Hours before church service, I heard the words “shrink wrap.” I understood the concept well, having struggled to peel open previously, tightly-wrapped items or packages.

The vision unfolded. A mummy-fied soul is not a pretty thing. I began to see how believers had been bound tight, preventing them from moving into their destinies. I heard the question the Spirit was posing to us all: Who or what has shrunk you so that your destiny is halted?

Another picture was recalled from a frequently-viewed commercial. I saw a space-saver vacuum bag for blankets; the vacuum suction removes the air so as to allow the blanket to be tightly shelved. Perhaps the natural intent is a good thing…but certainly not in the spiritual realm.

There are a number of ways the enemy of our souls binds, halts, or even paralyzes us by his diabolical schemes to keep us from fulfilling our destiny. He even uses fear and trauma to suck the proverbial life from us so that we will be shelved for the rest of our days!

I delivered the message to the church and urged our members to permit the Spirit of God to cut open the shrink-wrap and to breathe into us new life, His very breath, into our lungs!

This attempt to halt the believer is not a new scheme. It began in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve, having sinned against God, hid in shame. Perhaps we could expand the thought that they had been shrink-wrapped and life was figuratively suctioned out of them. The challenging question to them, and to us is: “Hath God really said?” Every time we doubt His plan for us, question ourselves, lose sight of our God-given righteousness, we are shrink-wrapped tighter and our purpose, designed intentionally by God, loses the very oxygen of life.

Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name, set us free indeed!