You Do Not Have To Be A Captive Christian

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”Isaiah 40:31You Do Not Have To Be
A CAPTIVE CHRISTIAN I saw a pathetic sight in Scotland. It was a great eagle in a massive cage. The sun shining brightly in the heavens seemed to be calling it to rise from the earth and rejoice in its natural element. And the royal bird in response to the call fixed its eye on the sun and spread its mighty wings for flight. And then, becoming conscious of the iron bars that held it prisoner, it dropped its wings and lowered its head in apparent disappointment and shame. I watched that captive bird on that lovely summer afternoon with growing interest. Again and again the light flashed in its eyes as it faced the sun and lifted its wings in the futile endeavor to soar away. And just as often its wings sank down and it bowed its neck. It was the most striking figure of depression and defeat I had ever seen. Had I been an artist and had I wished to paint a picture of defeat, that great bird would have been my model. That it had the desire for liberty was clear in its flashing eye. That it had power for liberty was clear in its outstretched wings. But the cage held the eagle prisoner in spite of its desire and power. The Captive Christian
The captive bird became a parable to me. It spoke to me of the many Christians who have the desire for “those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1). Those things are their own things, for they have been freely given to them by God. And the Divine nature is in them, or they would not be Christians at all. They also have the power to rise up in thought and affection to where their true life is, for the Holy Spirit dwells in them. And yet they know nothing of the practical enjoyment of these things. Some of them did once, but do not now because they are prisoners to the earth. They are encaged and they should be free. These captive Christians are not happy. They get glimpses of the glory that shines in the face of Jesus (2 Cor. 4:6), and their hearts are stirred, and they vow that they will be free. But sighs instead of songs break from their sad hearts and they confess to themselves, even if they hide it from others, the completeness of their bondage. They sometimes toss upon their beds with regrets, groans and prayers, but they find that their resolutions are futile. The snares with which the devil enticed them have become a cage in which he now holds them, and they despair of ever feeling the thrill and joy of soaring in Christian liberty again. The Christian’s Prison
There never is any satisfaction or profit for any Christian in worldly or fleshly things. They only bring strife to the soul and bitter regrets to the heart, and make the unhappy Christian their captive. Is there no way of deliverance? Shall the captive never become an overcomer? Yes, there is hope, for the Lord is gracious, and there is a way of deliverance for those who feel their bondage. Those vows in the night, so fierce and apparently so futile, show that the life of the soul has not been utterly crushed. They prove that there is a faithful advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who is the propitiation for our sins. They also prove that there is a faithful Holy Spirit within the soul, for He it is that creates the exercise within it, so that the sighing of the prisoner goes up to God. Don’t Get Caught
In overcoming the world, we must ever guard against foes that seek a footing within our hearts in order to make us useless for the Lord. We must, in short, keep ourselves for Christ. We may feel our weakness and our inability to do anything for the Savior, but we can keep ourselves for Him alone. To do this we must keep ourselves from becoming imprisoned, and we must keep the line of communication with Him intact. When soldiers go up against the enemy they keep connected with the base of their supplies. They will be defeated if they do not, because food, ammunition, reinforcements and everything they need comes from that base. The foe will use every means in his power to cut that connection and trap them. They must guard that line at all costs. If they are careless as to this all their courage and enthusiasm will be in vain. We too must keep connected to our base if we are to be victorious. The devil is a wily foe and will cut us off from our supplies if he can. We need the exhortation to “cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart” (Acts 11:23) for all our supplies are in Him. He is indispensable to us, and all-sufficient for us. We cannot fail if we cleave to Him. Our business is to “yield” ourselves to God (Rom. 6:13), “cleave” to the Lord (Acts 11:23), and “walk” in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16,25). In this way we shall be “more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Rom. 8:37). By J. T. Mawson