"The Bondage Breaker"

"But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.  Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!" Jude 1:20-24 

 I love reading a good book, usually something to do with spiritual growth. I love studying the Word, with dictionary in hand. Finding and creating new workouts to challenge my body is exciting to me.  Those things are probably on the top of my to-do list each day. Not to say that's everything I do in a day, but for the most part, I enjoy these things enough to be sure I include them almost everyday. If I'm not careful though, these things tend to get a little unbalanced (see my post "Balancing the Teeter-totter"). I've seen what can happen to my life when I put one thing above the other's. It's dangerous. It's life-threatening.  

My biggest struggle in my life has always been to balance my addictive personality when it comes to working out. If left unchecked, I will be on two diet pills at once, working out twice a day, weighing every morsel of food that enters my body, and checking every inch of my body to be certain cellulite hasn't creeped in. However, I've found the secret to controlling this bondage from plaguing me again and  it's in this verse: "...To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy." When left in my hands and my strength, it's impossible for me to remain free from this bondage. It will take me over every time I get my eyes away from God. 

How many of you know when you take your eyes off of God, not just one sin creeps into your life, but a whole truck load of them enter? That's because once you open that door for the enemy to slither in, all chaos unfolds in your heart (refer to my earlier post "There's a Secret Garden She Hides"). If we wish to find a balance in our lives, we've got to cling to our faith in the Lord. I might get so involved in a book that I neglect my family, so should I never read? I might get so in depth in a study that I twist the meaning of the material, so should studying be a fearful thing? I might get so involved in working out that I become prideful, so should I neglect my health and hobby forever? 

I believe God loves us enough to allow us to enjoy things of this life. Not everything we do, or enjoy, has to be "spiritual." I believe he wants us to find pleasure in eating cold ice cream on a hot day. Lying on the beach, basking in the sun during the summer. Enjoying a glass of wine while taking a hot bath to de-stress from the day (yes, this is my FAVORITE time of the day). I think God wants us to live out and experience those things we love. He even welcomes us to find Him in the midst of those things. And that, my friend, is our defining factor. He is able to "keep us from falling" into bondage to the things we love. When our eyes, and our faith, are fixed on Him, he balances our teeter-totter perfectly. 

     I'm not sure what balance looks like in your life. That's something you and God will have to sort out. For me, my balance was to never work out first thing in the morning. Back in the day, 5 a.m. workouts were a must, the first thing I did upon waking. And it quickly became my first step towards a prideful bondage that almost cost me my friends and family. To be sure I never allow room for that bondage to creep in again, I made a deal with the Lord: "I will always seek you first. I will never make working out the first priority in my day again." Now, I still make it a part of my day, but I go with my family every afternoon. We make it an "us" thing. 

Working out is no longer a fear for me, a bondage lurking around the corner to swallow me up again. It's a joy! I'm able to experience it in the way God intended for me: a challenge to become a healthier me. When I make God my first priority, it balances everything else in my day...and my life. After all, He is the "Bondage Breaker."

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."