Straighten Up & Walk On
By Elin Henderson
“…I
have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.”
Leviticus 26:13b (NKJV)
Anyone who has been set free from the
bands and burdens of the yoke of bondage know the immense elation and sense of
victory that comes with it. The weight is gone, the bonds are broken! But, it
is another thing altogether to walk in that freedom, to straighten our crooked
backs that have been bent under the strain and weight of the yoke. This process
of straightening up takes a lot longer. A pattern has been set of a downcast
head and hunched shoulders, but now is the time to lift up our head, straighten
our shoulders, stand tall in the power of His might and walk on!
One of Satan’s strongest weapons is
to keep us ineffective even after freedom and victory has been won over
strongholds in our lives. We can break free but live a defeated life and never
learn what it means to walk victoriously in Christ. God is calling us to walk
upright with our heads held high, confident in who He is and what He has done,
and will do, in our lives.
As we allow God to break the bonds
that bind us, we must also go to Him to relearn what it means to stand straight
and walk upright. Our tendency is to hunch over and walk like we are still
carrying a phantom burden. Over time though, He is able to slowly straighten
our spines so that we can carry ourselves in the victory and confidence we
actually have. It’s time to walk tall and walk on!! “Be Strong (Stand Strong) in the power
of His might” (Ephesians
6:10, NKJV) that you “Might walk worthy of the One who called us” (1
Thessalonians 2:12, NKJV) because “If the Son makes you free, you
shall be free indeed!” (John
8:36, NKJV)
GOING DEEPER:
1. Make a list of the areas you feel God has set
you free from yokes of bondage. Now, ask yourself, “Am I walking upright and
tall in these areas or still hunched over?”
2. What promises in His Word
can you remind yourself of to help you walk confidently and tall in Him?
FURTHER READING:
Oakwood’s
missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as
church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to thirteen-year-old Callie
and eleven-year-old Elias. They are currently in America on Home Assignment.
