God made each of us unique. He desires to use our unique gifts, our differences, and even our weakness as we serve together in the body of Christ.
God hates captivity, so we should too. God stopped at nothing in pursuit of freedom for us.
That’s the good news of the Gospel. He sent Jesus to die on a cross to pay the price for our sins so that we wouldn’t have to live in captivity anymore. What an amazing gift!
Jesus’ suffering requires a response. We must claim the freedom He died to give us.
Our response to accept this free gift must be three-fold: DECLARE: Speak it. BELIEVE: Trust it. CONFESS: Admit it.
The Bible says: “If you DECLARE with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and BELIEVE in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). “If we CONFESS our sins, he (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Human trafficking is modern-day slavery, and it’s a direct attack on God’s plan and design. Because we are made in the image of God, we have meaning, we have purpose, we are patterned after His sacredness, and His fingerprints are on us. When we are in bondage, whether that is because of someone’s sin against us, because of the impact of sin on our lives, or because of our own sinful choices, it grieves the freedom-loving heart of God.
We must take a stand against the crime of human trafficking because of Jesus’ example. Time and again He stood up for women, which wasn’t the norm in His culture’s society.
Human trafficking creates inequality. A society in which certain members can be bought or sold cannot, by nature, be an equal society. Prostitution and human trafficking are modern day slavery, which breaks the heart of God.
Here’s the reality of slavery in Canada today: The average age of first being trafficked in Canada is 13 years old. 94% of victims in Canada are girls and women. Most traffickers in Canada are men. Most of those who purchase access to the bodies of victims are men.
Both sexes were made in the image of God, and therefore are of equal value to God. Jesus shed his blood to pay the price for all our freedom – male or female. It is impossible to experience true freedom apart from Jesus. Unless our efforts to bring freedom include Him and His plan, at best they are band-aids. True and lasting emancipation can be found only in the freedom purchased on the cross with the blood of Jesus Christ.
God instructs us to care for those in need with the same love that we would serve Him, the one who laid His life on the line for our sake. The fight against human trafficking provides the Church an opportunity to show our city, our nation, human trafficking victims, and the world that we are all precious and loved because God first loved us. Advocating for freedom from human trafficking and slavery is an opportunity to disrupt one of Canada’s fastest growing crimes, and in the process, gently and respectfully, to share the hope we have in Christ, as we support survivors of this crime, and together, build into the lives God intended us all to live – lives of freedom.
Does God want you to get involved in organizations like Not In My City, Her Victory and BridgeNorth? Pray for those who are working to end human trafficking.