086: Don’t Let the Enemy Hold You Hostage

Hello and welcome to The Hope Podcast. I’m Aneel Aranha. Today we are going to talk about how we shouldn’t let the enemy hold us hostage, but allow God to set us free. 

We all do terrible things from time to time. Some things are more terrible than others. Ashamed, we try to cover them up, but unfortunately, there is a very devious character—Satan—who always sees what we do. Not only does he torment us about what we did, but he also holds us hostage. What can we do?

Have you heard the story about Billy, who once visited his grandmother for the holidays. He got a slingshot as a Christmas gift and spent the next few days happily shooting at everything in sight. Unfortunately, he ended up killing one of his grandmother’s ducks. Horrified, the boy buried the duck in the wood, but as he turned to leave, he saw his sister Becky standing there, watching him with a decidedly wicked smile. 

Over the next few days, every time it was Becky’s turn to do the chores, she’d get Billy to do them, saying: “Remember the duck!” A week later, Billy couldn’t stand it any longer. He went to his grandmother and told her he had killed her duck and was very sorry about it. His grandmother hugged the boy and told him, “I know. I saw the whole thing from the window. I was waiting to see how long you would let your sister blackmail you. I forgive you.” 

Do I need to make the obvious point? Yes, Satan is always watching, but so is God. David once said, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely” (Psalm 139:1-3). 

However, while Satan watches and uses what he sees to hold us captive, God watches and waits so he can set us free. Scripture says our enemy, “the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). However, “in Christ, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 1:7). All we need to do is confess our sins to God with a repentant heart, and all is made right with him 

So, what are you waiting for? God knows you are sorry; he just wants you to tell him that so the relationship is in harmony again. The same principle often works with people, so it may not hurt to tell them too. 

May the Spirit be with you.