And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, Mark 5:1-6 (KJV)

Jesus arrived at the country of the Gadarenes and was immediately met by a demon-possessed man. This man was in bad shape. Unable to control his own body, he abused himself by cutting himself with stones, and bruising himself. He was so crazed and fearsome that he had to live in the tombs and in the wilderness, away from other people. He had been demon-possessed for a long time, and according to Luke’s account, he was naked.

And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. Luke 8:27 (KJV)

Imagine the state of this man. Consider his loss of dignity. He was an outcast and had no hope of a normal life. Almost totally under demonic control, his torment was constant and horrendous. We are not told what gave the enemy access to enter this man, but the control that the devil had over him was strong and severe. If there was ever someone dominated by the devil, it was him.

And yet, when Jesus arrived, the man was able to run to Him and worship Him. No devil could prevent him from doing that. When I heard that, God pointed something out to me that I hadn’t really thought much about before. He showed me that if we have any kind of bondage, such as an addiction, or even just a bad habit we want to break, freedom comes by worship.

We didn’t look at the entire account of Jesus’ encounter with the man of the Gadarenes, but we know that after he fell at the feet of Jesus in worship, Jesus cast out the devil and the man was free from the multitude of demons that had tormented him. The devil couldn’t prevent his worship, and worship was the key to his freedom.

Today, if you desire to be free, get before the Lord and worship Him. And I mean really worship Him. Turn on some anointed worship music and enter into worship. Sing to Him. Lift your hands in honor. Bow before Him. Love on Him. Give Him the glory He alone is due. Something powerful happens when we worship. When we recognize Jesus as King by giving Him our worship, He takes His rightful place in our lives, vanquishing every foe, every bondage, every stronghold of the enemy. And consistency is key- living a lifestyle of worship ensures continual freedom.

The way out of bondage is by entering into worship. The chains are broken and we go free when we choose to honor Him in worship.