# NEW MERCIES DAILY
MESSAGE TITLE:
“I Would Have Been Free, But My Own Chained Me”
SCRIPTURE TEXT:
“…I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors… I was made a prisoner in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They wanted to release me… but the Jews objected… I was forced to appeal to the Emperor… I have no accusation against my own people. That’s why I’ve asked to see and talk with you… I am bound in these chains because of the hope of Israel.”(Acts 28:17–20)
DATE : April 07, 2025
By : EFFIONG ETOK
Carrier of the Word
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
When your own turn against you, remember: man may bind your hands, but only God holds your future. And He never lets chains have the final say
MAIN MESSAGE:
There are wounds that bleed without blood.
There are prisons that have no bars.
There are betrayals so deep they echo into your soul.
And worst of all… they come from people who look like you, talk like you, eat at your table, and call you “brother.”
Paul stood in chains-not because of a crime,
Not because of rebellion,
But because of familiarity poisoned by jealousy.
He cried, “I have done nothing…”
Yet, “I was handed over.”
By who? His own!
What do you do when the one holding your ladder is the one shaking it?
What do you do when the lips that kissed you are the same lips that cursed you in secret?
Cry out!
“Lord, break me free from secret enemies with familiar faces!”
Paul said, “The Romans found no fault in me… they wanted to release me… but my people objected!”
Not strangers, but siblings in the covenant.
You see, the pain is not that they hurt you…
The pain is that they knew your weakness… and used it against you.
They had access to your vulnerability-and turned it into a weapon.
They knew when you were hungry.
They knew when you were tired.
They knew when you were struggling.
And instead of lifting you,
They nailed you!
How many have lost helpers because their own called them proud behind their backs?
How many were demoted not by error, but by envy?
How many weep in secret because the greatest opposition to their destiny carries the same surname?
Paul says something strange… “I have no accusation against my people.”
How do you speak peace when your soul bleeds?
How do you love the one that jailed you emotionally, and spiritually?
But hear this! God is not blind. He is not silent. He is not sleeping.
Weep if you must. Mourn if you must. But don’t curse them-because sometimes, the same hands that hurt you may be the very instruments God may use to usher you into your testimony.
Declaration of Faith
“I may be chained, but my spirit is free. I may be betrayed, but I am not broken. I may be opposed, but I am not defeated. The Lord is my shield and deliverer!”
CLOSING PRAYERS :
1.“Father, let every plan of the enemy to silence me fail, and transform my life into a beacon of hope and encouragement to others. Lord, turn my mourning into dancing, crown me with glory, and give me testimonies that will silence every Torbiah and Sanballat opposing my freedom and purpose. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
2. O God, every delay I have suffered because of betrayal from my own, turn it into divine acceleration!
Every hand pretending to lift me but digging my pit, expose them, Lord, in Jesus Mighty name.
