It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.  He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.  When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also.  This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.  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.

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.  The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.  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.

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.  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.  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, the angel left him.  Acts 12:1-11 HCSB

In our scripture passage today, Peter was arrested and thrown into prison for preaching the gospel.  While he awaits what will no doubt be a trial in a kangaroo court, he is heavily chained and guarded.  The officials have made it impossible for him to escape.  Have you ever found yourself in a situation that has you feeling imprisoned where escape seems impossible?  Have you ever felt as though you were tied down and boxed in and can’t get out of the mess that you have gotten yourself into?  Perhaps you are enslaved by your financial situation.  Perhaps you are enslaved by your eating patterns.  Perhaps you are enslaved by laziness.  Perhaps you are enslaved by a job that drains you of your time and depletes you physically and emotionally.  Perhaps you are enslaved by an addiction to gambling, alcohol, or drugs.  There are all kinds of things that can enslave us and make escape seem impossible.

Sadly, sin is one of those things that can act as a heavy chain around our wrists.  I have heard it said that sin takes you farther than you ever wanted to go, costs you more than you ever wanted to pay, and keeps you longer than you ever wanted to stay.  Sin can imprison us if we don’t get control of it before it gets control of us.

Now if you are reading this and you don’t know Christ as your personal savior, then let me tell you that He can break those chains off of you just as He did for Peter in our scripture passage today.  He can walk you safely out of that prison and right through the gates.  But He won’t do it unless you come to Him.  You see we serve a God that never forces Himself or His ways on us.  He wants us all to come to Him, but it has to be our choice.  If you are tired of the life that you have been living and feel as though you have become a prisoner of your sinful behavior, it’s time to break free.  It’s time to turn to God and ask Him to set you free.  John chapter 8, 31-32, To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are my disciples.  Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

So if you really want to be free then you must begin with the truth.  The truth is that Jesus sent his one and only Son to die for our sins so that we may have eternal life (John 3:16).  The truth is that God loves us so much that He would sacrifice His only Son for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8),  The truth is that we can draw near to God and He will draw near to us (James 4:8).  The truth is that we can confess our sin, repent, and ask God to fill our hearts with His Holy Spirit to help us do our best to remove the sin from our lives.  Can you handle the truth?  Are you ready to live freely?

Some people can’t handle the truth because they are terrified of the change.  Some people have become so comfortable in their misery that they wouldn’t know what to do if they were sprung from the prison that holds them.  But if you want to truly be free, if you really want to shake those chains off and live in the peace and comfort that only God can provide, then turn to Him.  If you are unsure about how to do this, please contact me through this website or find a good, bible teaching church.  You can talk to a trusted friend or pastor.

Now, maybe, you attend church every Sunday and sit on the front row and you are imprisoned by the secret sin in your life.  You know, that Monday -Saturday person that you think no one knows about.  Well, my friend, God knows all about it.  We hide nothing from Him.  The only thing that sin can do is weigh you down.  I encourage you today to  confess your sin, repent and ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit.  Matthew 21-23 clearly tells us that many will face the judgment and boast about all that they did while on earth, but that their sin will cause their separation from God for eternity.  In verse 23 we are told very clearly that God will tell them to depart from Him because He never knew them.

Today you can choose to stay imprisoned by your sin.  You can let that sin keep you heavily guarded and chained down.  Or, you can trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  You can enter a close, personal relationship with Him and watch the chains fall off.  You can escape your sinful past.  Even when escape seems impossible, God has a great plan for you (Jeremiah 29:11).

Have a great day!