Thinkers Welcome Life After Bondage Recently I bumped into an old acquaintance who I had not seen since late last year. I marveled at how great she looked and was sure to tell her so. The woman I remembered did not have a sparkle in her eye or always had a happy demeanor. She remarked that what I saw was the look of peace. She was unceremoniously released from a situation that she realized had become a drain to her. After moving on she became a happier person…and it showed. I remarked to my friend, who also noticed the look of peace, that it seemed everyone who was in the same boat as my acquaintance and have removed themselves from that same situation have that same glow. My friend astutely replied that those people realized there was a “life after”; a life after bondage. Spiritual bondage 1Those words were weighty, as there are many people who remain in unhealthy situations because they do not believe that there is a life after. Some have limited perspective about what their options really are, while others are outright told that if they disassociate themselves from the situation that is plaguing them, they will not prosper. In the meantime, those people remain in bad relationships, bad organizations, and bad affiliations hoping that the irreparable damage will be repaired. I know. Quite the oxymoron, eh? To be more specific, I notice that self-imposed suffering also happens to people in religious organizations who often have been indoctrinated with the false belief that they are to accept all of the bad that comes their way as a means for God to purge and test them. This results in them taking on what they should not bear or accepting abuse as a normal part of their spiritual routine. In short, they are conditioned to endlessly suffer. I have witnessed people who have made claims of being highly spiritual and “anointed”, more so than those around them, yet they are the most miserable looking and acting people I’ve ever seen. They are crushed under the weight of what they perceive as “God’s will”, thinking that putting themselves in a better situation means either giving up or getting out of the will of God. Even worse, I have noticed a sort of spiritual Stockholm Syndrome where burdened Stockholm syndromeChristians have a false allegiance to a leader who is more focused on the bottom line than on people. They feel an obligation to help fulfill that person’s vision at the expense of their own. They cite that God sent them there so they must take all that comes with the territory, even if it means they go backwards for a season while the leader continues to go forward. Despite the abuse, public humiliations, and slander, people chock it up as the devil on the prowl and thus absolving abusers from their ethical obligation of integrity and fairness. When people make someone or something else their entire world, they become short-sighted about what happens on the outside. While in that box, anyone who comes into their space to show them the error of their thinking or involvement is seen as the devil attempting to get them off track. While I do believe that God speaks to us in various ways, it is important to make good old fashioned common sense, seasoned with the Word, our ultimate barometer for what’s appropriate in our lives. If the Bible lists peace, love and joy as fruit of the Spirit, yet all we experience is longsuffering with no growth or gain, we do not need a special word from the Lord to tell us something ain’t clean in the buttermilk. Just like what happens with untreated depression, people in these situations may suffer long lasting and unnecessary negative effects from overexposure to spiritual pathogens in the name of the Lord.Spiritual toxins To those of you who are in bad spiritual situations, it is time to make an honest assessment about where you are. It is time to stop making excuses for things falling apart because you are too embarrassed to admit you were wrong about God’s will for your life. Don’t rely on human emotions misinterpreted as divine communication to guide your life, and make sure everything you know and hear lines up with the Word. If what you feel and experience goes against the scriptures that you have confessed are the absolute authority in your life, then you must make a decision. Do not allow anyone’s false tongues, intimidation tactics, “prophelies”, jerks, and shakes to trump what the Bible already states is the case. Think about what your personal bottom line is and what you need to do to make it happen. Realize that your first allegiance is to God, not man, and that no one has control over your personal prosperity. The Bible does not endorse people controlling each other, and if we read the scriptures carefully, we will realize that even God does not impose himself upon us but gives us the power to choose. Ladies and gentlemen, there is LIFE AFTER! Choose it!
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 01:18:29 +0000
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