What Shackles Are Holding You Captive?, by Kelly McFadden What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer…For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin… In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. — Romans 6:1-2, 6, 11
When a captive elephant is young, its handler will place a shackle around its leg and chain it to a tree so that it will not escape. At this age the elephant is too small to pull the tree over. Try as it might, the baby elephant cannot get away. However, when the elephant is full-grown the handler can chain it to a stick in the ground and it will not escape. The elephant still thinks itself to be chained to an unmovable tree.
Think for a few moments: Is it possible that a “shackle” of some kind of habitual sin is tied around your leg? What is it that holds you back from experiencing the freedom found only in Christ? Perhaps the problem is your eating habits, your prayer habits or your thought life. It might be that your priorities are all messed up, or you are caught in an unhealthy relationship. It might seem like you are tied to an unmovable tree. Yet, I’d like to challenge you to consider that instead, that “thing” that holds you might only be a small stick in the ground. If you become comfortable with your captivity, you may be just like an elephant that was trained to believe it could not break free.
Even as Christ-followers, we’re still susceptible to sin and its natural consequences. But according to the Apostle Paul, the truth is that, by our relationship with Christ, we have died to sin. The fact is that the old shackle around your ankle can no longer hold you, if you will just recognize that you are a new creation and are no longer a “slave to sin.” While Christ can and has miraculously changed lives and immediately “set captives free” from habits and addictions, for most of us, old habits die hard. It takes a lot of work and prayer to accomplish change. But if you find yourself struggling, understand that you can break free. Christ’s death and resurrection has made it possible. In Christ, your old self is gone, your spirit has been made alive, the new has come, and freedom is within your reach.
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