In Luke 4:18, Jesus declares that "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." All of what Jesus said here is available to anyone who will believe it and receive it. Certainly it is a declaration of wonderful news, but I want to look at "setting at liberty them that are bruised."

What is a bruise? It is broken blood vessels on the inside of the skin. It is inner bleeding. We call it a "black and blue" mark because of it's color beneath the skin. The simple point is that a bruise is an inward injury. It can be easy to cover it up with clothing or make-up. It can be hidden without too much trouble.

Jesus came to give us freedom for all the hurts and inner pains that lots of us have been carrying for too long a period of time. Maybe we've been covering them up, but their bite and sting are still affecting our lives. They have created a sort of poison whose purpose is to rob and destroy our lives. Let's allow the anointing of Jesus to be the antidote for such inward turmoil. It may take some courage to admit our "cover up" but the end results are well worth the time.

Perhaps the bruise was self-inflicted. If so, repent of what brought on the trouble. You may need to confess the sin and get that area cleaned up. If it was caused by someone else, forgive that person and let God's mercy work it's healing effect on both your lives. Either way, Jesus wants you free! Receive today the liberty that Jesus has offered us all! Have a great week

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