On Our Hearts: Breaking Free

You might have seen the movie 127 Hours, or heard about the hiker Aron Ralston who found himself trapped when a boulder fell on his arm. Unable to move the boulder or his arm, for five days Aron was all alone and eventually he was forced to take drastic measures to save his own life. Fortunately, Aron lived to share his story and his tale of survival has been an inspiration to many.

You probably have not experienced a situation quite like Aron's, but you may find yourself trapped in a different way. Perhaps someone has put you in a circumstance that is out of your control. Or you may have an addiction to drugs, food, or alcohol. You might even be trapped in your own emotions of anger, bitterness, or unforgiveness. It might feel as though you have a huge weight of your own that is pinning you down, making you incapable of experiencing joy, love, or peace.

What "boulder" do you need to move from your life? And if you are unable to move that "boulder", what are you willing sacrifice to get yourself out from under that trap? God can help you escape whatever has bound you. He has the power to move mountains and release us from bondage.

Heavenly Father,

We ask that you open our eyes to whatever it is that has us pinned down. Show us the circumstances or people that have put a weight on our ability to cope and deal with life. Lord, we want your Holy Spirit to enter our lives so that we may experience its fruit. Replace worry, anger, and sadness, with your peace, love and joy. Reveal those things that which we may need to sacrifice. Give us strength to let go of the vices that have been holding us back. Pour out your power to overcome our weaknesses and cover our imperfections. Lord, we desire freedom from our own binding emotions. We long for you to break the chains that have been holding us back from doing your will. We thank you, Jesus, for your ultimate sacrifice that can cut us loose from all that confines us. We praise your Holy name so that you may do good works through us. We submit our lives to you, Lord. We humbly lay ourselves down so that you may claim the victory.

Amen

"You reached down from heaven, and you lifted me from deep in the ocean.You rescued me from enemies, who were hateful and too powerful for me. On the day disaster struck, they came and attacked, but you defended me. When I was fenced in, you freed and rescued me because you love me." Psalm 18:16-19 (CEV)