As I wander here through Midian, I have much time to consider where I have been, where I am, and where I may be going. This is good and at times it is bad because the enemy knows that I am separated from my normal connections of comfort and encouragement. That enemy of my soul knows just which buttons to push and what memories to dig up from my subconscious to vex me. Some of you have been exactly where I am and some of you are likely about to start your tour of Midian. You will learn much about yourself and about how close your relationship to God really is. This, I promise.
So, what about the ghosts and chains and such? Let me see… it is simple really. When you are segregated from your “comfort zone,” the ghosts of the past always try to haunt you. The revisit you with their whispers of past lies and failures. They remind you of every negative thing that happened to you in life. Hey, that’s their job, right? These ghosts are really either the minions of the devil trying to harm you or your own guilty conscious about things which you may need to deal with and put to rest. What about the chains? Well, these are formed by the ghosts who delight in attaching them to your feet of clay. The chains are heavy and slow down your pace. They make it difficult to do the real work that you should be doing for the Lord. These chains are holding you back… connecting you to past failures or deep pain inflicted upon you by others. Most of us have some of these chains weighing us down. There is no need to start making a list of these things. You know what yours are and I know what mine are. The important thing to note is how we can get rid of the chains. Jesus holds the key to this my friend.
About the souls of men. These hang in the balance. In the circle of your world, wherever that may be, there are people who need to hear an honest prayer saturated presentation of the Gospel. Some of these people need to hear this from your lips. If you, or I, are too busy fighting off the ghosts of the past or are dragging the chains of doubt with us… well, the souls of men will suffer for it. Let us all do our best to grab hold of the power which we need to leave the past in the past and break free from the chains which hold us back for the sake of the Gospel and for those who need to hear it… amen.
Philippians 3:12-14
