Imagine a believer—head bowed, hands clenched, tears streaking down their face—pleading at the altar for the tenth time to have some “yoke” broken. The preacher’s voice booms, “The anointing breaks the yoke!” The crowd cheers, the music swells, and the air thickens with desperation. But here’s the gut punch: “What if the real bondage isn’t the yoke they’re weeping over, but the lie they’ve been fed?” What if they’re already free—and no one told them?
I’m tired of it. Tired of ministers butchering verses like Isaiah 10:27, twisting a promise of deliverance into a never-ending cycle of spiritual begging. Tired of seeing Christians live in defeat, brokenness clinging to them like damp rot, because unqualified voices behind pulpits peddle half-truths to fill pews and their own stomachs. The enemy’s having a field day, and it’s time we stopped letting him win.
The Truth: Christ Broke the Yoke
Let’s get this straight—scripture doesn’t stutter. “For freedom Christ has set us free,” Paul declares in Galatians 5:1. “Stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Romans 8:2 nails it: “The law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Jesus Himself says, “If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed” (John 8:36). That’s not a maybe, not a “someday”—it’s done. On the cross, the Anointed One—the Christ—shattered the yoke of sin, death, and the law’s curse (Colossians 2:14-15). The “anointing” of Isaiah 10:27? It’s fulfilled in Him, not in some emotional altar call.
Back then, Israel groaned under Assyria’s boot—a literal yoke of oppression. God promised relief, and He delivered. But Christ took it further. He didn’t just break a political chain; He demolished the root of all bondage. If you’re in Him, the Holy Spirit seals that freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17). The enemy’s got nothing left but lies—and he’s banking on you not knowing it.
The Lie: Pulpit-Born Bondage
So why are Christians still shuffling to the front, week after week, begging for a breakthrough they already have? Because too many pulpits are peddling bondage dressed up as hope. Isaiah 10:27 gets yanked out of context—Assyria’s long gone, but now it’s your debt, your anxiety, your “generational curse” that needs breaking. Preachers shout it, congregations lap it up, and the truth gets buried. They’re not teaching liberty—they’re selling shackles. “Worse, by submitting to this, believers fall into the devil’s scheme—discrediting what God wrought through Christ, spitting on the redemption bought with blood.”
It’s negligence at best, greed at worst. Paul warned of “teachers to suit their own passions” (2 Timothy 4:3), men who “imagine that godliness is a means of gain” (1 Timothy 6:5). When a minister’s more interested in a packed house than a freed people, they lean on drama—“yoke-breaking” moments, endless deliverance prayers—anything to keep you coming back. The result? A church full of heirs acting like beggars, blind to their inheritance (Romans 8:17). The enemy doesn’t need to chain you when ignorance does it for him.
The Shackles Fall: You’re Already Free
Here’s the eye-opener: If Christ broke the yoke, you’re not wearing it. Life’s got battles—Paul took his share of beatings (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)—but they’re not bondage. They’re fights you wage from victory, not for it (1 Corinthians 15:57). Guilt? Nailed to the cross (Romans 8:1). Fear? Crushed by perfect love (1 John 4:18). “Curses”? Christ became the curse for you (Galatians 3:13). Jesus didn’t offer a heavier yoke—He called His “easy” and His burden “light” (Matthew 11:30).
Stop begging. Start standing. “Take up the whole armor of God,” Paul says, “that you may be able to withstand… and having done all, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:13). Know the Word—test every sermon against it. Claim what’s yours—freedom isn’t a feeling, it’s a fact. The enemy’s trembling because a church that knows its liberty is a force he can’t stop.
The Challenge: Reject the Lie
Next time you hear “the anointing breaks the yoke” tossed around like a spiritual cure-all, ask: “What yoke?” Christ’s work is finished (John 19:30). The shackles aren’t yours—they’re relics of a lie, relayed by ignorance and negligence. “Every time you buy that lie, you’re handing the enemy a win, trampling the cross underfoot.” Quit running to altars for what the cross already gave you. Demand better from the pulpit. And live like the free man or woman you are.
The enemy’s had his run. Let’s end it.
Thank you, Bob.
Another strong message exposing the blunt reality of church leadership mishandling doctrines, practices, and the souls of precious saints. Your sense of frustration does not go unnoticed. I share your sentiment, wherein you said: “I’m tired of it. Tired of ministers butchering the verses, twisting a promise of deliverance, seeing Christians live in defeat and brokenness. And yes, the enemy is having a field day as ministers allow the enemy to win and win.
No wonder we ask why believers shuffle to the altar, week after week, looking for a breakthrough they already have. The full force of your message resonates, centering on sanctification, the battleground where believers engage to grasp the victory already won. But the victory is not promised to the “unprepared,” but to those “established in truth,” having put on the full armor of God (Colossians 2:6-7; Ephesians 6:10–18).
The Bible teaches that once a genuine believer professes saving faith in Christ, they bring into balance two opposing truths. The first truth is that salvation is God’s “sovereign work” from beginning to end; and the second is God’s will for believers to “work out their salvation” with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13).
The “working out” is our responsibility to lay hold on eternal life (1 Timothy 6:12; Colossians 1:27). The balance between these two “inseparable truths” is most often lost in the fray of doctrinal disputes and practices within the church, especially when ministers fail discerning the “work of God” from our obligation to “do the will of God.” Though many churches are apostate, some would be faithful, as implied in Revelation 2 and 3.
Said another way, believers have a role to play in salvation. We dare not sit idly by and reason we can ride the golden chariot to heaven without putting forth an effort. Indeed, we are to count the cost. “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (1 Peter 4:18)
As with your last post, there is much to unpack. This comment agrees with your article with only a few thoughts shared.
In review, the first truth is that salvation is God’s “sovereign work” from beginning to end (Job 42:2. Isaiah 25:8-9); and the second truth is that God’s “perfect will” for believers is to “work out their salvation… and endure to the end.” (Philippians 2:12-13; 2 Peter 2:10; Hebrews 6:11-12).
Again, thank you for the opportunity to lightly unpack and explore the importance of this article. It carries a strong message encouraging the reading audience to revisit key doctrines that define victory as more than just believing we are free, but free from all bondage to walk worthy of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2).
In Christ
Jim
Hi Jim,
Thank you for your heartfelt and insightful response. I deeply appreciate your affirmation and the way you’ve unpacked the tension between God’s sovereign work in salvation and our call to actively “work out” that salvation (Philippians 2:12-13). Your emphasis on the balance of these truths hits the nail on the head—too often, this harmony is lost in doctrinal disputes or misapplied practices, leaving believers unprepared for the battle of sanctification.
I resonate with your point about believers not sitting idly by, expecting victory without effort. The scriptures you referenced, like 1 Peter 4:18 and Ephesians 6:10–18, remind us that the “full armor of God” and a life “established in truth” are non-negotiable for claiming the victory Christ has won. Your call to “count the cost” and walk worthy of our high calling (Romans 8:2) is a sobering and necessary challenge for the church today.
Thanks again for engaging so thoughtfully and adding such rich perspective. Let’s keep pointing believers to the truth that freedom in Christ is both a gift received and a life pursued with diligence.
In Christ,
Bob