Implications:

I saw important implications for my own life here. Just because someone is at church or coming to fellowships, etc I should not assume that everything is ok in their lives. I should be involved in their lives to see if they are troubled and need help. I need to make myself available to others who may want to talk and need help. Jesus calls us to be His Ambassadors and His servants to carry out His work here on earth. Not all are given the same gifts but when we are exhibiting FAITH: faithful, available, involved, teachable, and humble having a heart to reach out with the love of Christ, He will use us in mighty ways for His Kingdom. The people saw a change in the man and attributed it to Jesus Christ and spread the news about Jesus. The way we live our lives around others can spread the Good News of Christ too when they see how the Lord has delivered us from different captivities.

I am reminded of what Pastor Hugo shared regarding the difference Christ can make in a person's captivity and how that can impact people all around them. Pastor Hugo shared about two people from a church he knew, who would come to a fellowship Bible study but would always look for Scriptures to show the shortcomings of the other person. They had a vendetta against each other for 7 years. This was holding both of them captive to an unforgiving spirit. Yet, just as this man came to the synagogue, they continued to come to the Bible study. One day Pastor Hugo found out what had happened. Eventually, out of the blue one of the person's told the other person she had something to say and it could not wait until worship was over. She knelt down and asked the other person for forgiveness in front of everyone for the way she acted. The other person asked forgiveness too. A 7 year captivity came to an end that Pastor Hugo witnessed too. Later on, the Bible study fellowship was packed. This was all because two people reconciled their differences. Others who would never come to the Bible study noticed these two people at work and wondered that something was fishy. They knew they had tried for 7 years to reconcile them but to no avail. Now all of a sudden, they becoming friends puzzled many. So, they went to check out what had happened and realized it was JESUS CHRIST making a powerful difference in their lives delivering them from their captivity.

Don't let anyone tell you that you are only one person to make a difference because sometimes, it just takes one person's actions to impact an entire crowd. Jesus' actions delivered the man from captivity and two persons from their unforgiving spirit. Jesus can deliver you too from the captivity you are facing. Yes, He can friend!

I ask you now dear friend, what C.A.P.T.I.V.I.T.Y are you facing today in life?
Dear friend, I do not know what captivity you are facing but Jesus Christ knows. If you are held captive to unforgiving spirit, perfectionism, idolism, bitter spirit, offensive spirit, addictions, pornography,  whatever they maybe, etc, you will never have to face it alone. The captivities we face are here to destroy us and to bring our hopes and dreams down. We do not have to allow them to take control of our lives. Yes, friend whatever you face or you know someone is facing, there is hope and the hope is in Jesus.

Come daily with your captivities and lay it at the foot of the cross and allow Jesus' blood to cleanse you of all your sin and depend on Him to deliver you. He will in His timing just as the demon-possessed man was delivered.

I do not assume anymore that if someone comes to church regularly that everything is okay in their lives and they are walking and growing strong in the Lord. This can be far from the truth. Many of them can be facing silent bondage that only the Master’s Hand can heal. But the Master uses His servants’ lots of time to bring His healing. At times the healing of Jesus comes directly.

Captivities can come in many shapes and forms. They do not just have to be demon possession but they can be a bitter spirit, an offensive spirit, an unforgiving spirit, living in the past, having trouble to move on because of things that have happened, loss of hope and dreams, guilt, etc.

If we dwell in them, they will control us but the Good News is that Jesus wants to reach you where you are friend. Yes, He does! Allow Him to come and work in your life. Allow Him to be the Lord of your life.

Don’t give up but keep holding on! If you know someone who seems to be in captivity to something, what they need is your understanding and love. This does not mean the action is condoned but allowing the person to share with you and working with the person to get help.

I could not be writing this to you if the Lord Jesus did not deliver me from different types of captivities that gave me so much pain. Some pain does not go away overnight but the Lord Jesus in His love, grace, and mercy has given me the strength to endure through it all.

One of the captivities I faced was a breakup in the past. It was that situation that prompted me to read the whole Bible in 33 days and ask the Lord for wisdom to give me the right questions when I pursue a relationship since then. I made my criteria so hard knowing if it was met, it would be because the Lord Jesus alone met it for me and I would know she was the one for the marriage. 

 I praise the Lord Jesus and thank Him so much for the miracle of my marriage to my sweetie Chandraleela. She is all that I dreamed for in a wife and much much more. We are not perfect so we don't have a perfect marriage but even in our conflicts, our love grows stronger after it, as we both seek the Lord and His ways. Thank you Jesus! For a time being I was hopeless regarding marriage for different reasons but when I saw Chandraleela face-face after communicating for 2 1/2 years, I knew she was the one for me. Thank you Jesus! The Lord released me from that captivity of a breakup in the past. What made it worse was when I found out that person had married a close friend of mine. That made the feeling of being held captive to the pain worse but Jesus did not abandon me. Thank you Jesus!!!

He will not abandon you either whatever you are facing. Never give up but hold on to Jesus and you will be holding on to hope.

That broken experience was not as painful as losing my dad  but he is with the Lord in heaven. It will never be easy losing a loved one because we can be held captive to a lot of things including 'What if's' but I thank the Lord for his continuous help for our family. He can help you too!

Whatever you are dealing with, allow Jesus to heal you and believe He will. He loves you friend. He will give you the strength and endurance to deal with these captivities. Yes, He will! His Blood was shed for you and can heal you where you are. Yes, He can! Don’t give up! Jesus wants to be the Lord of your past, the Lord of your present, and the Lord of your future. As Jesus works in your life, you can be the one to bring light into someone’s life with the Light of Jesus.

The people were amazed with Jesus not only because of His teaching but because He personally got involved in people’s lives and brought healing to them. The news of what Jesus did started spreading across Galilee. If churches and individuals do that, the news will spread that something is happening there. It is not for our glory but for the glory of Christ.

Friend, the entire human race is held captive to the bondage of sin as Satan pulls the strings. It does not matter whether we are a church attendee or not. Sin holds all of us in captivity and separates us from God and having a relationship with Him. This is what happened to the man who was demon-possessed. He was held as a prisoner but Jesus rescued Him.

Friend, whatever captivity we are facing Jesus is here to rescue us. Jesus will address the root cause in all of our lives is the sin that captivates. Sin can come in many forms but still is sin. Know that Jesus loves you so much that Jesus went to the cross to die for your sins to rescue you and ransom you from its deadly destruction. Jesus shed His precious cleansing blood for you to set you free from any bondage. Jesus was buried and came back to life to save you.

His blood becomes the antidote for us to wash us and wipe our slates clean from the sin that captivates. So come and receive Christ in your life and His forgiveness. Even when you mess up, take it to Jesus always in prayer remembering the example of the man in the synagogue. He was bold enough to be in the synagogue among other believers even if he was facing captivity.

You can do that too! Don't feel you have to have everything together to come to Christ. If you wait for that day, it will never happen because none of us can be good enough ever to receive the grace of Christ. The grace of Christ is given to us while we are yet sinners. That is exciting to know. Ephesians 2 breaks it down.

Turn your captivity over to the Lord no matter what it is and rest in Him. Your regrets, shame, pain, suffering, and everything else let Jesus have it my friend and allow Him to work in you. He will friend, yes He will.

I know I have to work on overcoming an offensive spirit, bitter spirit, stubborn spirit and unforgiving spirit many times and can only do it by the awesome power of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as I yield my life to Him daily. It is a daily surrender and focusing on Christ! You can do it to friend.

"Let Him have all your worries and cares for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you!" (1 Peter 5:7, TLB)

May you know the Lord that can heal you and will heal you as you wait upon Him! May you know the strength He gives you as you depend on Him to endure through the captivity that you are facing! Amen!

“Christ's Awesome Power Truly Invokes Valid Inspiration To You!"(C.A.P.T.I.V.I.T.Y)/"What C.A.P.T.I.V.I.T.Y are you facing today in life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I want to thank you so much for the healing you performed in the man’s life. Even though you are Holy and the man was far from holy, you intervened in his life and healed him. You cared for Him in his weakness. You do that for us too. Thank you Jesus so much for what you have done and what you still do in our lives. I pray now for all those who are in captivity to different things in their life. Sometimes they feel they cannot go on and just want to give up but you Oh Lord are a God who heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. You meet us where we are and we ask you for your healing in people’s lives that need your amazing love. Help us be the vessels you want us to be to carry out your work in this broken world. May our actions bring your Light into people’s dark and aching souls! Please be the Lord of their past, present, and future. Help us to be instruments of love and heal us in our own lives please Jesus. We want you to be lifted higher and higher. Help us to be sensitive to those around us and reach them with your love Jesus. Thank you so much Jesus for your help. Thank you for your healing power, for hearing and answering us! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!