Activated abilities contain a colon. They’re generally written “[Cost]: [Effect].” Some keyword abilities are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder text. Triggered abilities (starting with “when,” “whenever,” or “at”) are unaffected by Lawmage’s Binding.

Once a creature has attacked or blocked, casting Lawmage’s Binding won’t remove that creature from combat. Similarly, once a creature’s ability has been activated, casting Lawmage’s Binding won’t counter that ability.