Breaking The Yoke Of Bondage

Galatians 5:1 (ESV)
¹  For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 



Last night I [preached the last night of camp here in Panama City Beach, FL. We talked a lot about bondage to sin from [John 8:31-36] as well as the Galatians passage. The atmosphere in the room felt heavy. Students and adults were somber because we dealt with a somber subject matter. I shared openly about some of my own struggles. 

I could see conviction fall on people as well as brokenness. I sought to be tender not to heap condemnation but trusted God to bring conviction. Many wanted to be free but did not believe freedom was really a possibility. I could see hopelessness in some. They have been down this road before and so had I. Conviction of sin followed by shame, a shattered heart, and a shallow commitment to change. A ritual performed hundreds of times in the lives of believers and unbelievers. It always ended in the same result. A yoke of slavery to sin. 

At some point the enemy comes with his twisted thoughts in our minds. He snarls with a scowl seething in condemnation, "You will never be free. You will never get liberated from this sin. You will wear this yoke all the days of your life. God is mad at you and is weary of your unfaithfulness." On and on he goes. He accuses night and day. 

At some point the temptation surfaces to give up. To give into the sin and to quit trying to fight it. You feel helpless and hopeless. That is exactly what Satan wants. He wants us to believe his lies rather than God's truth. 

There is freedom in Jesus! We don't have to give into temptation. We don't have to fall into his snares or have to surrender to our carnal desires. There is freedom in Jesus. He can break the yoke of bondage. His death and resurrection purchased our liberation and breaks the chains of sin, addiction, and religion that bind us. 

In Jesus we have freedom. In Jesus we have victory. It is already available. We sometimes do not believe it or receive it. It is ours. All Satan says and does to enslave us is a lie. He has bluffed us. If we just take hold of and stand firm in the freedom Jesus gives us we will have victory. 

One of the strategies of Satan is to keep our struggles with sin private and in the shadows. On rare occasion somebody throws all that aside and opens up about their struggle with sin. They bring their shameful deeds from out of the shadows into the light. Those watching applaud the courage but shrink back deeper in the shadows hiding yokes of bondage fearing what others will think if they knew the truth. It is a trick of Satan. Others are struggling with sin also. We don't want people to know the truth but God wants truth in the inner parts of our hearts. He wants us to confess sins to one another so we can pray for one another. 

Few Bible believers I have ever met practice [James 5:16]. 

James 5:16 (ESV) 
¹⁶  Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.


When do people openly confess their sins to one another. In Sunday School, Bible study, or small groups? Do they do it in corporate worship? Do they do it over lunch with trusted friends, with family, or with anyone in our faith family? We prefer to hide in the shadows in our yokes of bondage. It is pathetically tragic. 

This was the focus of the message last night. To openly confess some of my worst sins is humiliating, embarrassing, and shameful. I choose to believe what God says, [Ps 103:12] and [I Jn 1:9] along with [Rom 8:1]. I am forgiven. I am a child of God. I am also learning to walk in freedom. It is wonderful. 

During the invitation some of those students bravely went to their leaders, their friends, their student pastors, and a few even to me. Sins were confessed. Prayers for deliverance were offered. I even prayed with an adult woman suffering from a decade long struggle. Outside the chapel others prayed on picnic benches, many tears flowed, and I believe some were set free last night. The work of God persisted late into the night. What a beautiful sight. This is the way it was always meant to be.

I want to spend my remaining days pointing people to the freedom they have in Jesus. The yoke of slavery is broken forever. Hallelujah!