FREE AT LAST!

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Now the Lord is the Spirit, 
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 
(2 Corinthians 3:17)

MEDITATION:
There is a great feeling of relief 
whenever anyone accepts the salvation from God.
We feel the powerful impact 
of no longer being enslaved to the things that control us.
We were weary of being imprisoned physically, emotionally, 
mentally, or some other way.
Whenever something controls us and prevents us from doing the good we want 
to do, we feel the restrictive power of being a slave to something or someone.

The good news is, 
the Lord offers freedom to all who invite Him into their lives.
God sends the Holy Spirit 
directly into the hearts of those who are saved (His sons).
Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, 
the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6)

Why does the scripture tell us that His Spirit is sent ‘into our hearts’?
Because everything about us emanates from our hearts.
When our mind creates ungodly thoughts, it is because our hearts are corrupt.
The Psalmist said at least two times that we become fools 
and cannot do good when our hearts are corrupt.
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, 
their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. (Psalm 14:1, 53:1)

Notice he didn’t say, “The fool says in his mind”, he says “in his heart”.
We are not only blessed when the Lord’s Spirit lives in our hearts, 
but we need His Spirit if we are ever going to experience true freedom.
He frees us from the control of sin and worldly things, so we 
can live an enjoyable and less stressful life in close fellowship with Him.

We should never forget that even when the Spirit of the Lord is living in 
our hearts, Satan will be relentless in His attempts to enslave us once again.
Paul reminds us of how evil is constantly on the attack.
So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, 
evil is right there with me. (Romans 7:21)

That means that even while we are enjoying our freedom, 
we should never let our guard down.
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around 
like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

If we fail to allow the Lord’s Spirit to live in our hearts and control our 
minds, then we are susceptible to these relentless attacks from the evil one.
I had a friend who was often reminding me of how we are blessed by the Lord.
We played softball together, but when we ended up on different teams 
and attended different churches, we didn’t see each other very often for years.

After several years, we had an opportunity to play a game together and, 
as we were talking before the game, instead of mentioning the blessings 
of the Lord, he showed an internal anger and freely used profanity 
that I never expected from him.

His foul language wasn’t directed toward me, 
but he didn’t sound like someone who had the Spirit of the Lord in his heart.
It was a reminder to me that our language 
is a reflection (either real or perceived by others) of the Spirit 
in our heart, so as people of faith, we need to guard our tongues.

I wondered, “What has happened since I saw you the last time?”
When I tried to ask him about it, he quickly shut me off 
and made it obvious that he was not going to discuss it with me.
We enjoyed the rest of the time together, 
but I still had many questions and concerns about this change in him.

ACTION:
Have you experienced the freedom that only the Spirit of the Lord can provide?
Are you still living in bondage to the unrighteous control of anything?
If so, then ask the Lord to either send His Spirit into your heart,
or to revitalize His Spirit that has already been sent into your heart.
If your heart has His Spirit, 
then you will experience His presence in your mind as well.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for anything I may have done or am doing 
that prevents Your Spirit from flourishing in me. Thank You for sending 
the Spirit of the Lord to all who believe and submit to Your Lordship. I 
pray that You will help me in my efforts to let Your Spirit live actively 
in my heart so that I can experience true freedom that only You can 
provide. Thank You for Your protection from the evil one. Guard my 
heart so that my mind will be free of sinful thoughts.”

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