Peter to wake up and go. Where was Peter going to go? Peter was going to freedom, and so are you!
Acts 12:9-11 (TPT)
Peter quickly left the cell and followed the angel, even though he thought it was only a dream or a vision, for it seemed unreal-he couldn’t believe it was really happening! They walked unseen past the first guard post and then the second before coming to the iron gate that leads to the city-and the gate swung open all by itself right in front of them! They went out into the city and were walking down a narrow street when all of a sudden the angel disappeared. That’s when realized that he wasn’t having a dream! He said to himself, “This is really happening! The Lord sent his angel to rescue me from the clutches of Herod and from what the Jewish leaders planned to do to me.”
Through the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit, Peter was walked out of the prison, past all the guards who were responsible for keeping him there. Peter was so resigned to the fact that he was going to die the next day that he didn’t even believe what was happening. Instead, he assumed that it was all a dream. He wanted freedom so desperately that he thought he was dreaming about it!
The power of God caused the gate to swing open, and before long, Peter found himself standing in the middle of a street outside the city. That is the same power that operates in your life today.
The freedom that you want so desperately is available to you. No, you may not physically be walked out of a prison cell like Peter was, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t need supernatural deliverance.
You can’t set yourself free. However, you can trust the Holy Spirit to provide the freedom that you’re craving. When it comes, trust that it’s real, and rest in the power that is breaking you free from the things that hold you captive. Today, wake up and walk out. You were not created to be held in captivity!
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I am tired of not experiencing the complete freedom that You have for me. Help me. Deliver me. Set me apart from the things that are holding me back. In Christ’s name, Amen.