Luke 4:18 - "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,"

A bruise is the presence of tenderness (sensitive area) or something that reminds us of past trauma. There are many Christians who are bruised before getting saved. These are people who have a difficult and traumatic past that causes them to continue to feel crushed by physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual trauma from the past that robs them of their joy, innocence, and self-worth.

It is so traumatic that it causes a believer to be in bondage to what happens to them. They remain to think and feel bruised! At their salvation experience, they are restored and are given everything to experience joy and complete restoration. But what God has accomplished often takes time to be realized because we still depend on ourselves.

The Christian walk is all new to them. Because of the difficult past, people tend not to trust anyone anymore. Their trust in God is not yet translated into trusting man. They continue to be cautious and anxious, afraid to be victims again. They become bondage to their doubts and fears.

After receiving the freedom of Salvation, perhaps due to not knowing how to live for the Lord or to trust Him, they tend to go back to their traumatic past. They claim to love the Lord, and they are genuinely saved, but because they are bruised, it is difficult to forgive, even themselves. Praise God Jesus continuously sets us free from self-doubt and the fears from the past.

God’s children must only realize that at Calvary, when He gave His life, the power of the past bondage was destroyed when He said, “It is Finished!” We only need to claim what Jesus fulfilled for us by faith and our total dependence on the Holy Spirit to enjoy the new life He gives.

We must do this to be set free from bondage to self. Anyone can enjoy this freedom He already gave. It is because what Christ did was not only to provide us eternal life that we can enjoy forever. It includes the abundant life we can begin to enjoy today.

Conclusion

If you still find yourselves in bondage to the past, it does not mean that God has failed you. It is because you have not yet claimed the abundant life He gave. This can only be done by the living faith - the faith of Christ that enables us to keep trusting God.

The grace of salvation is not meant for us to escape this sinful and traumatic world. We are saved to manifest the gospel that through difficulties and afflictions, we can overcome and experience joy through the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.