2 Corinthians 3:17


Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom ~ 2 Corinthians 3:17

I was recently asked if I had ever heard of the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit,” which greatly surprised me as I, perhaps unreasonably, assumed all Christian’s would know the Holy Spirit comes upon those who call in faith on Jesus’ Name. This person spoke to me as though it was an anomaly that she felt the Holy Spirit within her. To possess the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour is to possess the Holy Spirit, for He is the presence of Christ in our soul. And He gives freedom from the veil which covers the eyes through prejudice in an unbeliever. Once that veil is lifted, we are set free, not to “do as we like”, but we are set free to love as Christ loved. The Law is unforgiving. It knows nothing of mercy and forgiveness. The law cannot bring us into relationship with God, for when we live by the law we see only in black and white, right from wrong, do this and live and do not do this and die. Through the Spirit, we are free in our access to God, no longer needing a High Priest to advocate for us, for our High Priest is Jesus Christ himself. We are free to take on the very essence of Jesus Christ, to be granted the privilege of having His mind and nature as the Spirit transforms us. If we have the Spirit of God our body is dead because of sin, but our soul is alive because God’s Spirit resides therein. Therein is our real freedom, for there is no state which we may encounter which can bind or enslave our soul when we live in Christ and He lives in us.
Devotion by Pastor Julia

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for your comments

Popular posts from this blog

Proverbs 18:2

Image
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in sharing their own opinions ~ Proverbs 18:2 If we are going to understand something, we must fully digest it so that when we speak, we speak with wisdom. When we have only half truths in our mind, our words become empty and senseless. We then puff out air rather than understanding when we speak. A wise person will want to improve their mind through learning in various ways from the world around them. A person who delights in spiritual understanding will find peace and enjoyment in reading the Word of God on a daily basis, and in participating with God’s people in a learning and praising environment – the church! We come together in corporate worship with the understanding that not one of us knows all things, but we bend our mind and heart to learn what God has to show and say to us. A foolish person makes a show of what they “know” to please their friends or to save face in front of them. More often a wise person will hold t
Read more

Romans 8:26

Image
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans ~ Romans 8:26 Many days, many times, I have the words for prayer. It comes forth and flows fairly naturally as I converse with my Lord God. I hope in the God I worship to hear me, and to receive my words, as I pray in the name of Jesus and believe in Him, my intercessor. He is my Living Saviour, my High Priest, standing at the right hand of God the Father. But there are times when my pain has been so deep that my words will not come. There are times when my agony is so piercing that what words I may speak would not be enough. And so, in my deep, black moments, I come before my God and let my darkest emotions erupt in sounds that only He can understand. The Holy Spirit within me cries out in my stead, and He becomes my second intercessor. It is not that He is not there with me in all my prayers, but there are times wh
Read more

Isaiah 43:19

Image
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert ~ Isaiah 43:19 When we meet a challenge, we are often found discouraged, lost, even hopeless. Nothing is working, everything seems to be against us. We do not know how to move forward, so we remain curled up in a ball. Then, a glimmer of light shines through! Hope is regained and movement is stirred within. Don’t we become excited when we begin to feel it? God moves like that. We cannot see our way around it, but He can and does. And He makes a way for us out of the calamity of our fears. It is the feeling of springtime after a long winter, or the smell of fresh cut grass. Life stirs within and we move and we see what God saw all the time – the answer to our dilemma. Our desert place becomes an oasis, and we can do what we are called to do. Something totally unexpected happens, something unheard of, but it begins in our life, and we feel the
Read more