“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”   ~Galatians 5:1

Are you tired of being controlled by something in your life? Do you want to be freed from whatever it is that has a hold on you? Then this is your lucky day because I'm going to tell you the one, and only secret to permanent success.

We are all chained to something. Addiction-bondage comes in many forms, everything from substance abuse to porn, perfectionism to hoarding, even habitual criticism or judgment can be an addiction. The list goes on and on. You may not consider your cell phone or television a source of addiction, but it can be. Something as innocent as sugar or shopping, or even work can become addicting, as well as anything else you can think of if done in excess can control you.

Satan will lead us astray in any way he can. He will use anything as a distraction to get our attention and cause us to ignore God. This is why it's called spiritual bondage. We are chained to whatever we’re addicted to—anything that holds our attention will eventually become our master.

“While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.”    ~2 Peter 2:19

Whatever we are addicted to, we are in bondage to. There is only one source strong enough to break these chains . . . and that is God. Jesus is the only one that can break the spiritual chains that bind us to whatever it is that we're bound to.

I heard a song yesterday that really sums this up rather well. We need a way to break free from whatever it is that binds us— we need to understand that the Lord Jesus is one chain breaking God!

​Understanding and believing this verse is crucial for any permanent success. Look closely at the end part, the “you shall be free indeed” part. The term indeed means exactly what it says, in deed, in act or action, literally, in what we do.

We must submit to God in order to resist the devil. Once Jesus frees us we will still be tempted, but we are now empowered and no longer have to act on our carnal desires. Remember, temptation is not a sin, even Jesus was tempted by Satan, and yet He was without sin!

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”   ~James 4:3

We really need to learn to take God at His word, literally! We need to become empowered through faith in His promises because on our own we will surely fail. It seems the more we pull and tug to try to free ourselves, the tighter our bondage becomes. We do nothing but wear ourselves out trying to break free.

But once we reach out and shout to God to free us, we will be freed. But staying free is the real key to success. There is only one way. Every single time you're tempted, immediately shout to the Lord; “Jesus help me, please, God, rescue me!” And He will instantly come to your rescue, guaranteed.

Sometimes I only have enough strength to yell just one word, so I scream "God!" And bam! He’s there to save me— to keep me from doing whatever it was that Satan was tempting me to do. Suddenly, I have not only the desire, but the willpower to walk away.

We have to do our part, we must remove ourselves from whatever it is that we’re trying to break free from, and that includes the people that will pull us back into our addictive, sinful situations. It also helps if you try to replace your old, bad habit with a new, good habit . . . like running to God every time you’re tempted.

“Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits.”   ~1 Corinthians 15:33

​We all hide from our pain and madness in some way. It's not our fault. On our own we're just ordinary, helpless people, we can do nothing on our own but hide.

“... for without Me, you can do nothing.”   from ~John 15:5

But...

“​I can do all things through Jesus who strengthens me.”   ~Philippines 4:13

​If we want to change, all we need to do is call on God. He can, and will free us! Because when I call on Jesus all things are possible!

God has empowered us. We’ve already received this gift from God when we became believers. His power-filler Spirit is already residing in us, all we need to do is grab hold of it and stop being afraid. Our mantra must become “God’s got this!” Speak it and believe it every single time you want to give in to temptation.

“​Call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”   ​~Psalm 50:15