Numbers 20:3-5 The people contended with Moses, and said, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished [in the plague] before the Lord! Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness to die here, we and our livestock? Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or of figs or of vines or of pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”

There were many times, after being set free from Egypt, the Israelites complained about their freedom. There were also times they wanted to go back. They missed the food and small comforts. They were willing to overlook the bondage and abusive treatment for a few comforts. There were things they missed from Egypt. Life was not what they wanted or expected it to be so they wanted to go back to what was familiar.

How many times do we do the same thing? How many times does the Lord set us free from bondages only for us to look back at them in longing? How often do we miss the comforts that came with the bondage? How many times do we long for it so much that we cannot move forward because we are constantly looking back? We can never move forward if we are always looking behind.

Practical Steps to Move Out of Bondage into Freedom

1. Stop looking back. We must completely break from the bondage we were set free from. Do not dwell on your time in bondage, even the good parts. We were set free for a reason and if we continually look back we are still being held captive in our minds. There is nothing for us to go back to. We must burn that bridge down, in our minds, and move into the plan God has for our lives. This also applies to staying stuck in trauma. We do not have to be held captive by trauma. There is freedom. Refuse to let anything, good or bad, hold you captive.

2. Change Habits. We will have to make practical changes in our lives. We may have to change our people, places, and things. We cannot live in freedom if we are constantly going back to the things that remind us of the bondage or played a part in creating it. We cannot keep one foot in bondage and one foot in freedom. The same thing goes for our minds. Take captive and pull down every single thought that is connected to the bondage. Do not let it have any space in your mind.

3. Live Completely Sold Out to God. We must live surrendered lives to Him to walk in freedom. We must crucify our flesh daily and lay our lives down. The closer we are to Him the less chance of us ever wanting to go back to bondage. The things of the past just seem to fade away the more we look, act, and think like Him.

4. Spiritual Warfare. Demons want to hold us captive and keep us in bondage for our entire lives and that is why spiritual warfare is a must. Verbally command those bondages to fall off in the name of Jesus and for any demons connected to the bondage to GET OUT in the name of Jesus. Stand firm and refuse to give up, give in, or go back.

Blessings,

Nichole Henson

Fullness of Joy Ministry

fullnessofjoyministry@gmail.com