God’s grip on us is stronger than the tendrils of the world. I was listening to a song the other day called “Control”, by Tenth Avenue North. The lyrics of the bridge said,
As I sat in the car listening to these lyrics, they came alive and I found my heart declaring, “Yes, the King of Heaven wants me, and He loves me. This world has no grip on me.” It encouraged me as I thought about people being clothed with true identity in Christ, bursting out of the world’s headlock, and leaning instead into God’s love.
How does the world grip us? Sometimes it is a sudden attack, sometimes a more subtle, insidious hold, sometimes a seemingly sweet caress. Whatever its scheme, we know that God has victory over it. We need only walk into His truth and know Him.
2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 26 says that those who know the truth will, “… come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
We have escape from anxiety, from fear, from expectation, and from death itself. The world can try to grip us, but it will fail because in Christ, we are forever set free.
The world can grip us with its worry.
So many people in our world are anxious and depressed. There are stresses in school, university, work, home, health and every aspect of life. We are worried by appearance, worried about career, worried about what others think of us, worried we will be late to dinner because lunch went on for too long; the list is endless.
God, however, tells us simply to submit all our worries to Him. 1 Peter chapter 5, verses 5-6 say, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
Though the world tries to grip us with its worry, we are set free in knowing that God cares for us, and carries our anxieties.
The world can grip us with its expectation.
The cycle of life goes ever too quickly; from playtime to kindy, school, uni, work, marriage, kids, house, retirement and finally, death. The world tells us we are meant to achieve certain milestones, do certain things, behave in a certain way. Sometimes we don’t measure up to the world’s expectations to be happy, successful and tick off the typical milestones of life. People are caught up with depression, failure, trying to find a spouse, difficulty with infertility, wanting something they don’t have. All these are expectations the world places on us.
God knows our desires. Psalm chapter 37, verses 4-5 says,
The world with its expectations loses its grip on us when we delight in the Lord. He knows all our deep desires because He planted them in there Himself. He knows the way to fulfil them, and He tells us to find our delight in Him. God is the only One who can lead us into fulfilment; to satisfy every desire, to make all things come to pass in His good timing, for our good, and in His love. We can trust Him to surpass our expectations with His.
The world can grip us with its pleasure.
People love fun, food, company and pleasure. Glossy magazines show us the latest fashion trends, and advertise the best travel destinations continuously. Instagram and Facebook tag happiness and fun in their public snaps. People are planning for the next celebration, looking forward to the next dinner party, the next meal. We can get caught up in chasing pleasure, but God has something greater for us: contentment in Him.
King Solomon, reflecting on pleasure in the book of Ecclesiastes, says this:
“I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity.” (Ecclesiastes chapter 2, verse 1)
When we find ourselves unsatisfied with the pleasures of this world, we can find true contentment in the arms of our Father God. His love satisfies better than all the treasures of the earth. His wonder is more captivating than anything else we could ever experience.
I am so thankful that God has me in His hands. I know that nothing can separate me from His love. I know that nothing can tear me away from Him. Galatians chapter 5, verse 1 says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
God wants us, and it changes everything. We no longer have to be slaves to worry, to expectation or to pleasure. Instead, we are free to be who He has called us to be, free to be loved by Him, free to find peace in Him. The King of Heaven wants us, and we are His.
Kristen is a family doctor, and author of the e-book ‘An Internship with Jesus’. She lives with her husband in Adelaide and writes a weekly blog (lostnowfoundk) on life with God. Her second blog, Lily of the Valleys, aims to share her love for Jesus through music and art.
Kristen is a family doctor who loves music, writing and anything artsy. She enjoys seeing God’s handiwork in the intricacies and beauty of nature, and lives with her husband and two young children in South Australia. See Kristen’s other articles at:https://lostnowfoundk.com/an-internship-with-jesus-ebook-christian-today-articles/and https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/kristen-dang.html
