How To Free Yourself From Bondage

Mike Hosey, An Elder

In my secular job as a mental health counselor, I have the opportunity to work with many people who are enslaved to things that are harmful to them. In fact, many of them are quite literally in bondage. The standard dictionary definition of that word means to be restrained by way of being tied or chained up and placed under some kind of external control.

The most common restraint I see placed on them is the bondage of nicotine. Sometimes they can't even sit through a whole class without answering the call of their god (little g). As they leave my class (very often during the best part of the discussion) I often gently remind them of their situation by asking, “are you answering the call of your slave master?” Sometimes they chuckle and answer yes. Other times, they can become a bit offended by it. Either way, the truth of their bondage is evident for all to see. Even when they are engaged, it is difficult for them to sit and continue in the discussion.

In Galatians, Paul saw this with those Christians who were beginning to depend on law to make themselves right with God, rather than faith and a relationship with the one true God. They had already been rescued from their slavery to false gods (Galatians 4:8), and were returning to a potential form of idol worship and bondage in the form of legalism (Galatians 4:10). Paul was stunned! He wondered how they could return to such slavery after having been freed and obtaining a relationship with God (Galatians 4:9). In fact, where they once were not "known" by God, they now were.

And that's ultimately how we get out of bondage. We have a genuine relationship with God. We allow Him to know us. We love others and therefore prove that we are known by God (1 Corinthians 8:3). One of the best ways to have a genuine relationship with God is to have a genuine relationship with those people that He knows, and who love Him. In other words, spend time with God by spending time with His people. They are, after all, His body on earth (1 Corinthians 12:27). And they can with love and kindness help to keep you accountable – and to stay free to serve Him with all that you have!