Wednesday April 17, 2024
Set Free!
By Jenny Pfister
“Unchained Melody” is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the little-known prison film Unchained (January 1955), hence the song title. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack. It has since become a standard and one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, most notably by the Righteous Brothers. According to the song’s publishing administrator, over 1,500 recordings of “Unchained Melody” have been made by more than 670 artists, in multiple languages.
But I don’t always feel “unchained.” I never thought I’d know what it felt like to be a slave, but we are. Many of us have things in our lives that we’re slaves to. We’re slaves to being liked. We’re slaves to temptation. We’re slaves to being someone we’re not. We are slaves to drugs, alcohol, and food. We try to escape their fierce grip, but often just before we taste that sweet taste of freedom we are dragged back by what masters us. We continue this process time after time and we feel hopeless. (See WORD WISDOM for a deeper study of taste)
What is freedom in Christ? We just celebrated Easter and the Resurrection and declared that He has set us free! From what? And how? We know that Christ has set us free from the yoke of slavery and the bondage of sin (Rom.8:2) But still the question remains, “What is this freedom Jesus is talking about?”
Well, let’s start at the beginning. The answer is Jesus Christ. Isaiah 61 prophesied a key aspect of Jesus’ ministry, which continues to this day: He has come to heal the brokenhearted and set captives free.
The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me. He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, Announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners. (Is.61:1 TMSG)
When we trust Him as Savior, the chains that keep us from joy are broken. We are liberated from lies that have been programmed in our minds from an early age, and we begin to see things from God’s point of view. Christian freedom is rooted in the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done for us.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (Jn.8:31-32 NKJV)
True freedom isn’t about what country you live in or what activities you can participate in. True freedom comes from knowing the truth about ourselves…and Jesus. Jesus paid the price for our freedom. He came to earth to die for us to be free. You don’t have to be held back by whatever is holding you back. Be brave! Be like the slaves did and run towards your freedom. Run towards the one who came to set you free!
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (Gal.5:1 NKJV)
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (Jn.8:36 NKJV)
The word free means, “to liberate, to be unrestrained.” That is how Jesus wants us to live! You see, freedom in Christ doesn’t just mean freedom from sin or sickness, but also absolute freedom from all accusations or condemnations the enemy may hurl at you. It means to live free from our pasts…free from our fears….free from chains that bind us…and free to live in the abundance He has promised! How? Through the empowering of the Holy Spirit! The power to live the Christian life comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (freedom). (2 Cor.3:17 NKJV)
Whom the Son has set free is free indeed (Jn.8:36). God is calling His people to live in freedom. Jesus died and rose again for us to live in this freedom. As we go through life, the enemy has a job to do and that is to strap us down with worry, doubt and disbelief.
We have a job to do also and that is to counteract the enemy’s traps and destroy his work. We must stand on The Word of God and believe we are truly free. We don’t have to sit down and take the torment of the enemy. The enemy’s job is to entangle our thoughts with negativity and keep us bound with hurt and pain. The Lord is our healer and we are free to receive healing from Him anytime (Ex.15:26). We must shake off the chains, lift our hands up in freedom and worship The Lord.
That is the real unchained melody! Amen!
