Last week at fpStudents: High School student services we wrapped up a series called “Stockholm Syndrome.” This is the phenomenon that occurs when a hostage or kidnap victim develops feelings of compassion, trust or even love towards their captors. While this syndrome sounds absolutely ridiculous, we all experience various forms of Stockholm Syndrome every day.

Romans 7:14-15 tells us that, “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

We all experience slavery in a very real way. From birth we are controlled by our sinful nature, and even when you turn your life over to Christ, there is a deep emotional connection that we all feel towards sin.  Inevitably, we do what we do not want to do…sin holds us in emotional bondage. 

In addition to this emotional link we all share with sin, we choose to remain enslaved when we continually believe the broken promises of sin.  Sin promises us pleasure but delivers pain, promises power but delivers weakness, and promises freedom but repeatedly delivers slavery.

This control must stop.  This is not who we should be. We were not created to live in Stockholm Syndrome.

According to Romans 3:21-23, “…a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Avoiding sin will not deliver us from its control. Achieving goodness will not overshadow it. The only way we can defeat the power of sin in our lives is to respond in faith to Jesus Christ.

I don’t know how you came to read this today. No clue what your past 24 hours has looked like. But I can tell you this: Jesus came to set you free, and He will never break His promises.  If you feel the burden of Stockholm Syndrome in your life, hand it over to Him. 

If you’d like help in understanding what following Christ is all about, please contact Faith Promise. We’d love to walk with you on this amazing journey.