Rescued from Darkness
Do you ever live like you are still held captive?
Verse of the Day
‘For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.’
Today’s Devotional
Can you imagine what it would be like to be in prison? Sometimes I think about the Jewish people in Germany who were going about their daily lives until the Nazis took over. Suddenly they were in fear for their lives and some evil people were trying to destroy them. What began with hatred and mistreatment, turned to being banned by the government from participation in education, politics and industry. So at this point it became illegal for a Jew in Germany to go to school or have a job, much less actually own a business. This was followed by forced deportation to ghettos and later death camps.
Imagine, then, what it must have felt like for those who survived the concentration camps when they were freed. I am sure that they became so accustomed to the horrific conditions that freedom felt very foreign. There would have been a process to get physically clean, regain weight and strength, then the long road of mental rehabilitation. I can’t begin to imagine what this must have been like. At first release and freedom, there had to have been a sense of disbelief that the nightmare was truly over.
I believe that as Christians today, many of us live as though we are still imprisoned by the kingdom of darkness. We forget the freedom and victory that Jesus paid dearly for, and we live limited lives. Can you imagine a person in a concentration camp deciding to stay in that hell once they were freed? Are you ever guilty of staying in the prison of your own mind believing the lies of satan? “You aren’t good enough.” “You are not worthy of God’s love.” “God cannot forgive you for THAT.” “This will never get better.” Those are prison thoughts, my friends. And I am guilty of those thoughts and many more that satan would love for me to latch on to. But we have been freed.
Not only have we been freed, we have been transferred into the Kingdom of Jesus Himself. With His blood, sweat, tears and His life, Jesus built a new Kingdom for you and for me. We have a choice every day which kingdom to live in. He paid dearly for our rescue, and I am convicted that I must choose His Kingdom for my life. Choosing to stay in bondage to evil feels like major disrespect to our Savior. We did nothing to earn this rescue from darkness and evil, but we can spend every day of our lives living in a way that displays our gratitude to Jesus.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How do you find yourself still in bondage or believing the lies of satan?
How can you embrace your freedom in Christ today?
Do you need to get clean, gain strength, and retrain your thinking? What can you do about those things today?
How can you live a life of gratitude for the freedom Jesus bought for you?