"Where the Spirit of the LORD is there is freedom." It is both a Scripture passage and a part of a song I once knew. Understanding this principle takes some work.
How can I be free by following a bunch of rules from thousands of years ago? Actually following the Holy Spirit is more like free-styling than following a list of dos and don'ts.
I used to make a lot of rules for myself to follow, but that is dead religion and not the pathway to Life. In the past, I have tried to punish spontaneity in others. I have insisted on my own way, which was supposedly sanctioned by God.
I was closer to being a Pharisee, than a follower of Jesus. That's how you grieve the Spirit of God and hurt the Son of God and try the patience of our Father in Heaven.
Wisdom comes by asking God for it. He does discipline, but it is for our good. He is LOVE; he grants us grace moment by moment and he promises never to leave us or forsake us. He will not leave us as orphans. Even if our parents forsake us, He will not.
No weapon honed whether in the fires of hell or in the workshop of the world, will be any match for the Sword of the Spirit. We are called to Battle, but it is a battle for our minds and hearts. What will we think about? Who will we give our fears to? Do we desire freedom enough to endure pain for a season?
He whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Following the Holy Spirit will lead us sometimes through the Valley of the Shadow, but other times to breathtaking vistas. He will never lead us where we are not willing to go, but we might end up circling the same mountain for ten to twenty years if we are as stubborn as I was.
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