I live in America. Home of the Brave, Land of the Free… or that’s what they say. America has its pros, but it also has its cons. This great country of ours wasn’t built on rainbows and gumdrops. We know the dark history of the misplacement of indigenous people and the tragedy of slavery.
As a black woman, I know racism is deeply embedded within the soil of the USA. In certain establishments and areas in the south, you can feel the racism in the air if your skin is just a tad bit too melanated. If you step into the “right” restaurant with the “wrong” skin color, you will witness some of the looks patriots throw at you.
They look at you as if… as if… as if you are subpar, unwelcomed, nothing more than a descendant of a slave that their great-great-grandfather owned. And this is the year of our Lord 2021…. America, we’ve got a long way to go.
But on the flip side, I can’t say I dislike or hate America. America has freedoms that many countries long for. This is a flourishing, prosperous land. We aren’t a melting pot for unknown reasons. People from all over the world fight to get here for refuge and better opportunities. America has been a safe haven for so many people, including myself. So, I dare not ignore the good that America offers. We are, after all, the Land of the Free… or are we?
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
(John 8: 34-36 NIV)
My, my, my. So, it appears some of us… many of us… are still slaves. In the Land of the free, the Home of the Brave, many of us are slaves. Christ—the one who created all things, including your freedom—indicated that sin is slavery and only He can set us free. I know everyone does not consider Christ’s Word as true or a standard to live by. However, if you are reading this article, I assume you believe Christ is Lord or you are at least interested in Him.
If you find yourself interested in Him, it is by no coincidence. God is tugging at your heart. So, please take heed to His voice today and be set free from the chains of sin. Some of you may be bound by anger or an unforgiving heart. Some of you may be bound by premarital or unbiblical sex, masturbation, pornography, or lust.
Some of you may be bound by fear, anxiety, and depression. Others may be bound by self-righteousness and pride. Yet others may be bound by an untamed tongue that gossips and spews ungodly banter or perhaps you have ears that perk up at corrupt communication.
God is sending me to you today because He would not have you bound. He would have you free! Come out of those chains on your soul. Go to God so that He can break the yokes off of your mind, body, and spirit. Sin has so many of us trapped! The chains of sin have trapped us from becoming who God intended us to be from the beginning of time.
When I was living in my sin, I could not see who I was. I could not see who God created me to be or what He created me to do. But as God kept calling me to come out of sin, I finally walked away from my bondage and walked into my purpose.
You have no clue what God has in store for you. You don’t know what He has planned for you to do in this life. And you’ll never know if you don’t come out of slavery. But I’ll level with you. If you opt to come out of the bondage of sin, you’ll still be a slave… you’ll just have a different master.
Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
(Romans 6:16 – 18 NIV).
Thank God my people are no longer slaves in this country in the traditional sense of the word. But no matter your color or ethnic background, we are all slaves to something or someone. We all are prisoners to something. I love how the Apostle Paul illustrated his enslavement to Christ.
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
(Ephesians 3:1 NIV)
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
(Ephesians 6:19-20 NIV)
Have you ever seen a slave so eager to be a slave? It appears Paul was… happy to be in chains. Why would anyone be happy to be a in chains? Well, with a Master like Christ, I can relate. I too, am happy to be in bondage to Christ… words that I would have never, ever imagined to say or write considering my ancestral history.
But it is true. There is no higher honor in the universe than to serve the one who created it. A Master like Christ is one of a kind. He is a Master who doesn’t just ask me to serve Him for His glory only… but it’s also for my good. A Master who knows my weaknesses and strengths. A Master who knows what I am capable of and pushes me to be better so that I can have the best.
A Master who exists inside and outside of time and has loved me the entire time—whether I am right or wrong. A Master who decided to die for me even when I wouldn’t listen to or obey Him. Even when I didn’t choose Him, He still chose me. So, yes. I gladly accept my servitude to the Great I Am. Because at the end of the day, you can’t beat God’s giving, no matter how hard you try.
Examine your heart today and decipher whose chains are wrapped around your soul. And choose today which set of chains you prefer. Although I am held captive under God’s chains, I truly prefer these chains. There’s no place I’d rather be. God’s chains feel like feathers. For Psalms 91:4 states those who rest and trust in God are hidden under the feathers of God.
God’s chains feel like joy, beauty, and a garment of praise (Isaiah 61:3). God’s chains feel like home. God’s chains feel like love. God’s chains feel like peace and comfort. Because God’s chains aren’t chains at all. God’s chains are freedom.
Romans 6:19 lets us know that the comparison of slavery to God was used because of our limited human understanding. There is nothing about being a child of God that runs parallel to what we know as slavery. I would never enjoy being bounded the way my ancestors were under what was then a land of hopelessness... quite contrary to what it claimed to represent... especially since it was profressed to be a nation under God.
The slavery comparison is a simple metaphor to get us to understand that when we come to Christ, we should come out of slavery to sin, and come into being bound by righteous living.
So, come on. Let’s walk into true freedom by casting down the chains of sin and walking into the beautiful fortress of God. Yet, sin can be powerful. It calls us and pulls us even when we want to do right. But God! He said He’d help us if those chains are too heavy to strip off ourselves.
So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
(Romans 7:21 – 25 NIV)
America, Christ offers us freedom. True freedom. Please, don't live in the Land of the Free with shackles on your your soul and yokes on your destiny. We don’t have to be bounded by the strongholds of sin. We can arise from suppression and run into liberty. We can walk in power, authority, and purpose. We can feel light as the feathers of God that we take refuge in. We can have peace. We can have God. We can have freedom.
And those who find freedom in Christ, find freedom indeed.
Quin Arrington's debut book "And Then You Shall Have Good Success: Attaining Good Success God's Way" is available on Amazon in paperback and eBook format. Link to book listed below.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093YK8SBJ?pf_rd_r=5YWRGY52QBQEF3N74385&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35