Set Free From Shackles

Yesterday during worship I had a distinct impression that the Lord wanted set people free.  I opened my Bible and the first bit I saw was where Peter was imprisoned.  Here is the story - Acts 12:1-10 NIV:

[1] "It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. [2] He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. [3] When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. [4] After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. 

[5] So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. 

[6] The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. [7] Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. 

[8] Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. [9] Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. [10] They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him."

I love this for many reasons and I think it is a great witness to the Lord's ability to reach into our circumstances and provide miraculous release.  If there was a hopeless situation, this was it, and Herod was taking no chances, and planning to kill Peter as he had James. He was chained, guarded by 4 soldiers, and not going anywhere, except the Lord intervened. 

I love the bit where Luke, the author of Acts, added the note about the church earnestly praying.  Our prayers matter, and this Holy Spirit inspired note is there to encourage us to pray!

Anyway, back to the theme of the Lord setting people free, the understanding I had was that the Lord was releasing people from the chains that bind them, from hopeless situations, from situations whether physical, emotional, spiritual or a combination of all three!  Jesus is the one who has all authority (Mt 28:18) and power (Col 2:10), who broke every chain (Acts 16:26) and defeated the power of sin and death (Rom 8:2) and set us free their power.  When He intervenes, nothing can stop Him, no chain, no guard, no power of hell!  

The enemy will try to convince us that we deserve our chains, deserve our pain, deserve our punishment, but Jesus set us free from all of that!  Paul writes, 

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross." (Colossians 2:13-14 NIV).

Jesus said the following about Himself,  "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36 NIV).  

And lastly, Paul writes, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." ( 2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV).

This morning I am encouraged that God desires to set us free, anyone that finds themselves bound by whatever chain that keeps us from Him, from the freedom He desires for us, from the life He brings!  As He says,  "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10 NIV) 

Lord, I pray that You might send angelic help, even as You did for Peter, to set us free from that which shackles us!  I pray that Your payment, Your sacrifice might be applied to each and every situation being brought before you in prayer today!  You are the only one who has all authority, all power and intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father! (Rom 8:34)

Amen and Amen!