A couple days ago I experienced a major breakthrough in my life. I’m not going to go into detail about it because I have not received the go-ahead from God to share it yet. When I get the green light, I will testify about it. However, one thing I can tell you is that it was something that I fought for most of my life, for decades, beginning in early childhood.

The devil brings a temptation and tries to get us to think it is something appealing. And if we take the bait, the flesh might find it pleasurable initially. However, over time a bondage develops as the enemy uses condemnation and our own flesh to create a trap that seems increasingly harder and harder to escape from. The flesh is a slave to whatever we give it. Therefore whatever it gets accustomed to having, that is what it desires. And it desires it more and more. Whether it is food, drugs, alcohol, pornography or something else, a bondage increases in strength if nothing is done to stop it. The enemy knows this and tells us that we are sooooo bad for doing what we’re doing, when he is the one who introduced it to us in the first place. He showers us with condemnation so we will isolate ourselves and keep “our little secret sins” to ourselves. He loves to tell us that we are the only one who is fighting this kind of thing and what would people say if they knew? If we buy his lies, then nothing happens to stop the bondage from growing in power, and things get worse and worse.

But I am here to tell you that the devil is a liar. He wants us to think we will never be free. He tells us we’ve been bound too long to get free now. He says that its too hard, too much work to break free. The truth that he wants to hide from believers is so very simple and straight-forward. The plain truth of the matter is: we’re already free. It isn’t something we have to work at because Jesus has already paid the price to set us free.

Just sit and ponder that for a minute and let that sink in. Whatever bondage or habit you may have been fighting- it has already been defeated. We think we have to press in and work hard to break the chains. The chains are already removed. WE’RE ALREADY FREE. We just have to get that revelation in our hearts and receive it by faith.

How do we do that? A few simple steps can put us in position to receive. First, take your focus off what you are trying to get free from. Instead, focus on God by reading His Word, hearing anointed teaching of the Word, and reading books about the Word. Spend time with God daily. You can talk to the Lord, worship Him, dance before Him, or just sit quietly and enjoy being with Him. And, of course, pray in tongues. All of these things will take your eyes off the problem and put them on God. Whatever we put our focus on is what becomes bigger in our sight. If we immerse ourselves in the things of God, we will be focused on Him and our faith will be getting stronger and stronger. We won’t feel it because faith is not a feeling, but if we feed on the Word, it will happen automatically. Our faith will grow.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

The final thing we need to do is to rest. Relax in what God has done and is doing. He does the heavy lifting. We just put our focus on Him and He will remove the hindrance. Don’t beat yourself up for what you’ve been bound by. Don’t get discouraged when you slip up. Just remember that you are already free. You don’t have to work at becoming what you already are. Just relax, trust that God has everything under control. God loves you. He isn’t disappointed in you for what you have been fighting. He is working with you and for you. He has never lost and He never will, so this is in the bag.

Seriously, this works. We make it harder than it has to be. Get your eyes on God and allow your faith to grow through consistent exposure to the Word. Then relax and receive the glorious freedom of God.

So if the Son makes you free, you are really free. John 8:36 (Easy-to-Read Version, ERV)