released from slavery

Isaiah 61:1 NLT

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.

Jesus repeated that Scripture in His ministry, and it has rattled through what I do many times. This is powerful and important truth.

Julie and I wanted the move “Sound of Freedom” again yesterday. It is about Tim Ballard who has battled to release children caught in the sex slave trade. The movie is streaming online and worth your time. It is tough to watch, but it is a true story reminded us of what is going on in so many places.

One of the things that it says at the end of the movie is that there are more people living in slavery today than in any other time of history, even when slavery was legal. That hurts my heart.

Yes, there are many who have been sold and are being used in the sex trade in this way, but there are so many other ways and places where slavery is a reality. This is not what God desires for us or any one.

Value comes from God, and He values every one. So should we.

God sees everything, and He does something about it. So should we.

But how.

Speak up. Give to those doing something about it. Share what you learn. But most of all pray. Pray for the release of captives. Pray for open doors for those doing important work.

Pray for those in captivity to habits and toxic relationships. Pray for those wrongly imprisoned. Pray for those being used and abused, maybe they haven’t been sold but are living in a sort of slavery.

Watch. See what you see every day. Watch people and notice the things that show us people are being de-valued or used.

May we be people who make a difference. Make a difference daily!

Galatians 5:1 NLT

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Matthew 18:27 NASB

And the master of that slave felt compassion, and he released him and forgave him the debt.

Help yourself and others to no longer live as slaves to anything. But may we choose to be a slave to Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:21 NLT

And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ.

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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