I don’t know if you’ve ever felt stuck before. I know I have. Stuck in a meeting that was going on way too long. Stuck in a conversation that took a weird turn. Stuck in traffic. These are very trivial examples of being stuck but many of us understand what it feels like being truly STUCK! Stuck in an addiction. Stuck in a toxic relationship or workplace. Stuck in grief, anxiety or depression. Stuck in fear and insecurity. I could go on and on. Being stuck hinders your growth and progress. Being stuck keeps you stagnant. Being stuck weighs you down.

Peter faced this reality in Acts 12 when he was thrown in prison. King Herod was against Christianity and wanted to make it very clear. He put to death James for proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and when the Jews approved this, he decided to throw Peter into prison, intending to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. Interestingly, Peter was not thrown into prison for committing a crime but for proclaiming good news. Most of us might not fully understand what it feels like to be in an actual prison but we might know the torture of being in a mental or emotional prison. A prison where you are shackled by shame, insecurity, trauma or cycles of bad habits. A prison that feels impossible to get out of. Like Peter, it feels like all you can do is stay in chains and behind bars, waiting for whatever comes next. If this is your reality right now, this post is for you.

Spoiler alert: Peter gets out of prison! However, the process of Peter moving from bound to free was very interesting and I believe we can draw a few pointers that may help us walk out of the prisons we are in. I call them the Footsteps to Freedom.

1. The intercession of other believers

Acts 12:5 NIV points out that while Peter was kept in prison, the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The word earnestly also means intently, fervently and without ceasing. Peter might have been stuck in prison but the others believers were not. Instead of spending their time worrying about Peter’s circumstances, they instead chose to present their worries to God on Peter’s behalf. That is why it is so important as a Christian to be plugged into Godly community. Jesus himself didn’t do life alone. He had his close friends (including Peter) walking with Him throughout His ministry on earth. In some of my darkest moments in life, some where I struggled to pray, I was very grateful that my friends kept interceding for me. James 5:16 NIV encourages us to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other. It goes on to say that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. The New Living Translation says that the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. If you feel stuck in a prison right now, consider opening up to a brother or sister in Christ and ask them to pray with you for freedom.

2. Supernatural help

Peter was heavily guarded in that prison. Not only were there guards at the entrance but he was also sleeping, bound in chains between two soldiers (Acts 12:6 NIV). An angel of the Lord appeared suddenly, struck Peter on the side, woke him up and then the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. This was a seemingly impossible situation that required divine intervention. Peter was in prison, chained and heavily guarded and there was no clear way of escape until God intervened. I believe that this was an answer to the intercession of the believers.

As someone who has previously been in the prison of addiction, I can tell you that there are certain chains that only fall off by the power of God. No matter how much you try to unshackle yourself by your own strength, your efforts are futile. Many of us resign to the reality of our situations and turn our circumstances into our identity. We say things like, “Well, I guess I’ll always be this way” or “I must not be trying hard enough” or “This has been going on for too long, I guess I should give up now.” Peter’s story of freedom encourages us that even in the darkest and direst situations, the light of God can shine through and turn things around. It didn’t matter how long Peter had been bound, the angel of the Lord came suddenly and his circumstance changed immediately. If you or someone you know is stuck in a prison, don’t stop calling out to God for a breakthrough. This same Peter would later write in 1 Peter 2:6 NIV that anyone who trusts in Jesus will never be put to shame. He had seen first hand the deliverance of God and you can too!

3. Obedience is the key to freedom

After Peter was woken up by the angel, he was instructed to put on his clothes and sandals and to follow the angel. Peter didn’t know that this was actually happening, he thought he was seeing a vision. Whilst following the angel, he passes through the first and second guards. This same Peter who had been bound and heavily guarded was now walking in freedom. However, there was still one final barrier to his freedom. An iron gate that led to the city. This was the last obstacle that Peter would face before becoming fully free.

When Peter and the angel got to the gate, Acts 12:10 NKJV says that the gate opened of its own accord. The words ‘own accord’ come from the Greek word automatos which is where we get the English word ‘automatic’. The gate automatically opened for Peter. He didn’t need a key to unlock the door. The door unlocked itself without any human intervention. Up to this point, Peter didn’t need to do anything other than obey the angel’s instructions. The angel instructed Peter to put on his clothes and sandals. Peter obeyed. The angel asked Peter to follow him. Peter obeyed. Imagine if Peter would have refused to follow the angel. He would have remained stuck in that prison.

This is the case for many of us. We wallow in our prison-like circumstances so much that when God sends supernatural help our way, we don’t recognise it. For some, God has been giving you specific instructions that you keep ignoring, not realising that your obedience will lead you to freedom. For years I kept repeating cycles of lust, over and over again and it was not until I was free that I realised how disobedient I had always been. God would tell me not to watch a certain show or to get off Instagram at a certain time in the night and I would ignore His instructions. A few hours later, I would find myself in regret because I had fallen in the same trap again. For you, it might be an instruction to save money so you are not stuck in the prison of debt, to read the Bible daily so you can be free from thoughts of insecurity and anxiety or to forgive someone who hurt you so the shackles of offense and unforgiveness can fall off once and for all. Whatever prison you find yourself in, ask the Holy Spirit to show you what instructions you are disobeying that are hindering your freedom.

I want to encourage anyone who feels like they’ve been stuck in a prison for so long that they have given up hope for freedom. The Bible is full of stories of men and women who experienced freedom:

• Joseph, Paul and Silas were freed from an actual prison (Genesis 41, Acts 16:22-40)
• Elijah was freed from the prison of fear (1 Kings 19)
• A woman was freed from the prison of infirmity (Luke 13:10-17)
• A woman was freed from the prison of condemnation (John 8:1-11)
• A man was freed from the prison of demonic oppression (Mark 5:1-20)
• Sarah, Hannah and Elizabeth were all freed from the prison of barrenness (Genesis 21:1-2, 1 Samuel 1:20, Luke 1:57)

Every one who puts their faith in Jesus Christ receives freedom from the prison of sin and condemnation. John 8:36 reminds us that Jesus sets us free completely. You don’t have to stay stuck in chains and behind prison doors. True freedom is available for you. If you are currently stuck in a prison, this prayer is for you:

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I come before you today confessing that I am in a prison that I can’t free myself from. I acknowledge and believe that by the sacrifice of your Son Jesus Christ, freedom is available for me. I am desperate for that freedom. Today I declare that I am no longer bound. I come out of any prison that I have found myself in. I humbly ask for the strength to confess my struggles to Godly community and to keep praying for a divine intervention from You. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, give me the ability and willingness to obey every instruction that is connected to my freedom. In Jesus Name, Amen.