Session 5: Jesus Came to Set the Captives Free
The session saw us look at verses from Isaiah 61:1-6 and Luke 4:14-21, where we discover that the prophesy of Isaiah about Jesus was confirmed by Jesus himself in Luke. The key takeaway from this session is that Jesus came to set the captives free. And who are these captives? In the passages, the word “poor” is used. In this context, the poor here refer to those who are downtrodden - people who oppressed or treated badly by people in power; and those who are disadvantaged. And we who have spiritual gifts from God should use our gifts to help the poor and to show them that our Lord gives hope. But what if we are captives of damaged emotions or bad memories? What if we are still in bondage to irrational anger and frustration, flooded with self-doubt and insecurity, thoughts of suicide and self-mutilation, or simple hate that you were ever born? These bondages of the mind and heart can be broken if you understand and accept that you have access to the Holy Spirit who has power to set you free, if you let Him. Many of us may hang on to our bondages because they are familiar and you have become comfortable living that way. But if you are still a captive or prisoner to these feelings and thoughts, you will not find life worth living much and your pious actions will just be routine and tedious. Do pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the hurts that you have experienced and ask Him to set you free. You are a child of God, no longer shackled to sin. We still sin yes, but we do not let sin be our master, instead, we run to your heavenly Father for help and he will give you love and help. He will discipline you, because he loves you, and it might be difficult to take but rest assured he has your best interest at heart. Don’t lose sight of the cross and the price that was paid for you. Several other key points:
For us to use our spiritual gifts we need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. We will not be effective if the Holy Spirit is not running the show.
Spiritual gifts need to be used in concert with others. Recall how during our Outreach events, each person was doing a particular job or role that suits that person’s personality, talents and gifts and as a unit/community we are displaying the body of Christ to those who do not know God. No lone rangers.
Salvation doesn’t solve all our problems. We need to still surrender parts of lives to God and this takes time especially if the hurts you have experienced are deep.
Dealing with the emotional hurts and pains in life may require supernatural help or the help with someone spiritually gifted to help. You need to pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you your issue and pray for Him to break the bondage in your life. I have gone through many difficult times and through God’s help I have been set free from many bondages in my life. Speak with me about your issues and I will come along side you and pray with you and help you where I can with God’s help.
We need to pray more deeply, more honestly, and more openly to God and with those we can trust. If we don’t have an intimate relationship with God, we will only present our “super Me” persona which is when you’ve been super good and holy but actually you’re just putting on a front. Some times you don’t have words to express how hurt and sad you are. You simply cry to Him. And he will answer.