“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron” - Psalm 107:13-16

Chains are an obvious symbol of imprisonment. In physical terms, they restrict us, hold us down and signify our captive state. In spiritual terms, they do the same. While many won't experience physical chains, we're by no means protected from the impact of spiritual chains which could harm our spiritual growth. These shackles are equally detrimental to our freedom because they affect our behavior, our outlook, successes, and our faith. You may begin to wonder what spiritual laws you have breached warranting you to be kept in an inner prison. The scripture says, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2). The question now is; “Are you truly in Christ?” To be in Christ is a serious business! You must be truly renewed from the inside. Old things must truly give way to a new birth in Christ Jesus. The new birth is defined not by mere confession of faith; you must truly live a lifestyle that defines your character and aspiration as a worthy child of God truly holy and set apart for God. At that point, you have been fortified to withstand the deadly arrows that fly by noonday or the terror of the night.

When we lose our grip and identity in Christ, we give room for these weaknesses to creep into our life. The import of that is that we become slaves to the deadly arrows of evil manipulations, spiritual and physical poverty. One good way of assessing the impact of these lapses is to determine whether their effects upon us are strong enough as to restrict our freedom and prevent us from reaching our potentials, or to be closer to and becoming more like Christ. If you're aware that there are chains holding you down or you think there's something sinful or ungodly holding you down and you know what it is, then pray yourself out of it while also making deliberate efforts to change your ways or the situation. But if you are yet to determine what it is, even though you perceived you could be in chains then you have to appeal to Jesus to set you free all the same. Today’s word is telling us that regardless of the power that chains have, the Lord's power to break them is far greater. What is required from you is to submit to the Lord, cry to Him for help, and He will set you free.