Sean Petty was new to Charlotte, North Carolina. He had
recently been given a promotion by the insurance company that he worked for.
During his first month there, Sean struggled in meeting new
friends. The people in his office were either married with families, in another
age bracket, or both. He wanted a companion and decided to get a dog. Though Sean
came from a well-off family and did well for himself on his own, he had no
desire to go and buy a dog.
After asking around in the office and in his apartment building,
Sean was directed to the Humane Society on Toomey Avenue. When Sean arrived, he
was specific in what it is he was looking for in his new companion. Sean wanted
a dog that was deeply troubled, abused, and undesirable by others. He wanted a
dog that needed to be rehabilitated and retaught to trust in its handler.
Amy was the assistant at the establishment and new of the
perfect dog. She passed the animals that were barking and perky and proceeded
to the last cage. When she and Sean reached it, there were no sounds coming
from the cage, only silence. The dog layed at the back of the cage as if it
were afraid. It was a beautiful blue Pitbull. Sean saw the dog’s eyes and fell
in love instantly. Amy felt compelled to admonish Sean of the dog’s history before
he was to consider adopting it.
Amy went on to tell Sean that the dog had been forced to fight
in its past. The owner had several dogs that had been forced to do the same,
but this particular dog managed to stay alive long enough to be rescued. She
added that when they initially received the dog, it was expectantly aggressive
and had difficulty trusting humans. The dog’s story seemed to please Sean even
more.
Sean completed all of the papers and got the dog loaded into
his SUV. Sean realized that he had yet to give the dog a name. Because of the
dog’s background and gender, Sean decided to call his new companion Rocky…
When Sean got Rocky home, he could tell that he had a long
way to go with Rocky. Rocky sat in his cage all day and refused to exit it. Sean
did everything imaginable to get him out, but to no avail. Toys didn’t work and
neither did doggie treats. Sean had yet to even pet the dog.
A couple of weeks later, Rocky came to the edge of the cage
to grab a toy left at the entrance. Sean heard the funny little noise that the
toy makes as he washed dishes in the kitchen and was pleased. Sean was
motivated by the progress, as minuscule as it was.
Weeks later, Sean achieved another breakthrough. Rocky would
now get excited when Sean approached his cage with a doggie treat. Rocky even stood with his mouth open and tongue out, wagging his tail thunderously
against the cage as Sean would approach. Prior to this breakthrough, Rocky would simply retreat to the
back of his cage and curl up upon Sean’s approach. At this point, Rocky actually allowed Sean to touch him through the square holes of his cage now.
About 2 ½ months after the adoption, Sean came home to a
pleasant surprise. As he entered the house from the garage, Rocky was sitting
in wait outside of his cage. As Sean approached him, the dog shyly went to a
lying position with his eyes closed. Rocky began to lightly whimper as Sean
cautiously approached. Sean softly touched Rocky, caressing him with sincerity,
love, and hope. The bond had now been set. Sean released tears of joy and said
to Rocky, “I’ll never allow anything or anybody to imprison or hurt you again.
You are with me now, and I am going to love and protect you!”
Brothers and sisters, GOD has given me this story to iterate this
message. We are much like Rocky. We are born into a world of bondage and imprisonment.
We have seen and experienced the ugly the world has to offer and have felt the
gravity and restraint of its bars. We have become so accustomed to being
oppressed by the world, its sin, and its restraint, that we have accepted it as
our norm. We have yielded to its conditions and lost hope of a day free from
the world’s cage. The enemy has deceived us into accepting this fate. We are
imprisoned in the flesh and in our minds. That is, Satan has successfully created a prison
for us that exist only in our minds. Much like Rocky, this results in us being ‘handled by the world instead of us placing
ourselves in the hands of our handler!’
This day, I want each of my brothers and sisters to know that
the devil is a liar! We are no longer imprisoned by the restraints of the world.
Satan had to release us to the care of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when He
died on the cross at Calvary and rose on the 3rd day. If you are in
the world’s prison today, it’s because you chose to be there. It’s a figment of
your imagination. The walls and bars that keep you there are there because you
say they are. You won’t leave the world behind because you don’t know what it
feels like to be free. You can choose to be in the hands of the Almighty handler,
or you can choose to be remanded to something that no longer exists. I feel
free today! I feel loved today! I feel victorious today! My handler says that I
am protected today! I don’t care where you are right now when you’re reading this;
say it out loud in a mighty way: “I AM FREE TODAY!” Hallelujah!!! (Skin
crawling)
In closing I say to you… The cage around us is a figment of
the imagination that the enemy uses to pounce upon our faith and diminish our
hope. I urge you to step forward in the name of our handler. The price has been
paid and the Lord has set you free. Trust Him. Submit to Him. Treat yourself to
the unwavering love of our Heavenly Father. Step out of the world that is your
prison and into His love! I proclaim today on behalf of you all, institutionalization
will no longer be a part of your mindset.
Today’s
Beacon of Light Scriptures: Galatians
5:1 and John 8:34-36
5 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to
you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Today’s Prayer:
Heavenly Father, give us wisdom to detect Satan’s
deceit and see the world for what it truly is. Father we accept Your hand that
removes us from the enemy’s bondage and cruelty towards us. Renew us today in You.
Be the winds beneath our wings as we flee our worldly prisons and ascend to
greater heights and freedom in Your love. In Jesus name, Amen…
