“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.

As I sat at the hospital with my stepfather, Buddy, who is in the late stages of lung disease, I watched as he would fight the restraints they put on him.  His carbon dioxide levels had gotten so high he was confused and would pull out his IV, take off his oxygen and anything else that had him bound.  When he didn’t realize he had the restraints own, he would relax.  For instance, we put pillows under his arms as an arm rest of sorts where he couldn’t feel the pull of the restraints. Then we would put pillows around the bottom his legs as a type of wall because he couldn’t physically lift his leg up and over the pillows to get out of bed.  Please don’t misunderstand, he would get frustrated at not being able to lift his leg up over the “wall” but we would talk to him and he would relax for a minute.  I am thankful to God that we no longer have to restrain him at all.  This was only for a matter of hours on Sunday until they got his medications regulated.

All I could think about while watching this bondage was all of God’s children who are in the bondage of religion.  They don’t feel the restraints as long as the pillow comforts them; as long as it keeps them lifted up enough to not feel the pull of the bondage.  However, if the pillow is ever removed or if they ever decide to fight the restraints, the restraints get tighter and tighter.  The harder you pull, the tighter they get.  All of this in an attempt to keep one aligned to rules and regulations according to the restraints purposes.  As the fight against the restraints escalates, the restraints will always win unless they are released.  The walls are built but we can’t physically get over the walls until they come down.

“This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put My Laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;” Hebrews 10:16. 
It is only when the heart of an individual is changed that the yoke of religion is broken.  In our flesh we tend to trust the restraints, the yoke of our religion, instead of trusting totally and completely in Jesus Christ.  We trust that heavy yoke and are praised of men for keeping the religious rules and regulations.  All of the while, never realizing the praise of men is the pillow that keeps us from feeling the pull of the restraints.

Putting our faith in these heavy yokes to keep us spiritually aligned to these rules and regulations according to man’s laws is a sin, it is spiritual adultery.  It is only when our faith is in Jesus and what He did on Calvary’s Cross that the Holy Spirit is commissioned to come into our hearts and dethrone the sin nature that keeps the pillows fluffed so we don’t feel the restraints.  Because of our faith in Jesus, Who He is and what HE has done, the Holy Spirit circumcises our heart and we become a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17).

“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Romans 2:29.

Ask the Lord to show you the pillow that is hindering you from feeling the heavy yoke of religion.  Discern the praises of men. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.  For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.” Galatians 5:1-3.

Please say a prayer for my stepfather as well.  Spiritually, his yoke easy and he is whole.  Physically, we are still looking to God for a miracle and have no doubt that our Lord is able.

God bless,

-Donna Clark Warren