One of my children has recently been studying about the former slave trade in America in the 1800’s. I was praising God that this terrible atrocity has ceased. Yet my heart is heavy today as I think of how many around the world are still in slavery. In many places, sex trafficking is becoming a growing industry. Destitute women and children are being taken captive to live a life of enslavement to the desires of some wicked men. Take a minute right now to pray for these victims that local and national authorities and caring people around them will step in and bring them freedom. “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6).
There are many types of captivity: extreme poverty, addictions (pornography, alcohol, drugs, eating disorders), emotional distress (depression, anxiety, etc.), abuse (physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual), mental illness, political and religious oppression, and captivity to other sins. God calls us to lead people out of this oppression and into the arms of our Wonderful Counselor. “I will keep you and make you to be a covenant for the people . . . to say to the captives, ‘Come out’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’” (Isaiah 49:8-9).
Perhaps today you feel like you are living in captivity. Your soul has a sense of heavy darkness within. Satan is the prince of darkness. He’s the one behind all oppression, ruling those around us to be oppressors. He is the one barraging our minds with dark lies so we cannot walk freely in our inheritance of every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). Whatever oppression you feel today, in prayer, reject the lies and break the power of darkness over you or over those people God has placed on your heart. You can pray a prayer of freedom like this: In Jesus name, I break the lies of the enemy that ___(state the lies)___. I claim the Truth that ___(state the truth)__ . In Jesus name, I claim His authority over these oppressive spirits and command all of them to leave and go to the foot of the Cross and the chains of slavery to be broken. In Jesus name, Amen.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” - Galatians 5:1
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