Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
Sunday morning is often the time when the Body of Christ meet together to worship the Lord, receive edification and encourage one another. The Lord graciously opens the windows of heaven and pours out a blessing. When we receive revelation and encouragement in our spirit, we then have to allow the Holy Spirit to work it in to our circumstances in the school of life, (the rest of the week). The Holy Spirit can give us revelation at any time, whether it is in our every day circumstances or in a Gathering, He communes with us and reveals His truths, but we then have to take that revelation and allow the Holy Spirit to work it into our lives in practice and then it becomes truth to us personally.
A man travelling towards his destination does not sit under a signpost that says “This is the way,” and claim he has arrived. In the same way I can speak of some great revelation the Lord has shown me, but if I have not yielded to the Holy Spirit and allowed Him to work it into my life, it is meaningless. As it has often been said – Ineffectiveness has a very loud voice – “I can’t hear what you say for the noise of what you are!”
The Psalmist wrote of the children of Israel in their desert wanderings, “They limited the Holy One…” What an amazing statement to think that man can limit the Unlimited One! How? By my choices. When I murmur and complain, react instead of respond to circumstances in my everyday life, I grieve the Holy spirit and limit the life of the Indwelling Christ within me. We all do it because we all have a will in certain matters. Jesus sacrificed His own will to do the will of His Father in all things. The devil came to Jesus and found nothing in Him to trip Him up. When I operate in the flesh and react, the devil gets his foothold in the door of my life. But I now have the Holy Spirit of God teaching me, showing me THE WAY, convicting me of my wrong reactions. I can learn to be a quick repenter when He convicts me, humble myself before Him, yield to His promptings in the School of the Spirit and as I learn to walk in humility, He makes the changes in my life as the Indwelling Christ is released in me to live His life through me – Christ in me, the hope of glory – God’s glory!
Jesus said “The kingdom of God is within you,” Luke 17:21, but I must tap into it, walk in humility to release it. The Holy Spirit is the great Enabler in my life and I must allow Him to transform me by renewing my mind – the way I think about things. Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..”
There is a line of a song, “I left my load at Calvary, where Jesus died for you and me,
And then there came a peace so sweet when I left my load of sin at Jesus’ feet.”
This is a wonderful truth, but how often do we drag the load back into our lives again to re-examine it and carry the burden once more. “Stand fast in the liberty that Christ has made you free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage!”
The Holy Spirit is our Teacher, we are the students. A child who never listens, never learns. Jesus encourages us, “Come unto me…….Learn of me,”Matthew 11:28-30.
Matthew 6:33 Jesus teaches us, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” “Seek ye first,” is the greater but I often bring “the lesser” to God first, my petition in prayer without fulfilling the “greater” first. If I put other things before God then my life is “out of order,” producing adverse consequences. If this is your present lot, do not be discouraged, God has not finished with you yet, see it as a learning curve in the School of the Spirit. Progress requires change, and the Holy Spirit is drawn to those who walk in humility, for it is the very nature of Christ. Allow Him to renew your mind, the way you think about things, and you will be transformed as you bow to the power of the resurrected Christ in your life.
Jesus said that the kingdom of God is within us, (Luke 17:21). Jesus wants to reign in my heart, if my heart is yielded to Him in humility, I will seek Him first and His kingdom will flow out through me and the life of Christ will be extended to others, bringing glory to our Father. Seated with Christ in heavenly places, this is where eagle Christians soar above the circumstances of life. Attitude determines altitude.
Psalm 103 reminds us to bless the Lord and forget not all His benefits. There are tremendous benefits for the child of God who seeks first, and submits to, the kingdom of God. An obedient child is a happy and contented one.
Proverbs 10:22 “The blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it.” The joy of God is independent of my circumstances, a divine infusion of His presence as I learn to dwell in the “secret place” of intimacy with Him, learning to let Him lead, putting all trust in Him. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.”
