John 8: 31-42, (Wednesday, March 12, 2008)

In the course of my ministry, I have come across many people who have been enslaved to sin. These are generally good people who strive to do better but they cannot. They find themselves caught up in a sin they very much enjoy and at the same time they really want to get out of. They cannot get out of the sin because the sin has held them bondage. There also have been instances where by the repercussions of getting out are very grave. It is very easy to put ourselves in situations like these. Many people who get addicted to drugs will tell me they wanted to just try it once and then they got hooked up. I have also heard something like this, “I just wanted to have casual sex with her and now she has turned to gum, she wouldn’t let me alone.”

As Christian people, Jesus has liberated us from the slavery of sin and has given us the freedom of righteousness. If we turn around and enslave ourselves, we would be ejected from his family. A slave has no permanent residency in the Master’s house. However, sons and daughters do. As Jesus tells us in John 1:12 that by virtue of our belief in him, we are his sons and daughters, let us maintain this identity.

In what ways am I a prisoner to sin?