'When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah,"' (NIV)
Matt 16:19
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Sometimes we are gripped, like Zechariah, by fear, or despair, or any negative force, and it has the power to immobilise us.In the story, 'Pilgrim's Progress' by John Bunyan, Christian and his friend find themselves imprisoned by Giant Despair. After praying, they come to the realisation that the key of promise, which Christian carries, will unlock the door to their prison, and sure enough, it does.
Our way out is often just the realisation that we do not have to stay in that place, and the keys were in our pocket all the time.
Here's another quote, from John's gospel this time (John 8:31,32 NKJV):
Jesus said, "If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
If anyone is interested in seeing a young Liam Neeson in this (very old) film of Pilgrim's progress, go to 4 minutes 20 seconds in!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hO4PKC4G2A
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