Another chain email comes around saying something like, “This is a test. God is love. Send this to 10 people if you love God, and something good will happen to you tomorrow. Don’t break the chain, or else you’re denying God. Share to make sure you get a blessing tomorrow!” These deceitful chain posts cleverly take a truth and wrap it in lies. Below, are ten godly reasons to break the chain post you just received:
1. Chain letters are a burden, requiring immediate action. These lies burden us. “Share if you care!” This saying subtly insinuates that you don’t care if you ignore the post. Unfortunately, many good people believe they must participate in these chains, which are “innocent” sayings in disguise. Chain posts form spiritual chains of anxiety, guilt, fear, and self-condemnation. How do we handle these? There’s good news; we don’t have to do anything at all. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28 New International Version).
2. Chain posts twist the truth, which includes distorting scripture.One particular chain post claims that people who break it are denying God. “But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in Heaven (Matt. 10:33 New Living Translation). We are NOT denying God by ignoring a chain post; sending it won’t save us. Being a child of God is a commitment of the heart. “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 NIV). No one can take our salvation from us. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28 English Standard Version).
3. Chain posts manipulate the reader by inviting guilt, fear, anxiety, self-condemnation, and rejection. These are all evil spirits. Guilt may visit when one doesn’t copy, paste, and send the “sweet” chain message. The pressure’s on when the message says, “If I’m one of your best friends, I hope this comes back to me!” Fear of rejection can creep in for refusing to join a game that supports a cause being promoted. Selecting ten “greatest moms” may cause anxiety. Who will be left out? Do we even want to be in a position to judge? Some people may feel jealous about the titles given to others. Flattery, pride, and jealousy are evil spirits. They build upon each other, forming anger and bitterness. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice” (Jas. 3:16 NIV).
4. Chain posts plague us with negative emotions, but God gently convicts with the Holy Spirit. If you are a child of God, you have the power of the Holy Spirit. You can renounce guilt, fear, anxiety, and more, in the name of Jesus. You can rejoice in the fact that these negative emotions do not come from God! God doesn’t make us feel bad to get us to do a job for Him. If you feel bad about not sharing a chain post, it’s not from God. The devil is the one who harasses us. If God wants our involvement in advancing His kingdom, He will place the desire in our hearts. If we make a mistake, and miss an opportunity, he will gently convict us, and lead us on the right path. “He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Ps. 23:3 ESV).
5. Chain posts create a false sense of friendship.Our real friends are not trying to hurt us. They have good intentions, and most likely just want to brighten our day. But because chain posts are based on lies, they add no value to our friendships. The messages are targeted toward a large audience, with the expectation to act quickly. Real friends are there for each other during hard times. Chains posts have nothing to do with friendship. Real friendships consider your unique individuality, and they take time to cultivate. There is conversation and interaction with each other, with heartfelt notes, phone calls, and time out for coffee. Chain posts distract us from the true friendships that God provides for us. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born to help in time of need” (Prov. 17:17 NLT).
6. Chain posts require you to “prove” something.“If you love Jesus, and if you’re not afraid, you will pass it on.” Even if this is all the chain post says, it subtly insinuates that you feel the opposite, if you ignore it. Some people feel frustrated at having “something else to do,” but share the posts to relieve guilt and anxiety. Self-condemnation may nag in their ears, telling them they are weak for not being a voice for Jesus. Fear tells people their prayers won’t be answered. It is fear that makes people believe they will be punished for not sharing a chain post to prove their love for God. Lies are the devil’s hired hands. Jesus sets us free from man-made rules requiring us to prove love, friendship, and loyalty. “But Peter and the other apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than human beings’ ” (Acts 5:29 NIV)!
7. Chain letters are rooted in sin, and they shackle the participants in lies.
A chain post is an empty promise filled with false hope that something good will happen, if the “good luck rose” is shared. We can’t control our destiny with “luck.” When we need help in our lives, we need to pray. Only God can change our circumstances, and He is the giver of all good gifts. Chains predicting “bad luck” are even worse. The lies sprout seeds of fear, and lead people further from truth. In Deuteronomy, chapter 18, God tells Moses not to let his people practice fortune telling, which He says is detestable. It is in the same category as witchcraft and interpreting omens. Chain mails are a form of fortune telling. They predict the future. “I will put an end to all witchcraft, and there will be no more fortunetellers” (Micah 5:12 NLT). People naively share chain posts, without realizing that God hates fortune telling. In addition, chains are usually shared without recognizing the source from which they originate. Spiritual messages can be connected to sites, which lead people away from the truth of Christianity.
8. Breaking chains brings us relief from fear. The most evil chains threaten harm, if the chain is broken. They contain words about God’s love, and then suggest people are siding with the devil if they ignore the chain. This is a lie meant to cause fear, but we are safe as God’s children. “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’ ” (Rom. 8:15 NIV). God will not abandon us for ignoring a chain post. “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fear for today nor our worries about tomorrow–not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below– indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39 NLT)
8. Breaking chains brings us relief from fear. The most evil chains threaten harm, if the chain is broken. They contain words about God’s love, and then suggest people are siding with the devil if they ignore the chain. This is a lie meant to cause fear, but we are safe as God’s children. “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’ ” (Rom. 8:15 NIV). God will not abandon us for ignoring a chain post. “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fear for today nor our worries about tomorrow–not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below– indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39 NLT)
9. Chain letters steal our time. Our time is better spent praying for others, reading the bible, and fellowshipping with friends and family. We should feel free to share wisdom, truth, scripture, and prayer requests. Be wary of manipulative posts that require you to act, in order to avoid a consequence or to prove a point: “90% of people don’t care enough to send this on. Let’s find out who really does!” Guilt just hitched a ride! Manipulation knows you want to be considered a caring person. Guilt knows you will feel like a jerk, if you’re one of the 10% that “don’t care.” We don’t have to participate in chains and challenges to prove that we care about a cause. God doesn’t care about “likes” and “shares.” He cares about our hearts. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts” (Ps. 139:23 NIV).
10. Breaking chains is the only way to freedom. The jailer can open the door, and tell us we can go, but if we are still in chains, we aren’t going anywhere. When storm clouds bring chains that try to bind us, there is a silver lining. With Jesus, we can break free, by standing in God’s truth. It is such a relief to be free from emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental chains that bind us. How sweet to know we can show our love for Jesus, without being required to do things that man demands of us. Jesus died for our sins. He came to bring forgiveness and release us from our burdens and chains. “For God will break the chains that bind his people” (Isa. 9:4. NLT)…
In order to be forgiven and receive eternal life, God only requires that we accept His son, Jesus Christ, who was sacrificed on the cross for our sins. Nothing else can save us or change the course of our lives. We need to acknowledge that we are sinners, and ask God to forgive us. Then we walk on God’s path. We no longer walk in chains. We walk in freedom, and we grow closer to Him!
“He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.” (Psalm 107:14 NIV)
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| © 2015 Nicholas Pelleman |
The Silver Lining 
I AM sharing this! I just wish some of my sweet friends would get this!
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April, I know what you mean! I wrote this, specifically because so many of my sweet friends were sharing chain posts, without realizing the harm they can do! So now, when I am sent a chain post from a friend, I tell my friend thank you for considering me a good friend, but that I don’t participate in chains because God tells me not to. Then I copy the link from my blog site, and I paste it with my comment, and invite my friend to read the article. Also, once in a while, I just share the article on Facebook again, and hope some people will pass it along. It amazes me, how many people are willing to pass along an evil chain, but are unwilling to pass a blog, truth, or inspirational saying about Jesus. I wonder what Facebook would look like, if only the truth were shared!! Probably, pretty empty!
Thank you for stopping by, April! I love hearing from you! 💙
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April, thank you for sharing my post! I had 200 views on my blog today, and about 3/4 of them were for the blog about chain posts! Half of the readers were from The Philippines! I am so pleased to be able to make a difference for Jesus on the other side of the world! I’m so grateful to you for sharing my work, and for being such an encouraging friend to me! Thank you, precious sister in Christ! 😊 💙
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We are still family and friends without any chain texts or messages. I believe that God loves all of us and He won’t give us lame things to prove our faith and love in Him. Please stop sending me chain texts and messages. My faith in God is unshakable! Trust that God loves us without any Chain hype.
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Amen! It’s terrible to post things that plague loved ones with false guilt for not sharing or passing it on! Nowhere in the Bible does God tell us to participate in chain letters and chain posts. All Jesus requires of us is to receive him, and follow HIM! Obeying the command of a chain, is following the world and man’s laws, which is exactly what Jesus preaches AGAINST! What a relief to simply follow Christ! 💙 May God bless you, Cess, for your trust, and unshakeable faith in Him, in Jesus’ name! Isn’t it wonderful to know we are loved, unconditionally?! 😊 💙
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This is a great post, I bookmarked it for future use when a chain post turns up! I have always ignored chain posts myself. To me they seem ridiculous, my eyes are usually open to recognise manipulation. We are told to cast our cares on Jesus, so when someone suggests I don’t care, the truth is, I don’t! I have love, I have compassion, but I do not have care. A lot of people are taken in by chain posts though, and God can use posts like this to open their eyes – if they want them opened.
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This post is AWESOME! Very well stated!
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Thank you, Minister Aldric! This is one of my favorites! It has gone as far as The Philippines, and I was so excited about that! Even Christians share chain posts, and I want them to be free in Christ! I’m so glad I found you, and I look forward to reading more of your work! May God bless you in Jesus’ name! 💙
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You’re welcome my sister! You have a great blog! I look forward to reading much more from you. Be Blesstified!!!!:-)
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Bold truth! Sometimes we get involved in what the Apostle Paul called suffering fools gladly. This should set many people right on this matter. Shared. Keep the great posts coming, Angela, and remain blessed.
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Thank you, dear Edith! How I hate chain posts and letters! They come with so much guilt and anxiety and fear; none of which are meant for Christians to carry! Thank you so much for sharing. Because of a few of you dear sisters in Christ,sharing this post, it has gone viral.. all around the world! I can’t believe where it’s been read, and I am so incredibly thankful. It shows me that no one in any country, wants to be tied down in chains! Praise God! 💙
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Excellent points of reference, and very well written. Thanks for sharing this, Angela!
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Shira, thank you so much! It’s so refreshing to see another sister in Christ, who can see through the chains of witchcraft that are disguised as “Christianity.” Thank you so much for taking time out to read my article. May God continue to bless you and your writing, in Jesus’ name! 💙
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Amen, the Lord Jesus Christ is My Lord and Savior!!!
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Amen, Angie! I loved reading your praise to God here; thank you! Blessings! 💙
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Thank you for explaining this chain letter thing.
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You are so welcome, Parlee! It drove me crazy every time I saw one; God eventually revealed to me that people needed FREEDOM from guilt and fear, and even anger, over the lies in chain letters and chain posts. It’s such a relief when God releases us from burdens not meant to be carried. Thank you for reading! Blessings! 💙
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This Is Us send a message to you how are you how is everything we are praying for you let go do great things the ministry we are here in Uganda we found good for you God bless you
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Dear brother! I’m so happy you found me! Do you still have my email address? I am overjoyed to know that you are praying for me all the way from Uganda! Let’s keep in touch. We will be praying for the school and your country. Perhaps we can collect some things you need for the students? Much love to you and your wife; blessings in Jesus’ name! 💙
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Amen. thank you for your explanation.. it gives mevthe clarrification of such received items. and i i ignote them or delete them. now it is clear ro me…
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Doesn’t it feel great to just get rid of it all?!
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Thank you for explaining to me I’m it’s a relief
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You’re so welcome! This post has been read all over the world: it’s my most popular. It shares itself, so I’ve seen people really want freedom from feeling guilt or fear over not sending chain emails and texts. That’s exactly what Benares, for readers to find relief! Thank you for writing me. May God break all your chains and bless you in Jesus’ name!
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Very encouraging to know, thank u!
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Thank you! Of all my posts, this one has been read over 13,000 times, all over the world. It showed me people are eager to be rid of their chains; chain letters included! Gid bless you in Jesus’ name!
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