What do you think?
Rate this book
Bound to Be Free: Escaping Performance to Be Captured by Grace
Bound to Be Free uses Scripture to recalibrate our hearts so we can walk in the freedom Christ has provided from sin and from the encumbrances that weigh us down.
There’s nothing more heartbreaking than to see saints who are bound by performance, not realizing there is freedom through Christ. In the midst of performance, we try to please everyone, to do what we think makes God happy, to live a “good” life . . . and we don’t realize that the walls are closing in around us. There are four walls in the trap of our trajectory, our relationships, our affirmation, and our peers. Each of these speaks deeply to our souls as something we need in order to have a “good life”―but we enslave ourselves to something that will never be enough.
Instead, God invites us into the trap of grace, which frees us. The life-giving walls of this trap are trust in God, reconciliation with God, affection from God, and partnership with our brothers and sisters in Christ. As we acknowledge how we are bound by performance, we can―with God’s help―flee into the captivity of grace and rest in God’s unfailing love.
There’s nothing more heartbreaking than to see saints who are bound by performance, not realizing there is freedom through Christ. In the midst of performance, we try to please everyone, to do what we think makes God happy, to live a “good” life . . . and we don’t realize that the walls are closing in around us. There are four walls in the trap of our trajectory, our relationships, our affirmation, and our peers. Each of these speaks deeply to our souls as something we need in order to have a “good life”―but we enslave ourselves to something that will never be enough.
Instead, God invites us into the trap of grace, which frees us. The life-giving walls of this trap are trust in God, reconciliation with God, affection from God, and partnership with our brothers and sisters in Christ. As we acknowledge how we are bound by performance, we can―with God’s help―flee into the captivity of grace and rest in God’s unfailing love.
- GenresDiscipleship
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2016
12 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
D.A. Horton
12 books39 followersD.A. Horton, PhD serves as an Associate Professor and Program Director of the Intercultural Studies program at California Baptist University.
He earned his Ph.D. in Applied Theology with a North American Missions emphasis at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. His dissertation was titled, The Quantitative and Qualitative Measuring of Spiritual Capital Among Latinas/os in Higher Education. He earned his Masters Degree in Christian Studies and B.S. in Biblical Studies from Calvary University.
He has authored nine books, taught Bible studies virtually through Family Life, Lifeway, and RightNow Media, and is frequently invited to speak at various conferences.
He and his wife Elicia have been married for 22 years, and they have two daughters and one son.
He earned his Ph.D. in Applied Theology with a North American Missions emphasis at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. His dissertation was titled, The Quantitative and Qualitative Measuring of Spiritual Capital Among Latinas/os in Higher Education. He earned his Masters Degree in Christian Studies and B.S. in Biblical Studies from Calvary University.
He has authored nine books, taught Bible studies virtually through Family Life, Lifeway, and RightNow Media, and is frequently invited to speak at various conferences.
He and his wife Elicia have been married for 22 years, and they have two daughters and one son.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 26, 2023
It’s not that this is a bad book. It didn’t live up to how the author set it up at the start.
I was expecting a book about how spiritual disciplines, ministry, good works etc don’t define our place in Christ’s kingdom. Horton seems to set the stage in this manner but the book talks about things like jealousy and “all things working for good” in very cliched ways. Not everyone who compares themselves to others is jealous.
He also fills the book with a lot of personal anecdotes that don’t always illustrate his points well. The book is definitely gospel centric but it doesn’t really contribute anything that you can’t get from other authors.
Horton has good ideas but doesn’t execute and explain them very well.
I was expecting a book about how spiritual disciplines, ministry, good works etc don’t define our place in Christ’s kingdom. Horton seems to set the stage in this manner but the book talks about things like jealousy and “all things working for good” in very cliched ways. Not everyone who compares themselves to others is jealous.
He also fills the book with a lot of personal anecdotes that don’t always illustrate his points well. The book is definitely gospel centric but it doesn’t really contribute anything that you can’t get from other authors.
Horton has good ideas but doesn’t execute and explain them very well.
December 5, 2019
I absolutely loved this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone (especially perfectionists like me) who often feel like we have to make ourselves perfect and do everything ourselves in order for God to love us. That's not the case, and Horton addresses the topic so well and so clearly! He not only outlines the problem but discusses tangible ways in which we replace that do-it-yourself mentality with resting in the knowledge that Jesus redeemed us and is still redeeming us, no matter what we do or don't do. I think the first half of the book was stronger than the latter half, but I still loved it and am definitely keeping it for future reads.
September 14, 2017
I really did like this book, it spoke to me very much about my own past and I could see the trap that I myself had been redeemed from over the years. Damon is very open about his own journey and struggles. If I have one thing I wish he'd spent a bit more time on was drawing more on the traps of grace. Not a criticism just feel there was more that could have been said but overall a great book that addresses a very common issue in churches.
September 27, 2017
Be Free Indeed
I've lived in the performance trap and in some ways still do. This book will introduce you to grace OR remind you of the depth of God's grace that you may have already tasted. Either way, it's a worthy and potentially life-altering read. God bless!
I've lived in the performance trap and in some ways still do. This book will introduce you to grace OR remind you of the depth of God's grace that you may have already tasted. Either way, it's a worthy and potentially life-altering read. God bless!
July 2, 2016
Don't force others into the performance trap that Christ has freed you from. If you understand freedom in Christ, give it out to everyone you come in contact with. When we do this, we are living truly countercultural lives, contrasting the darkness of our fallen world with the marvelous light of the message of the gospel of Christ.
Living the performance trap vs living the life of grace. We can be oblivious that we are living the performance trap. DA Horton in his desire to see others live the life of grace, exposes how he recognized his life living in the performance trap. He shares his painful story of his relationship with his father (that is now redeemed by grace) and how that trajectory lead him to live a life of performance which leads to bitterness, despair, fear, all things that are not related to living in the fruit of the gospel. How do you respond to the lack of affirmation? What does your heart focus on? How you answer these questions can determine if you are living on the track of performance.
Being captured by grace, we are able to work out our salvation when it comes to the issues of the heart such as forgiveness and selfishness. We can't help but give it away that we love others as God has loved us. Horton does not pit truth against grace but expresses that truth is founded in grace.
I was encouraged by this read because I have myself on the performance treadmill many times. It is a slow process but the process is worth it. I also enjoyed learning about the man DA Horton and the city that he loves. It is always fun to know something familiar as street names and places and that people have a heart for their city that is yours as well. If you find yourself in this performance minded track and maybe you think are free from it. (I find that this is a continuous battle for Christians and myself included) that this may be just want you need to get yourself on the right track of grace. It is heaven on earth. As the song says, How sweet the sound!
A Special Thank You to Tyndale House Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
Living the performance trap vs living the life of grace. We can be oblivious that we are living the performance trap. DA Horton in his desire to see others live the life of grace, exposes how he recognized his life living in the performance trap. He shares his painful story of his relationship with his father (that is now redeemed by grace) and how that trajectory lead him to live a life of performance which leads to bitterness, despair, fear, all things that are not related to living in the fruit of the gospel. How do you respond to the lack of affirmation? What does your heart focus on? How you answer these questions can determine if you are living on the track of performance.
Being captured by grace, we are able to work out our salvation when it comes to the issues of the heart such as forgiveness and selfishness. We can't help but give it away that we love others as God has loved us. Horton does not pit truth against grace but expresses that truth is founded in grace.
I was encouraged by this read because I have myself on the performance treadmill many times. It is a slow process but the process is worth it. I also enjoyed learning about the man DA Horton and the city that he loves. It is always fun to know something familiar as street names and places and that people have a heart for their city that is yours as well. If you find yourself in this performance minded track and maybe you think are free from it. (I find that this is a continuous battle for Christians and myself included) that this may be just want you need to get yourself on the right track of grace. It is heaven on earth. As the song says, How sweet the sound!
A Special Thank You to Tyndale House Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
April 25, 2016
I wanted to talk a little about bound to be free book. The title itself made me want to read it because as Children of God, when you first give your life to Christ you don’t quite know how to walk out being free in Christ although the bible tells us we have it through Christ. I love grace. This books deals with the subject matter of grace and what I like most about it, is that it does not just talk about grace, that we are not perfect, we sin, God forgives but how to walk it grace and what grace truly means according to the bible. I loved the different parts and how it was broken down. The perfectionism Tram and where we actually do and encounter that makes this a trap of perfectionism. So of which you may not even know falls under that trap which is quite interesting because you are being set free just learning about that. I won’t spoil the details and insights too much here. The second section which is really liberating is the Trap of God’s grace. Who want to know you are wrong but don’t know what to do to get it right? No one I’d hope so this sections talks and shows you how to escape the trap of perfectionism. This reminds me of the scripture that the bible speaks of God always providing a way of escape for us.
I also enjoyed that this book is not just a read but it gives scriptures so you can learn, grow and be fed enough though it is a book to read. I always look for Christian books to have enough scripture so that you can back up what you are saying. I really enjoyed this book and the insight into becoming free. The word of God says that we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free. This freedom the book talks about is not something that we need to earn but is freely given to us through God’s Amazing Grace and we just need to tap into it.
I received a free copy of this book for my honest opinion of this title.
Thanks,
Your book blogger Toccara.
I also enjoyed that this book is not just a read but it gives scriptures so you can learn, grow and be fed enough though it is a book to read. I always look for Christian books to have enough scripture so that you can back up what you are saying. I really enjoyed this book and the insight into becoming free. The word of God says that we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free. This freedom the book talks about is not something that we need to earn but is freely given to us through God’s Amazing Grace and we just need to tap into it.
I received a free copy of this book for my honest opinion of this title.
Thanks,
Your book blogger Toccara.
March 9, 2016
We're busy “for the Lord.” But might that really mean we are trying to win God's approval and love? Maybe we've been caught in the performance trap.
Horton shares his own experience of working hard for God, then being broken and being freed from the performance trap. He wants us to learn from his mistakes and be captured by God's grace, as he has been.
His book is in two parts. We are taken through the various aspects of the performance trap in the first part. We learn to identify it and how to work through various pitfalls. The second part of the book concentrates on the freedom we have in Christ. This is not unbridled freedom. “The freedom we have in Christ comes with the responsibility to live within the framework of the boundaries that God lovingly has set up for us.” Horton also helps us understand and live in the identity we have in Christ.
Horton has given us a good personal account of his experiences with solid teaching on what he has learned. I really liked his discussion about love based on performance and the unconditional love of God.
This book may appeal to young career age Christians as Horton mentions many people and experiences in the world of rap music. As an older reader, I did not recognize many of the individuals. But that did not detract from the essence of the book.
I recommend this book to those who are tired of striving for perfection, tired of striving for God's approval and love. This book will help you leave that behind and walk instead on the path of a balanced relationship with Christ. It is full of personal stories and is very readable.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
Horton shares his own experience of working hard for God, then being broken and being freed from the performance trap. He wants us to learn from his mistakes and be captured by God's grace, as he has been.
His book is in two parts. We are taken through the various aspects of the performance trap in the first part. We learn to identify it and how to work through various pitfalls. The second part of the book concentrates on the freedom we have in Christ. This is not unbridled freedom. “The freedom we have in Christ comes with the responsibility to live within the framework of the boundaries that God lovingly has set up for us.” Horton also helps us understand and live in the identity we have in Christ.
Horton has given us a good personal account of his experiences with solid teaching on what he has learned. I really liked his discussion about love based on performance and the unconditional love of God.
This book may appeal to young career age Christians as Horton mentions many people and experiences in the world of rap music. As an older reader, I did not recognize many of the individuals. But that did not detract from the essence of the book.
I recommend this book to those who are tired of striving for perfection, tired of striving for God's approval and love. This book will help you leave that behind and walk instead on the path of a balanced relationship with Christ. It is full of personal stories and is very readable.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
January 28, 2016
It is so easy to get fooled into thinking that you have to complete a certain amount of tasks before you make God's "Good List." It is reminiscent of getting a gold star for doing your homework in school. This is completely wrong, and D. A. Horton shares the reasons why and how to escape this trap in Bound to be Free.
First off, there was a lot I had to take in because this is something I face constantly. I too often push the concept of doing God's work into always doing something. I get to the point that I think I have to actively pursue God's love.
Horton uses TRAP as an acronym to explain why it is bad to live based on performance, trying to earn God's, and people's, affection. He then uses it to explain that God loves us unconditionally and how we need to live in His grace and work with others instead of trying to be like, or better than, they are.
Horton wrote this book so that reading it seems like you're sitting across from him while he talks. He doesn't give the impression that he is perfect, in fact, he admits and shares his mistakes in learning to stay out of the performance trap. It was an informative and encouraging book to read.
I received a free copy of Bound to be Free from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for this review.
First off, there was a lot I had to take in because this is something I face constantly. I too often push the concept of doing God's work into always doing something. I get to the point that I think I have to actively pursue God's love.
Horton uses TRAP as an acronym to explain why it is bad to live based on performance, trying to earn God's, and people's, affection. He then uses it to explain that God loves us unconditionally and how we need to live in His grace and work with others instead of trying to be like, or better than, they are.
Horton wrote this book so that reading it seems like you're sitting across from him while he talks. He doesn't give the impression that he is perfect, in fact, he admits and shares his mistakes in learning to stay out of the performance trap. It was an informative and encouraging book to read.
I received a free copy of Bound to be Free from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for this review.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews