Walk into the Light.

Ever since the fall of man, bondage has been a facet of life that is inescapable to say the least. But as God’s children, we have unlimited access to a Source who is ready and willing to shatter the chains that may seem completely indestructible. Let’s take a look at Acts 12 and see how the Lord overpowered the unyielding bondage in which Peter faced:

 ⁴ After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

 ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

 ⁶ The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. ⁷ Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

 ⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. ⁹ Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

First, let’s take a look at verse 5. This verse is a perfect pictorial of the calling of the church. It demonstrates our obligation to our brothers and sisters in Christ. It says in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” We are called to take on the burdens of our brothers and sisters, and are therefore called to intercede for them in prayer. Sometimes it takes one, and sometimes it takes a whole army to bring about victory. God desires to see us come together as a body and make war against the devils schemes.

Next, let’s look at verses 6 – 8. I want you to notice the order of things in how the Lord brought about victory. First, a light shone amidst the darkness. Peter had nowhere to go, and quite frankly, no hope whatsoever. After all, not only was he between 2 soldiers, but he was bound by 2 chains, AND there were men standing guard at the entrance of the prison. Inevitably, his chances of being freed were next to none. But nevertheless, a light shone and hope came flooding into a dark, lifeless prison cell. Next, Peter had to wake up. Now if he had continued to sleep, he would have been completely unaware of what the Lord was trying to bring about – freedom. Once Peter was fully awake, he was able to undoubtedly see the hope that was brimming over even through his captivity. Following this, Peter had to get up. For him to sit there and merely admire what the Lord was offering him wasn’t enough, he had to take action. He had to be willing to grab onto the hope in which the Lord was offering him. It takes 2 parties to bring about freedom; only one – namely, Jesus – can actually bring the freedom, but the other party has to be willing to take hold of it. Then, Peter was commanded to follow. He couldn’t get out alone; he merely lacked the capability to do so. Peter needed Someone much greater than he to lead him out.

As they made their way out of the prison, they passed 2 guards and went through an – what would seem completely obstinate – iron gate. With the Spirit of God guiding him, Peter was able to walk right past the guards and straight through a gate without facing so much as a speck of opposition. This incredible and peculiar victory aligns with the truth of Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” As long as we allow the Spirit of God to guide and empower us, man has nothing – nothing - on us. Even a gate of iron is incapable of hindering His ability to overcome. 

 I encourage you to be still and allow the Lord to reveal to you areas of bondage in your life. Many times, our bondage is tied to an area of sin in which we neglect to come to terms with. Maybe its pride, selfishness, insecurity, pain, anxiety, something in the past – whatever it is, it’s there and it’s real. And you better bet that Satan has intentions to use it against you in order to disgrace the name of your Almighty King. However, I can assure you of this: a light is shining – hope is dawning, because we serve a God who came so that we may have life and have it abundantly. But before you can walk in the hope that Jesus wants to bring you, you have to wake up and allow your eyes to meet the light – and then, you have to stand up, hard as it may be, and allow the Lord to strengthen you so that you may escape in triumph. Then, and only then, will you experience the freedom and victory in which He died for 2,000 years ago. He promises to never leave us or forsake us; therefore, we can rest in the fact that His presence will never leave our side as we make our way out of utter darkness.

Don’t sit in whatever captivity you may be facing, for we are children of an indestructible King, and are therefore able to rise up. The light has come, wake up and walk in it.