Turning From Captivity

Psalm 126:1
“When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.”

When a person decides to get right with the LORD, they often act like a person who is released from captivity. Sin may seem fun, but it always holds a person captive. When a person finally gets free from sin’s captivity, the freedom they immediately experience is evident to them personally, and also to everyone who is around them. Six obvious changes happen to a person who gets right with the LORD.

First, getting right can only be done with the LORD’s help. The verse above says, “When the LORD turned again the captivity…” A person who gets right with the LORD will no longer make themselves the issue, but they are quick to make the LORD the central focus of their life. One of the things that sin does is it makes an individual very self-focused; however, when a person wants to get right, they become focused on the LORD because only He can bring them out of the captivity in which their sin has bound them.

Second, getting right changes your disposition. Verse 2 talks about their mouth being filled with laughter. The disposition of a person who gets right is so obvious because they are no longer carrying the weight of sin. When a person gets right, they will go from being an angry person to a person who is able to laugh again.

Third, getting right changes your spirit. The Israelites went from a people who could not sing to a people whose tongue was filled with singing when they were released from captivity. The spirit of a person who gets right with the LORD will be evident to all. You may not be able to put your finger on why they are so different other than their spirit is different. The person who truly gets right with the LORD will have a spirit of joy and happiness. A person who gets right with the LORD will have a song in their heart because they are no longer bound by sin’s chains.

Fourth, getting right changes how others see you. In verse 2, the heathen even noticed the difference when God’s people were released from captivity. There is no hiding the change when a person gets right with the LORD. You cannot fake getting right with the LORD because your spirit always tells on you. When you get right, others will notice the difference in your spirit and disposition that it is no longer a put-on, but it is a spirit that comes from within.

Fifth, getting right changes your outlook. Israel said in verse 3, “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.” One thing that happens when a person gets right is they are no longer materialistic in their desires, but they are very grateful in their outlook for what the LORD has done for them. Getting right causes you to become very content with what the LORD has given you. The only reason a person is not content with what they have is because they are not content with their relationship with the LORD. A heart that is right with the LORD will result in a spirit of gratitude for all that He has done for you.

Sixth, getting right changes your purpose. Verse 5-6 show that your purpose changes from self to others. A heart right with the LORD becomes concerned with reaching the lost for Jesus Christ. You cannot hide a heart that is right with the LORD because it will have the same heart of God, which is a great desire to see the lost get saved.

Author: Allen Domelle