Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today- March 25, 2014
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. John 3:8
The Spirit of God brings freedom to everyone born of the Spirit. Just as the wind is free to blow in any direction, so we are free to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading. He calls us to prayerfully persist against culture’s prevailing winds. Similar to a sailboat on choppy seas, we ride out the rough waters with the wind of God at our backs. We have freedom to do the right thing, because the Spirit of God empowers our actions. So, we listen for the Lord’s leading and join with Him.
Sometimes the wind of the Spirit blows with the roar of religious revival; other times it barely brushes over our brow in peaceful assurance. Thus, as we remain under the Spirit’s influence, we are free to experience His effects. It’s not doing as we like, but doing what the Lord likes. He likes for us to love, so we love. He likes for us to serve, so we serve. He likes for us to forgive, so we forgive. He likes for us to laugh, so we laugh. Spiritual freedom likes what God likes.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17, NKJV).
Are you free in your faith or bound up in unbelief? Do you feel the freedom to follow the Spirit’s leading, or are you limited by the expectations of others? By faith, you can break out of your shell of fear and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in your life. Behead the tyrant of unbelief with the sword of the Spirit and enlist in the Lord’s army of the faithful. Pray in your heart, “Where- ever He leads, I will follow.” You have been set free from above, so you can live free here below.
Spiritual freedom is a benefit of belief in Jesus, so we seek to steward it responsibly. It is not a pass for poor decision-making, but permission to pursue wise opportunities. We use our spiritual freedom to shun self-indulgence and invest in the needs of others. Yes, by God’s grace, we set up spiritual halfway houses outside the prison gates of hell, so we can love and instruct those who exit eternal damnation. People recently set free need to know how to responsibly use their new freedom. We are freedom fighters in the faith. Spiritual freedom is God’s gift of the Spirit.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Isaiah 61:1, NKJV).
Prayer: Heavenly Father, give me wisdom to use my spiritual freedom under the Spirit’s influence.
Related Readings: Isaiah 40:13; Luke 4:18; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16, 3:1; Galatians 6:1
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Amen, in Jesus name.