GOD'S GUIDANCE

THE BALL AND CHAIN RELEASE

It is common practice in slave trade to chain slaves to restrict and monitor their movements. It has been said that long ago slaves were chained to rocky- shaped balls and hence could move as far as the ball permitted the chain, thus the saying - 'being released on ball and chain', depicting any controlling factor. God's word serves as a yardstick for us.It lays out for us the limits in life, and teaches us which way to go. Unlike slaves who have no liberty,we in Christ Jesus have great liberty. This is because we follow God's word ( Psalm 119 : 45), and also because we reside in the presence of the Holy Spirit - for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty ( 2 Corinthians 3: 17)

In this evil world where we have found ourselves , wrong is mostly exalted, and evil ways are at times applauded. God's ways often times are considered boring and prudish. We are in a free world, but not every path available to us must be walked on. To know where to go,or how far we can go with various things, we need to make a reference to God's Word, for it serves as the ball that tells the safety of any distance walked; The ball that designates safe and unsafe paths, and warns of steps that will lead to downfalls or doom. The Psalmist said of God's word: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path - Psalm 119: 105. We need God's word to show us the way we must walk in ,to avoid being devoured by the enemy. David cried out in Psalm 27:11 - Teach me thy way O Lord, and lead me in a plain path because of my enemies. Psalm 119 : 133 reads - order my steps in thy word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. The liberty we have in God is the liberty His Word and Spirit has marked out for us. We are at liberty as long as we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8: 13 - 14 reads - 'For if ye live after the flesh , ye shall die. But if ye through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.'

There is a way that seems right unto man, but the end of it is death-Proverbs 16:25. In this life, we are continually faced with making decisions. Our daily decisions can make or mar us. In order to choose the right paths and make the correct decisions, we must allow the Holy Spirit to play His role as the guide in our lives. The ball was a guide to slaves as it subtly told how far to go, or where to actually walk in. The death described in the above scriptures : Romans 8 :13 and Proverbs 16:25 is not death in the physical sense, but literally it means a place of condemnation, error, doom and/or anywhere sinful actions can lead us. Slaves needed the guidance the ball gave, we as Christians imperatively need the leadings of God's Word and the Holy Spirit. As freed slaves of sin, we in Christ Jesus however must continue to be tied to God's word and be sensitive to the leadings and teachings of the Holy Spirit in order to be released to the right places and unto Godly things.