How We Come Under Bondage

The Subtle Chains: How We Come Under Bondage

Series: Bondage Breaker Galatians 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Romans 6:16 “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

Theme Verse: John 8:36 – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Introduction – Freedom is Your Birthright

“You can be forgiven but not free. You can be sitting in church yet bound in your mind, emotions, or habits. Today, the Holy Spirit is exposing subtle chains so they can be broken.”

Bondage is not just a moral problem — it’s a spiritual condition that requires the power of the Holy Spirit to break.

I. Bondage Begins with an Open Door

Romans 6:16 “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

James 1:14–15 “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;”

A. How the Enemy Gains Access:

Compromise — little sins tolerated become chains tolerated.

Believed Lies — wrong thinking produces wrong living

Genesis 3:1–6 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

Unhealed Wounds — pain and trauma left in the dark become strongholds.

B. The devil rarely storms the front door — he slips in through cracks in obedience.

C. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal every open door in your life and write them down — because what you name can be renounced.

II. Bondage is Sustained by the Flesh but Broken by the Spirit

Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

Isaiah 10:27 “And in that day his burden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.””

A. The Flesh Keeps Chains in Place:

The flesh in Scripture (Greek sarx) refers to our human nature apart from God’s Spirit — our own thoughts, willpower, emotions, and desires operating without divine help.

When we try to fix a spiritual problem in the flesh, we’re fighting with limited human strength, and we often end up managing or hiding the problem rather than removing it.

Willpower fights symptoms:

Willpower can produce temporary behavior change, but it doesn’t remove the spiritual influence, The inner wound, or the lie that’s feeding the bondage.

the Spirit strikes the root.

The Holy Spirit goes beyond behavior and addresses the root — whether that’s a lie believed, an unhealed wound, or a demonic foothold.

He convicts (John 16:8), heals the heart (Luke 4:18), renews the mind (Romans 12:2), and fills the empty space so the bondage doesn’t return (Matthew 12:43–45).

This is why Isaiah 10:27 says, “The yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing” — the Spirit’s presence doesn’t just manage bondage, it destroys it.

B. Spiritual Warfare Reality:

Strongholds are not just bad habits — they are fortified places in your mind and heart where the enemy hides.

Any sin or disobedience tolerated is permission for the enemy to set up a strong hold.

C. Holy Spirit’s Role:

Convicts to expose chains.

Empowers to break them.

Fills the empty places so bondage doesn’t return

Matthew 12:43–45 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

Stop fighting bondage in the natural — invite the Holy Spirit’s power to confront and destroy it.

III. Freedom Must Be Guarded

Galatians 5:1

John 8:31–32

Ephesians 6:10–11

Freedom Is Your Inheritance, But It’s Not Automatic: Paul says, “Stand firm” — meaning, refuse to give the enemy the ground you’ve regained.

Guarding Freedom Requires:

Renewed Mind — feeding on the truth daily (John 8:32).

Spirit-led Living — walking in step with the Spirit keeps the flesh from dominating.

Spiritual Covering — accountability and community protect you from drifting back.

Prophetic Call: Don’t just get free — learn to stay free.

Conclusion – The Call to the Altar

You don’t break subtle chains by accident — you break them through repentance, renunciation, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Invitation: “If the Spirit is revealing an open door, a lie, or a wound today, come forward. We’re not just going to pray about freedom — we’re going to declare it and walk in it.”