For the Lord sees clearly what a man does,
examining every path he takes.
An evil man is held captive by his own sins;
they are ropes that catch and hold him. Proverbs 5:21-22
Sins hold me captive
Most of us have never experienced being literally held captive. The vast majority of us have never been held as prisoners of war, been kidnapped and held for ransom, been arrested, or tied up/restrained and held captive at all.
But, my sins hold me captive. What a word picture this creates for me! My sins are ropes tie me down and hold me in place.
Stuck
Stuck, unable to move forward, my sins hold me captive to my past unless they are dealt with. They entwine around our ankles and trip us up and we fall, unable to catch ourselves as we find that our hands are tied up too.
Breaking Free
We don’t have to stay manacled in the captivity of sin. We can break free through Jesus. However, we can’t break free and stay in secret.
We have to expose our sin before our Savior and ask for forgiveness. This is repentance.
The good news
The good news is that He already knows.
For the Lord sees clearly what a man does,
examining every path he takes. Proverbs 5:21
He sees us clearly. Not the Facebook highlights of our lives that make us look like we have it all together. Not the beautiful moments from our Instagram feeds. Not the Pinterest-worthy wins that we celebrate.
He sees the dark, the hidden, the failure, the despair – everything we would like to hide away and pretend doesn’t exist. He knows already. Yet, He loves us with an incredible love that wants to rescue us from the captivity of that darkness.
My sins hold me captive
My sins may hold captive like heavy ropes that weigh me down, but He can come in like a team of Navy Seals to rescue me. To carry me out of the darkness and into the light.
Then, my sins hold me captive no longer. When I call out to my Rescuer, He eradicates them. Repentance leads me to freedom and life without the ropes of sin that hold me captive.
Repeat Offender
All of us are repeat offenders. When we repent, God frees us from our sin. But that does not mean that we will never sin again. Whenever we find ourselves getting tripped up by the ropes of sin, it is time to call on our Rescuer.
He never tires of bringing us into freedom. As we start living a lifestyle of repentance, we start to sin less and less. He purifies our desires and draws us to Himself. We start to point others toward our Rescuer.
Action Step:
Our Focus today is REPENTANCE!
Repentance: not just being sorry for our sin, though that is a part of it. Also, turning away from it and choosing to do what is right instead.
We need to remember that sins may feel good in the moment, but when we give in to them, we are forging the ropes that will hold us captive.
What ropes of sin do you have circling you and holding you back from moving forward right now. Take a moment and come to the rescuer in repentance today.
Prayer:
Dear God, my sins hold me captive. I don’t want to be tied up any longer. Free me from my sins and help me not to turn back into captivity but to follow You in righteousness. In Jesus’ name, amen.
