Invisible Chains

 

 The Subtle Bondage Of Worldly “Freedom

• Isn’t it something how loud the world shouts “freedom” while it quietly tightens its grip? It’s like the loudest cry in the marketplace is the one that is selling us bondage in disguise. We live in a time that markets liberty as a commodity, freedom of choice, freedom of expression, freedom from authority, freedom to be whoever you want, love whoever you want, live however you want. But the reality is, this freedom is an illusion, and the more you chase after it, the more you realize it’s tied with invisible chains. You don’t feel those shackles at first. They’re cleverly hidden. But when your soul starts to ache, when your heart begins to bleed from the burden of all the “freedom” you were promised, that’s when you start to notice them. And by then, they’re tighter than you ever expected.

  When we look to the Hebrew language for understanding, the word for freedom dror דְּרוֹר, meaning release, flowing liberty, restoration, doesn’t signify chaos or rebellion. It’s not about “do whatever you want” and call it freedom. No, it’s a release, a liberty that comes when something is restored to its rightful place. In the Old Testament, especially in Leviticus 25, freedom is intricately connected to the concept of the Jubilee year, restoration, not revolution. It’s not a freedom that comes by tearing down the structures God has established. It’s a freedom that comes by being restored to the design He intended for us. And that's something the world seems to get backwards. It says, “Be free by breaking away from all authority.” But God’s word says, “True freedom comes only when you return to Me.”

  In the Torah, the Exodus story gives us a powerful image of freedom. The Israelis were not freed from slavery in Egypt merely to wander aimlessly. Their liberation was not the end of the story. It was the beginning of something deeper. It was about being freed to worship, to serve the God who had made them His own. In Exodus 8:1, God says, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” The Hebrew verb avad עָבַד, meaning to serve, to work, to worship." But it’s not just about labor; it’s about purpose. The opposite of slavery, in the biblical context, isn’t autonomy. It’s rightful servanthood. We’re always serving something. There’s no neutral ground in the spiritual world. You’re either a servant of Pharaoh, who promises freedom but enslaves you with his false promises, or you’re a servant of the Lord, who calls you to a freedom that is liberating and fulfilling.

  Jesus taught this truth in the New Testament when He said, “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). The Greek word for “serve” here is douleuō δουλεύω, meaning to be enslaved, to serve as a bondservant. Jesus wasn’t speaking metaphorically when He said this. He was giving us a blueprint for understanding the true nature of freedom. You’re either yoked to the world’s system, which offers temporary freedom but ultimately brings anxiety, shame, and restless striving, or you’re yoked to Him, whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light (Matthew 11:29–30). That wasn’t just a poetic expression; it was a divine declaration. The world promises freedom, but it enslaves you. Jesus offers true freedom, but it requires us to yield to Him.

  Let’s take a moment to look on the common cultural mantra: “Follow your heart.” It sounds nice, doesn’t it? But in light of Scripture, this advice falls very short. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” That’s not a condemnation, but a diagnosis. Our hearts, left unchecked, lead us astray. The Hebrew phrase anash אָנַשׁ, means incurable, frail, gravely ill. So, if the thing we are told to follow is deeply twisted, how could following it possibly lead us to freedom?

  This is the paradox of worldly “freedom.” The world tells you that you can do whatever you want, that every indulgence is a sign of liberty. But slowly, sin begins to creep in as a warden. It entices you with pleasure, only to bind you in ways you never saw coming. Over time, the things that used to prick your conscience, compromise, dishonesty, greed, no longer seem so wrong. Romans 6:16 says it plainly: “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey?” (Romans 6:16). The Greek word doulos δοῦλος, here means a bondslave, a voluntary surrender. Many don’t even realize they’ve handed themselves over to idols like money, lust, ego, or even the pursuit of personal freedom. All of this is cloaked in the guise of “being true to oneself,” but in reality, it’s self-imposed bondage.

  Jesus offers a stark contrast: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). The Greek word for “free indeed” is ontōs eleutheros ὄντως ἐλεύθερος, meaning truly, genuinely, actually free, not just in theory, not just in a passing emotional sense, but at your core. True freedom is not found in rebellion; it is found in truth. Jesus goes on to say, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). The truth is the key to true liberty, but this world is allergic to the truth. We’d rather live in a lie that feels good than embrace the truth that heals.

  The Hebrew word for truth, emet אֱמֶת, is more than mere facts; it’s something steadfast, firm, and reliable. It’s something you can build your life on because it doesn’t shift with every cultural trend or every wind of opinion. But embracing truth requires surrender, surrender of pride, of illusion, of self-deception. That’s why so many cling to chains. Chains are predictable. They don’t ask you to face the hard truth or confront the areas of your life where you’ve been wrong.

  The apostle Paul understood this deeply. He wrote to the Galatians: “You were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh” (Galatians 5:13). The Greek word for “opportunity” here is aphormē ἀφορμή, meaning a base of operations, a starting point. In other words, don’t let your freedom be a launchpad for selfish desires. That’s not freedom; that’s spiritual theft.

  The cruel trick of worldly “freedom” is that it will let you roam as far as you want, but the moment you least expect it, it snaps the leash. The enemy doesn’t force rebellion upon you; he markets it. He doesn’t drag you into sin, but instead, he paints it as enlightenment. This is exactly what happened in Genesis 3. Satan didn’t shove Eve into sin; he offered her something “better” than God’s truth. “You’ll be like God,” he said. The Hebrew phrase כֵּאלֹהִים, Elohim, meaning as God. “Like God,” was not just a temptation; it was a twisted lie wrapped in the seductive aroma of freedom.

  But it always leads to hiding. After Eve ate, she saw that she was naked, and then she hid. This is the pattern: worldly freedom leads to spiritual nakedness. When we step outside of God’s will, we lose our spiritual covering, and shame inevitably follows. Not because God is angry, but because our soul recognizes the separation. We’ve stepped outside of our true design, out of alignment with the Creator.

  And this is where the Gospel shines through with such clarity. The Good News is not just about forgiveness. It’s about emancipation. It’s about being set free from the invisible chains that have held us captive. When Paul calls himself a “bondservant of Christ” (Greek doulos Christou meaning bondslave of Messiah), he’s not confessing to another form of slavery; he’s declaring that the yoke he wears is the one that truly sets him free. It sounds paradoxical, but it’s the freedom found in surrendering to the One who is love. When you stop being driven by fear, pride, insecurity, and lust, you experience real freedom, freedom from striving, freedom to simply be who you were made to be.

  So, what is holding you back? What invisible leash are you calling “liberty”? Is it the screen you can’t stop scrolling? The validation you’re always chasing? The bitterness that feels strangely comfortable? These aren’t freedoms. These are self-imposed prisons, made from desires that are never truly satisfied. The door to that cell isn’t locked, but it feels safer than the vulnerability of surrendering to the unknown.

  But, oh, dear Reader, when you step out, when you throw yourself fully on the One who bore your chains on that cross, something shifts. You stop flinching when the enemy shakes his keys. You stop apologizing for your joy. You start walking like someone born again, for real.

  Because whom the Son sets free is truly free. Even if the world doesn’t get it. Even if you lose followers, or face rejection, or find yourself walking alone. Because it’s better to limp in the light of God’s freedom than to run in the dark of self-made chains.

  And that’s not just poetic. That’s the truth that shatters chains.

  image done by my chatgpt at my direction.

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