The Apostle Peter - “When people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. ” (2 Peter 2:20)
Many years ago, if a person had a good situation but then made choices which caused him to live in less than advantageous circumstances, it was often said that the person “couldn’t stand prosperity.” When we choose to live in bondage to our sinful natures instead of living in victory through Christ, we are doing the same thing.
Sometimes we choose to live in bondage to our sinful natures when we refuse to discipline our minds. The Apostle Paul writes that “Those dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.” (Romans 8:56) He understood that the battlefield for victory is always in our minds. That’s why he also wrote, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” (Romans 12:2)
Sometimes we choose to live in bondage to our sinful natures because we believe the Devil’s lies. Jesus said, “The Devil is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44) Satan tells us lies like: (1) “You’ll always be the way you are.” (2) “You have too much hurt to overcome.” (3) “You’ll never be able to change.” (4) “You’ll never overcome that stronghold.” (5) “You’ll never find the satisfaction and security you’re searching for.” (6) You’ll never be forgiven for what you’ve done.” (7) You’ll always be a failure in life.” Many of us have believed these lies from Satan for too long. It’s time for us to stop listening to the lies of Satan and start listening to the truths of the Lord.
Sometimes we choose to live in bondage to our sinful natures because of our past spiritual successes. When we focus too much on our successes of the past, we stop growing in the now, and set ourselves up for failure in the future. King Solomon once wrote, “Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)
Sometimes we choose to live in bondage to our sinful natures because we simply don’t want to overcome our character defects. Giving in to our sinful natures sometimes brings us attention, enables us to suppress our guilt, and enables us to control and manipulate others. However, like Jesus, we have to be willing to pray - “Not my will but Yours be done.”
Followup Activity - Consider each of the above reasons for choosing to live in bondage and tell yourself if you’ve ever secretly believed in one or more. Then, pray and ask the Lord to help you gain victory over each one. If you’re leading your family through this devotion, guide each member to work through the same exercise.
Prayer for Today - Lord, help me to never choose bondage to my sinful desires over victory through You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.