God releases the captive

God released me last night from the grip of my first and biggest stronghold. It took me until this morning to realize it. I was reading the Bible, something totally unrelated, when God ran a movie in my head (something He sometimes does), and I saw clearly how that particular event was not really a super big deal and should never have had the effect on my life it had.

All the very bad things in my life have been the result of that event, and it should never have had that power over me. If my parents and the other adults around me had been a little saner, and maybe if I had been less sensitive, my life would have been so different...

No Easy Way Out

One morning not long ago I was reading Solomon's message to the people upon the completion of his Temple. He quoted Moses a long. In particular, what caught my eye and mind was his statement that the people would be conquered if they rebelled against God, and if their hearts returned to God, then their conquerers would treat them kindly.

What I noticed was what Solomon did not say. He didn't say that God would immediate free all the people from bondage if they returned to Him. Instead, Solomon said the people might still be in bondage, but that their conquerors' attitudes toward them would change.

I guess that means there is no quick fix to sin.