I have heard many ministers preach: “Get rid of anger.  Release your bitterness.  Forgive yourself.”  Others instruct: “Don’t care what others think of you.  Do not let others manipulate you.  Rid yourself from the expectations of others.”  Then again, many people advise: “Get rid of your fears.  Break past your bondages.  Free yourself from these blockages.”

I have tried all the above.  I tried for twenty years.  It did not work.  I could not accomplish any of these self-help methods by myself. I could not stop caring what others thought of me. I could not stop myself from being manipulated by others. I did not have the power to rid myself of others’ expectations, nor the wisdom to let go of my bitterness, nor the patience to change. I needed a Savior who could break my bondage of anger and the unwillingness to forgive, a Redeemer who could remove my multitude of fears, a Deliverer who could release my blockage of bitterness.  I needed Jesus.

I AM THE VINE; YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. IF A MAN REMAINS IN ME AND I IN HIM, HE WILL BEAR MUCH FRUIT; APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING
(John 15:5).

Blessed One, I want you to know that, in your own strength, you are not able to get rid of any fears, permanently.  You are not able to free yourself from bondage.  On your own, you are not able to get rid of anger.  I, Jesus Christ, need to do this for you, because without Me you are helpless, powerless, and hopeless against the father-of-lies who instilled these bondages and blockages in your heart in the first place. He is the one who subjected you to the law of sin and death; therefore, you need Me, your Redeemer, to bring you under My Law of Life.

FOR THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS HAS MADE ME FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH
(Romans 8:2).

I bless you to invite the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus to free you from your iniquities.  Bring your angry heart, numbed by bitterness and unwillingness to forgive, to the Spirit of Jesus, to be resurrected. Bring your mind that has been deadened by fears to the Spirit of Jesus, to be renewed. Yield your heart that cares so much about what others think of you to the Spirit of Jesus, to be replaced. You will see the bondages broken and the blockages removed.

In which ways have you tried to get rid of your bondages? Did you succeed? Have you become desperate enough to try something, or rather, Someone new—to crown the Lord Jesus as Savior of your life and ask Him to do what you have not been able to do yourself?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I crown You as Lord and Savior of my life. I admit that I have not been able to get rid of the blockages and bondages in my life. Therefore, I invite Your Presence and Your Participation into my life, O Lord. Become my Savior, my Redeemer, and my Refuge in all aspects of my life.