MAY,
2000 "Freedom"
Love Lesson
-(May, 2000)
"It is for
freedom that Christ has set us free."
The apostle
Paul makes this statement in the Bible, the book of Galatians,
Chapter 5 and verse 1. Do you wish you could be free? Free from
the pain and destruction of sin? Oh yes, sin is pleasurable…why
else do we do it!!! But the pleasure is fleeting and the consequences
are great.
But these
sinful desires are contrary to the life of God that we can live
in the Spirit. Do you ever feel at war within yourself? Well,
you are in an ongoing conflict. It is obvious when the victor
is our sinful nature because we act out such things as: sexual
immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft,
hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions,
factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and similar things. Oh, there
are so many choices of sin. We all know them too well.
But do we
have to sin? NO!!! When we give our life to Christ, His Holy Spirit
comes into our spirit and gives us new life and new strength and
power over sin. We need His power because we know that our own
willpower has no long-term power over sin. This new power over
sin comes directly from God because Jesus conquered sin and paid
its price for us.
We once were
slaves to sin and really had no choice or ability to stand against
it. But now we have freedom in Christ and we can choose. The rest
of Galatians 5:1 says "It is for freedom that Christ has set us
free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened
again by a yoke of slavery."
Whom or what
you choose to serve, you become a slave to… SO choose God, choose
life and choose to no longer walk in sin, but let the Holy Spirit
grow the peaceable fruit of righteousness in you.
My prayer
for you is to be free and full of the fruit of the Spirit which
is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. Oh, how much better these sound than
the first list of our sins!!!!
If you desire
to live by the Spirit of God and not be a slave to fleshly and
sinful pleasures pray this out loud right now. "God, I want to
be free. I accept the freedom that Jesus Christ gives me. I ask
You to put Your Holy Spirit in me and give me life. I choose You,
God. I ask You to fill me full of the fruit of the Spirit, --
especially give me Your LOVE.
Be blessed
in Jesus
Love, Patty
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