April 12th, 2026
by Rev. Kevin C Benton
by Rev. Kevin C Benton
From Chains to Choices: Walking in the Freedom Christ Won for You
The prison door stands wide open. The chains lie broken on the ground. Yet somehow, many of us remain inside, staring at freedom from behind invisible bars. Why do we stay trapped when liberation has already been purchased?
This is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian life: freedom has been won, but it's not always walked in.
The Freedom That's Already Yours
When Jesus declared "It is finished" from the cross, He wasn't talking about His life ending. He was proclaiming your freedom beginning. Past tense. Completed. Done. The resurrection didn't just prove He conquered death—it shattered every chain that held you captive.
Galatians 5:1 puts it plainly: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."
Notice the tension in that single verse. Christ has already made you free—past tense, accomplished fact. But you must stand in that liberty—present tense, daily choice. There's a real danger of becoming entangled again, of walking back into the prison cell even though the door remains open.
Think about the slaves in Texas who remained in bondage for a full year after the Emancipation Proclamation because they hadn't received the memo. They were legally free but practically enslaved. Many believers live this way today—free in Christ but still living with slave habits, slave thinking, and slave choices.
You Don't Have a Sin Problem
Here's a truth that might sting: If you're a follower of Jesus, you don't have a sin problem. You have a lordship problem. You have a choice problem.
Before Christ, sin had dominion over you. You had to obey it. In Christ, sin has no power over you. When you sin now, you're choosing it. You're presenting your body to it. You're opening the door and inviting it back in.
Romans 6:11-14 instructs us to reckon ourselves dead to sin but alive to God. The word "reckon" means to take inventory, to count, to number. It's time to change how you think about sin, how you see yourself, and what you count as important.
The passage continues with a command: "Do not let sin reign in your mortal body." You are not powerless. You have a say. Your body and mind are not on autopilot, programmed to sin. You can present your members as instruments of righteousness instead.
Who Is King of This Situation?
When temptation comes—and it will come—ask yourself one clarifying question: Who is the king of this situation? Jesus or my flesh?
That lie you want to tell—who's king?
That person you shouldn't be with—who's king?
That substance you're craving—who's king?
That bitterness you keep rehearsing in your mind—who's king?
The answer determines your choice. And here's the hard truth: if you choose your flesh over Jesus, He won't stop you. He'll let you walk down that road. Freedom means you get to choose, but choices have consequences.
You Don't Owe Your Flesh Anything
Romans 8:12-13 declares a liberating truth: "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
You are not a debtor to your flesh. You don't owe that addiction another yes. You don't owe that bitterness another rehearsal. You don't owe that habit another indulgence.
Stop letting things rent space in your mind. Stop giving pieces of your mind away to people and situations that don't deserve them. You need all the pieces you've got.
Instead, recognize what you are a debtor to: grace. Undeserved, unmerited favor. Grace doesn't give you a license to sin; it gives you access back to the Father when you fall. Grace means when you mess up, you run to your Father, not from Him.
Slave Mindset vs. Son and Daughter Mindset
The difference between bondage and freedom often comes down to mindset. A slave mindset says things like:
The resurrection doesn't make you a better slave. It makes you a new creation. Old things have passed away; all things have become new.
Three Steps to Stop Living Like a Slave
First, change your agreement. Change the way you think and talk. Stop saying "I'll always struggle with this" and start saying "In Christ, I might be tempted, but I'm not owned by this." Don't say "That's just who I am." Say "That's who I was. Now I'm a new creation."
When you feel like a slave, remind yourself: "I feel like a slave, but the Word says I'm a son and daughter, and I choose to side with the Word."
Second, change your presentation. If your phone drags you into sin, change when, where, and how you use it. If certain people are always connected to your sin, you need new company. If late nights are always bad nights, change your schedule. Free people make free choices with their bodies, their eyes, their time, and their relationships.
Third, change your dependence. Be led by the Spirit. What does that mean practically? It means asking the Holy Spirit for help before you act. "Holy Spirit, help me make this choice like a son or daughter of the King." When temptation hits, pray immediately: "Holy Spirit, strengthen me right now. I belong to Jesus."
Rip Off the Old Label
Maybe you've been wearing a label: addict, failure, divorced, angry person, unlovable, black sheep. Today, rip it off. Replace it with God's labels: loved, chosen, righteous in Christ, new creation, heir of God.
Your freedom was won at Calvary. The prison door is open. The chains are broken. The only question that remains is: Will you walk out?
You don't owe your past anything. You are a child of God. By His grace, choose freedom. Choose obedience. Choose life.
The prison door stands wide open. The chains lie broken on the ground. Yet somehow, many of us remain inside, staring at freedom from behind invisible bars. Why do we stay trapped when liberation has already been purchased?
This is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian life: freedom has been won, but it's not always walked in.
The Freedom That's Already Yours
When Jesus declared "It is finished" from the cross, He wasn't talking about His life ending. He was proclaiming your freedom beginning. Past tense. Completed. Done. The resurrection didn't just prove He conquered death—it shattered every chain that held you captive.
Galatians 5:1 puts it plainly: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."
Notice the tension in that single verse. Christ has already made you free—past tense, accomplished fact. But you must stand in that liberty—present tense, daily choice. There's a real danger of becoming entangled again, of walking back into the prison cell even though the door remains open.
Think about the slaves in Texas who remained in bondage for a full year after the Emancipation Proclamation because they hadn't received the memo. They were legally free but practically enslaved. Many believers live this way today—free in Christ but still living with slave habits, slave thinking, and slave choices.
You Don't Have a Sin Problem
Here's a truth that might sting: If you're a follower of Jesus, you don't have a sin problem. You have a lordship problem. You have a choice problem.
Before Christ, sin had dominion over you. You had to obey it. In Christ, sin has no power over you. When you sin now, you're choosing it. You're presenting your body to it. You're opening the door and inviting it back in.
Romans 6:11-14 instructs us to reckon ourselves dead to sin but alive to God. The word "reckon" means to take inventory, to count, to number. It's time to change how you think about sin, how you see yourself, and what you count as important.
The passage continues with a command: "Do not let sin reign in your mortal body." You are not powerless. You have a say. Your body and mind are not on autopilot, programmed to sin. You can present your members as instruments of righteousness instead.
Who Is King of This Situation?
When temptation comes—and it will come—ask yourself one clarifying question: Who is the king of this situation? Jesus or my flesh?
That lie you want to tell—who's king?
That person you shouldn't be with—who's king?
That substance you're craving—who's king?
That bitterness you keep rehearsing in your mind—who's king?
The answer determines your choice. And here's the hard truth: if you choose your flesh over Jesus, He won't stop you. He'll let you walk down that road. Freedom means you get to choose, but choices have consequences.
You Don't Owe Your Flesh Anything
Romans 8:12-13 declares a liberating truth: "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
You are not a debtor to your flesh. You don't owe that addiction another yes. You don't owe that bitterness another rehearsal. You don't owe that habit another indulgence.
Stop letting things rent space in your mind. Stop giving pieces of your mind away to people and situations that don't deserve them. You need all the pieces you've got.
Instead, recognize what you are a debtor to: grace. Undeserved, unmerited favor. Grace doesn't give you a license to sin; it gives you access back to the Father when you fall. Grace means when you mess up, you run to your Father, not from Him.
Slave Mindset vs. Son and Daughter Mindset
The difference between bondage and freedom often comes down to mindset. A slave mindset says things like:
- "I'll never change"
- "I'm just like this"
- "God is always disappointed in me"
- "I have to earn His love by doing better"
- "If I mess up, I'm out"
- "I am loved before I perform"
- "When I fall, I run to my Father, not from Him"
- "My identity is settled at the cross, not in my last failure"
- "I obey because I'm loved, not to get loved"
The resurrection doesn't make you a better slave. It makes you a new creation. Old things have passed away; all things have become new.
Three Steps to Stop Living Like a Slave
First, change your agreement. Change the way you think and talk. Stop saying "I'll always struggle with this" and start saying "In Christ, I might be tempted, but I'm not owned by this." Don't say "That's just who I am." Say "That's who I was. Now I'm a new creation."
When you feel like a slave, remind yourself: "I feel like a slave, but the Word says I'm a son and daughter, and I choose to side with the Word."
Second, change your presentation. If your phone drags you into sin, change when, where, and how you use it. If certain people are always connected to your sin, you need new company. If late nights are always bad nights, change your schedule. Free people make free choices with their bodies, their eyes, their time, and their relationships.
Third, change your dependence. Be led by the Spirit. What does that mean practically? It means asking the Holy Spirit for help before you act. "Holy Spirit, help me make this choice like a son or daughter of the King." When temptation hits, pray immediately: "Holy Spirit, strengthen me right now. I belong to Jesus."
Rip Off the Old Label
Maybe you've been wearing a label: addict, failure, divorced, angry person, unlovable, black sheep. Today, rip it off. Replace it with God's labels: loved, chosen, righteous in Christ, new creation, heir of God.
Your freedom was won at Calvary. The prison door is open. The chains are broken. The only question that remains is: Will you walk out?
You don't owe your past anything. You are a child of God. By His grace, choose freedom. Choose obedience. Choose life.
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