Break That Yoke

Scriptures:  Matthew 11 v 28 - 30: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
 29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
 30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Isaiah 58 v 6: "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"

What does it mean to be yoked with something that is too heavy for us to bear?  In Isaiah it refers to bands of wickedness that create oppressive burdens.  Some of the Biblical kings were known to overtax their subjects which made their lives difficult.

Pharoah made slaves out of the captured Hebrews and had them whipped if they slacked off, and when they wanted to serve their own God, he made them work twice as hard.

When we are oppressed by unknown demons we are forced to behave in certain ways by them as they manifest their nature through our bodies and souls.  Demons are spirits that have no earthly body so they seek a human or animal host to inhabit and manipulate them to show their nature.  

A spirit of fear will range from mild anxiety to full blown panick attacks.  Jesus says to His followers, I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.  Therefore this spirit of fear is an intruder which can be evicted. We have the full authority of Jesus to cast it out.

Demons do not want to be cast out, they cry, scream, wail, and perform to scare us off.  In Mark 5 they begged Jesus not to send them out of that land so He sent them into a herd of 2000 pigs that all jumped off a cliff into the sea and drowned.  The demons forced the pigs to suicide.  Jesus sent them into the pigs so He could set the Gadarene demoniac free.

He had been totally possessed by these demons but Jesus broke that yoke and delivered him from them.  He had been cutting himself and when chained he broke the chains and lived in a cemetery.  When the pigs jumped into the sea he was clothed and sitting at Jesus feet with his mind intact.  Completely set free.

Jesus says we must come to Him if our burdens are too heavy and He will set us free too. He came to set the captives free.  He breaks every yoke.  He says we should take His yoke upon us because it is light and not burdensome. 

The light yoke of Jesus is that we preach the gospel, heal the sick, deliver people from demons, give when we are able and bring salvation to the lost.  Some people think that is burdensome but when we obey the Lord in these ways it is a complete joy and blessing to those who receive and those who do it.

In 2 Corinthians 6 Paul warns us not to be unevenly yoked with others. This uneven yoke can refer to Christians marrying unbelievers which will cause problems and discord later. It can be a business partnership with unbelievers that could compromise your integrity. The Father says come out from among them and be separated unto Me.

This uneven yoke is mostly seen in a religious situation.  We may be in a church where the full gospel is not preached, or where teachings do not line up with the words in the Bible.  These places have become sects or cults under the power of demons.  Jesus says we must separate ourselves from these false churches and follow Him.

In Isaiah 58 the Lord says we must fast to break the yoke of oppression. Sin and demons are the oppressors who yoke us into evil or criminal activities. We are oppressed by illegal drugs that destroy our lives; or alcoholism; or sexual sin. We are robbed by oppressors who hijack us, rape and steal from us. Corrupt government officials also oppress us.

A fast of three days on water only and when we shut out the world can make heavy yokes break more easily.  Turn off the TV, WiFi, cell phone and laptop and read the Bible and pray for three days.  Call on Jesus to set you free of whatever evil spirit has taken control of your life.

Other oppressive uneven yokes are formed through adultery, homosexuality, child abuse and pre-marital sex. These sexual yokes form "soul ties" which are demonic holds that cause great anguish and sorrow.

So there are many types of yokes and the only one we should have is the light and easy yoke of Jesus in which we are joined to Him and receive great benefits. We do need to walk the strait and narrow path to life. Jesus says very few ever find it.

It is a life that does not conform to this world. It is a life totally submitted to the will of God in which self is crucified and you sing I Surrender All and mean it. The rewards of this life are a very intimate walk with Jesus matched with powerful authority in the spirit realm. A life where you have the liberty to do whatever you like but choose not to because you love the Lord Jesus Christ with such intensity.

The consecrated life is blessed by the Lord in that every need is met and you have a deep awareness of other's spiritual needs.  So take this time to break every yoke that has brought us into bondage and given us heavy burdens to carry. Jesus is waiting for us to roll these burdens onto Him because He cares for us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father You looked on the burdens of the Jews in Egypt and You sent a Deliverer called Moses.   Thousands of years later You saw their burdens under the Romans and you sent a Messiah and Deliverer called Jesus Christ. 
He still delivers us from burdens and demons to this day. Let us heed Your Word and submit to His deliverance so that we can humbly wear His light yoke on our shoulders. In Jesus' name. Amen.