By “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and My burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30. This scripture is often discussed in sermons when pastors describe a relationship with Jesus. How do we forfeit our burdens? We repent of our sins, we stop trying to do it all in our own will power.
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” -II Corinthians 6:14
How is a believer and an unbeliever unequally yoked? An unbeliever is yoked to the world, to idolatry, to sin and unrighteousness. The yoke of sin is heavy. This scripture is referring to a marriage between a believer and an unbeliever but it is also a great way to compare what a life as a believer weighs compared to a life of an unbeliever.
Repentance relieves a heavy yoke. Taking on the yoke of Jesus can only happen if we repent of our old sinful lives. Many times throughout the epistles the disciples describe when people and their households come to believe The Good News they repented of their sins, got water baptized, then received the Holy Spirit. Same with Jesus, minus he was a man with no sin and fulfilled the law, a Yoke that no man could fulfill (Acts 15:10), in its entirety so he did not need to repent of sin. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and responded to this command that he was doing what was required by the father (Matthew 3:15).
We can’t walk in righteousness and holiness with Jesus without repenting. Jesus literally tells people they will suffer a gruesome way to perish like the Galileans whose blood was mingled with their sacrifices (Luke 13:2-3). He specifically says that their sins were not worse than the sins of other Galileans but they still perished an awful death. When we hold on to unforgiveness, anger, malice, bitterness and so many other sinful ways we are choosing to perish. Jesus says not everyone who says to Me “Lord, Lord” shall enter the kingdom…”and I will declare to them depart from me I never knew you, you who practice lawlessness!” (Luke 7:21-23)
But there is good news! When we repent and turn from our sin, we take upon the Yoke of the Lord! The Lord’s grace is abundant, yes, but that is not an excuse to continue living in sin. Romans 6 specifically says, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:1-2). We make that decision to repent and be baptized into Christ Jesus and into His death so we can also be raised from the dead and share that with our King and walk in the newness of life! (Romans 6:1-4). How powerful it is to be united together in the likeness of His death and the likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6:5)!
Don’t be a slave to your sin. Jesus tells his disciples that whoever commits sin is a slave to sin (John 8:34). He also says a slave does not abide in the house forever but a son abides forever and if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:35-36) This statement is used often with ministers in deliverance ministry because many times we believe lies that keep us bound in our sin causing us to be a slave to our sin or bound to a demonic stronghold. So repent, let go of that stronghold, because the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Hello my name is Adrianna Lindsey. I am a child of the most high God, a disciple of Jesus Christ, a wife and a mother. I devote much time to individual ministry dedicated to revealing biblical truth and helping to set the captives free. I have two wonderful young children that I try to immerse into the instructions left by Jesus for his disciples. The Lord has blessed me abundantly but it has not come without some suffering and testing for the sake of Christ. I have a house fellowship called Rivers of Life House and I supremely enjoy historical homes as I live in one as well in Sistersville, West Virginia. My future goals are to continue bringing in the harvest, equipping the army of the Lord, and helping people prepare for the return of our savior Jesus Christ.
by leaps and bounds 
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