IMPRISONED

Prov 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue. (NKJV)

Another area where we have put ourselves in bondage is in our use of, ‘self imposed laws’. These are laws that we or others have spoken over us: I must keep my house clean at all times. I must not show my emotions. I must not upset my parents etc etc.

Imposing a law upon ourselves means that when we break it, punishment will follow by means of guilt, shame, fear, condemnation, rejection. Eg: I must keep my house clean at all times; When our house is clean we feel peaceful, happy, fulfilled. But the day comes when the kitchen is untidy, the dogs footprints dirty the floor and the dishes pile up in the sink.

There’s a knock on the door; we remember we’ve invited our next door neighbour for coffee. We invite them in knowing they will see the kitchen. They’ll think we are dirty and disorganised, they’ll tell all the neighbours and they won’t return our invitation. We feel ashamed, guilty and rejected. What has happened? We are experiencing the punishment of breaking our own self imposed law.

On the cross, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law (this includes self imposed laws). So although the law still stands, it no longer applies to us.Rom 6:14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Therefore , when we do wrong, fail or fall short, we no longer have to accept the negative emotions of guilt, shame or fear because Jesus has taken that punishment in our place and His blood has cleansed us from all unrighteousness. Rom 8:1 Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus. (AMP)

We can now throw off all the accusations of satan and declare we’ve been set free from the punishment of the law and are now no longer under it’s constraints. We can now speak life to ourselves instead of death. “Thank you Lord that now I am in Christ I am no longer under the law and it’s punishment, therefore I refuse all negative emotions that would seek to imprison me and bring bondage to my life”.

Meditation point: I am no longer under the law, I am under grace. Jesus has set me free from the prison of my own self imposed laws.

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