When prisoners go to the courthouse, they wear shackles on their hands and ankles, making it difficult to walk without tripping, or walk quickly.

They are guarded heavily. They are no longer free. That is only one of the consequences of their bad behavior.

In the same way, when we were an unbeliever, though we could not see them, we had shackles—heavy ones—on our bodies. The shackles of sin. Shackles that kept us bound to the ways of this world and kept us from being free. Oh, we may have felt that we were “free”, but we weren’t.

Even as a believer, we can have shackles of sin in our lives that encumber us from our walk, either from unconfessed sin or strongholds in our lives; or maybe because we’re still trying to hold on to our old lifestyle.

Those restraints make it difficult to walk in the ways of the Lord and to follow His leading for our lives. They keep us from being free to live a victorious life, the life that God wants for us.

If we have been ignoring the Lord for too long, it may even be that we can’t see the shackles anymore, and that is dangerous, because it then becomes a stronghold. Thank God, however, strongholds have no power against the power of God.

It may be that the chains of sin in your life aren’t yet a stronghold, but the enemy has gained a foothold. Beware, a foothold can become a stronghold very quickly.

Are you burdened down with the irons and bonds of sin in your life, knowing that there is something keeping you from the victorious life with Christ?

The good news is that Jesus can set us free of any chains. All we have to do is ask Him, confess our sin to Him and accept His forgiveness.

Jesus, please set me free from any footholds, strongholds or shackles that I have in my life. I want to be free.

by Pam Rehbein