Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Deliverance from Spiritual bondage 
Bible Reading: Acts 16:16-18

Key Verse :Acts 18
At  that moment the spirit left her .

DEVOTION

Bondage is defined as the state of being a slave. Although the Bible does not specifically mention spiritual bondage, this term refers to anything that keeps us from being fully submitted to the lordship of Jesus in our life. The passage talks about a girl who was in physical bondage and was also enslaved by a demonic spirit. 

Believers are not slaves to sin because we have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. However as long as we live in this earthly body, we will be exposed to the Devil's schemes. 
 If believers allow anger, greed, jealousy, bitterness to remain in their hearts, it gives the devil a foothold. We need to HUMBLY SEEK the Lord everyday and when we are encountering these negative emotions, so God can help us not to succumb to them.
Sinful habits may continue to manifest in the life of a believer. FULLY SURRENDERING these into the Lord’s hands will help us overcome these negative patterns of thinking or behavior.
Addiction to drugs, alcohol, and pornography will destroy a person's life. Jesus can provide a way out if we TRUST HIM and are willing to put in the hard work.
Demonic spirits can sometimes proclaim true things like the slave girl in this passage. The enemy is a great deceiver and can mimic the truth. Everything that sounds spiritual may not be from God and we need to use discernment by REGULAR STUDY of the Bible.
Lastly a very subtle form of spiritual bondage can occur when we are fixated on following the rules of the religion. Giving a religious ritual or law more importance than our own PERSONAL relationship with Jesus Christ may cause a form of bondage. 

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, we humbly surrender our bodies to you as a living sacrifice, and pray that we will be transformed by the renewal of our minds to discern your perfect Will for our lives. Amen

Thought for the day

True freedom comes from being bound to our Savior Jesus Christ 

Dr Mrs Usha Thomas 
St Stephen’s Mar Thoma Church, NJ

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