Our society today is a slave to many things. When you hear the word slavery it usually gives you a negative image. I want to briefly go over a few things that come to my mind when I think of our society being enslaved.
Pharmaceuticals
When you look at how many people are dependent upon the drug industry to help their bodies function, it's staggering how many medications some people take per day. With all the side effects you begin to wonder what profit there is in taking them? God has given us natural herbs built into this earth which are directly related to helping with any ailment we may have. So why aren't more people taking herbs? Well, many people are enslaved by the Western medicine practices to believe the only solution is a prescription from Walgreens. My wife has found out over the years, that these drugs do more harm than good in long run. Herbs, the natural remedy God has provided is the best and most effective way to allow your body to heal. Problem is, there is mass deception and misinformation about pharmaceutical companies and the drugs they develop. People are literally enslaved to these drugs!
Politics
Yes! People can be enslaved by politics. What do I mean by this? Many on both sides of the spectrum can buy into the lie that politics and policies will solve all our problems and create a utopian society! I personally believe that we should vote, be outspoken about political abuse, unrighteous policies and agenda's, and that we should also speak up for biblical principles in this country! However, I've seen many enslaved to believing that bigger government is the answer! These people treat government and politicians as their Father providing all their needs! In reality, we have one God and Father who is in Heaven! As we have seen recently, people are willing to go to great lengths to push their politics and political agenda: riots, media twisting, erasing history, political correctness, race baiting, deep state medical pandemics, etc.
Alcohol
One doesn't need to look far to see that people are enslaved to alcohol. Listen in to a conversation about what people are doing on the weekends and most are centered around alcohol. Even if the people drinking are not necessarily alcoholics, ask them if they can go a couple weeks without a drop of alcohol involved. Watch sports and it seems as if every commercial is targeting drinkers. Alcohol related accidents are rising, and the cost of alcoholism in this country is great: divorce, unemployment, treatment, health effects, and deaths.
Drugs
I talked about prescription drugs enslaving many, but how about the black market drugs such as weed, cocaine, heroin, and meth? How many young people have you noticed get high at work? Ive seen a rise in acceptance of marijuana over the years and the enslavement that brings to our next generation. I'm a former pot head, and I know firsthand how this is a gateway drug! You develop a tolerance to weed and feel the need for a greater high! You become a slave to the feeling these drugs give you! If you are stressed out and anxious, you self medicate with these drugs just to get through your daily tasks!! Yes, many are slaves to drug use on a daily basis! How sad!
With all these negative connotations of slavery and being enslaved, did you know there is a positive aspect of slavery? The Bibles says that everyone born is born into slavery to sin and their sin nature.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who (continually, habitually) commits sin is the slave of sin." John 8:34 We are slaves to our flesh and obey it's every impulse even though each one of us has a conscience built in to help us. Eventually, the more we sin, the more enslaved we become and our conscience can become hardened: "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." (Hebrews 3:13)
"Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed." (Ephesians 4:19)
So where is the positive aspect of slavery in all this? The answer is here: "knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin." When someone repents of their sin and receives Jesus as their savior, they die to being a slave to their sin nature and become slaves to Christ!
Jesus is the perfect master that deserves our obedience and allegiance! He has taken away the penalty for our sin and has freed us from sin's slavery!! We have been purchased with the blood of Christ from the slave market of sin!! So now, we in turn become slaves (servants) of Jesus! This goes against every idea we have of slavery being only negative. The Bible speaks of the word slave in the Greek as (douleuo) from related word "bondservant." It means to fulfill the duties of a slave, for whom there was no choice either as to the kind or length of his service. We have no choice but to serve Christ the rest of our lives for all He has done!
A slave does what the master (Sin) tells him to do. Believers are no longer slaves of Sin. This former relationship is a "mechanical" impossibility because of the work of Christ on the Cross. Paul does not teach that a Christian is no longer capable of committing sins but that he no longer is under the compulsion and tyranny of the old dictator Sin, nor will he dutifully and habitually obey this old master Sin as before he was saved by grace through faith. (preceptaustin.org)
Will You Go Back? God Forbid!
Will a prisoner go back to prison? God forbid!
Will a slave go back to his master? God forbid!
Will a rich man return to his poverty? God forbid!
Will a happy man go back to sadness? God forbid!
Will a survivor go back to a concentration camp? God forbid!
Will a Christian go back into sin? God forbid!
In conclusion, we see enslavement in many forms: prescription drugs, politics, alcohol, drugs, and most importantly sin. The Bible says we can be free from ALL these enslavements by allowing Christ to take over our lives and be our rightful master! We can then become slaves unto righteousness!!
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