Chained to Purpose

Easter 2025 marked 20 years since my baptism - a public declaration that I chose to follow Jesus and model my life on His example.

On that day, Steve, one of the church leaders at the time, shared a line from the Bible that he felt spoke directly to who I was becoming.

Ephesians 6:19-20

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Ambassador.

An Ambassador in chains at that.

At the time, I didn’t fully grasp what that specifically meant for me.

I was a 15 year old, shy kid.

Was it encouragement for greater confidence?

Courage in telling others I follow Jesus?

I probably could have told a few more people at school.

Does this mean I’ll be a preacher in the future?

Maybe, all of the above?

These verses have been swirling in my mind ever since.

I didn’t understand the significance of the ‘chains’ back then but in the last few months have brought that word into sharp focus.

And it’s no accident - I’ve recently begun shifting my work more boldly toward sharing Jesus.

‘in chains’

Think of that as a striking introduction.

I’m an entrepreneur in chains.

A graphic designer in chains.

A musician in chains.

Wouldn’t that look like total failure?

But let’s pause for a second to add some extra context.

Who are these verses actually about?

They’re about Paul - a follower of Jesus who had devoted his life to sharing the good news about Jesus.

Paul experienced more than one type of imprisonment during his ministry.

Locked in a traditional prison cell and held under house arrest in Rome with a guard by his side.

His chains didn’t silence his calling - they focused it.

From the outside, this looks like complete and utter failure, right?

Everything grinding to a halt.

If someone saw me in chains, in jail or house-arrest, it’d be natural to think:

“There goes his credibility and influence - He’s finished!”

Both the Romans and other believers would have thought this of Paul too.

Pretty embarrassing, right?

But Paul’s perspective was different.

He reinterpreted his situation.

What if these chains were representative of his purpose?

Chained to a different kingdom, the kingdom of God.

That you’ve seen too much of God to ever walk away.

God’s purpose in you can’t be stopped.

Not chained, but anchored.

I’m not trapped, I’m tethered.

When I was in primary school, maybe from Year 4, I used to worry a lot.

I didn’t always know why, but I remember pressing my stomach against the edge of the desk just to make myself feel ill enough to go home.

Sometimes I’d lie awake at night, unable to sleep, my mind racing.

That was my chain - worry.

I wasn’t living life to the full, the kind of life Jesus talks about.

But with God’s help, Bible verses and the encouragement of my parents, that chain began to change.

What once held me back started to hold me steady.

God used that same weakness to teach me reliance - to depend on Him, not myself.

In the same way, surrender often sounds like a bad thing.

In war, to surrender means defeat.

But in God’s Kingdom, surrender is strength.

We trade our need for control for the peace that only comes through surrender.

Peace begins where control ends.

Where the world would see chains as restriction, Heaven sees them as a relationship.

Being chained to God is actually freedom.

I think this is exactly what I’m seeing now.

Let me expand here a bit further.

Joseph’s story shows God has been doing this all along.

His jealous brothers betrayed him, sold him into slavery and left him for dead.

Years later, after his own season in chains and injustice, he’s promoted to Pharaoh’s right hand.

From slavery to royalty.

Mind blowing.

Joseph realised that God was with him in this entire journey.

He said to the same brothers that betrayed him:

You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…

Genesis 50:20

Rome meant evil against Paul, but with God in the picture, the outcome was vastly different.

While in house arrest, he wrote several foundational, enduring letters that continue to have considerable influence and impact today.

In one of those letters, Paul wrote:

As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

Philippians 1:13

Not only did the letters have an impact, but the whole place knew about Jesus.

So what’s the takeaway here?

The enemy’s intention cannot overturn God’s outcome.

I am in chains for Christ

Paul didn’t see these as a jail chains, they were anchor chains.

They don’t hold you back, they hold you steady.

When you’re anchored to the role God designed uniquely for you, you might look stuck - yet you’re actually secure.

That’s the same kingdom inversion Paul lived out.

He was anchored, not imprisoned.

So what does this mean for me?

I truly can’t deny God’s involvement in my life.

Whether it’s been helping me overcome worry, countless moments of provision or miraculous healings - I boldly declare: I am God’s ambassador, anchored to Him.

I’m not chained to limitations - I’m chained to purpose.

Maybe you are too.

Maybe you’re still discovering your purpose.

If so, ask yourself: How can I collaborate with God to help the world flourish?

Or maybe you’re developing your purpose - partnering with God in what He’s already begun in you.

Either way, God has placed something in you that this world needs.

Don’t just know it. Do it with Him.

Because purpose doesn’t grow in comfort - it grows through obedience and collaboration with God.