Key Chain
"The Lord brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.”- Psalm 107:14
One thing people love to do for the fall and holiday season is create decorative themes in their homes. The next time you visit someone make a note of all the colors (browns and oranges), items (leaves and pumpkins), and artwork messages (thankful and gratitude) that fill homes with the fall season. Truly, this is a season to celebrate the abundant goodness of our God. Psalm 145:7 tells us, “They celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.”
Recently, I have sensed a Holy Spirit fall theme for our lives and church to make as a prominent in place in our hearts. The Lord is inviting us to replace our CHAINS with His KEYS! This invitation in His presence delivers fullness and freedom to our lives. CHAINS are meant to keep us locked up, immobilized, and confined in our current struggles. Chains on gates keep you from entering, chains on bicycles keep them from being ridden, and chains on equipment keep them from being moved. The weights and burdens we hold onto and face in this world, are meant to keep us from living in the fullness of peace and power that Jesus has provided. In 2 Corinthians 3:17 Paul writes, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
Where chains keep things closed, the Lord is ready to give us KEYS that open doors into new promises, better realities, and accelerated growth. Keys provide us with access and authority to reside in specific places. In Matthew 16:19 Jesus proclaims, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
- In each of our lives may the chains from our past, our sins, our flesh desires, spiritual opposition, and external circumstances be exchanged with keys that bring forgiveness, Spirit life, strength, and victory.
- In each church service may the chains that people enter with of fear, lack of faith, condemnation, distraction, apathy, unforgiveness, and pride be replaced with keys of truth and promise from God’s Word, a joy and hope during worship, and uplifting encouragement from fellowship with others.
Let’s see the chains break off us and the keys bring us into the new. As Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:8b-9, “This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.”