The Spiritual Liberty of Light

 

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is; there is liberty" (2 Corinthians 3:17 NASB).

Dawn lights the beginning of each new day for those fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of it. Dawn first sees darkness clothed with bright stars surrounded by light, as the darkness fades light expands into a new day (Isaiah 9:2-3).

The Holy Spirit takes us out of darkness igniting our perception in order to catch the light of the message of Jesus Christ. Just as a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly believers transform by the light of the Spirit. The providence of spiritual enlightenment is a natural process when the Spirit indwells and filled us. The filling of God's Spirit enables us to carry out our purpose under any circumstance, however it does not mean life is without tensions. It does not mean that we are free from our internal duality.

Pondering:

I've been a Christian all of my life. How come I can't let go of bitterness? Sometimes, I feel like I'm not a very good Christian.

Coaching:

We have two opposing natures, our spiritual nature and our sin nature, these two opposing forces are in constant battle one against the other both determined to be the victor; a battled that wages in us until death. 

The Holy Spirit indwelling and filling us means we are given tools to cope, a will to stand tall, and peace in the middle of inevitable storms when trials touch our life.

Many of us were raised in Christian homes with good parents who took us to Church and taught us to live high-quality lives. Even though we are influenced by childhood, the eventually of our life choices are not based on the effect our parents had on us. We make a choice to totally surrender to Christ or to give Him a part of our heart. Depending on those carefully selected choices, we inherit their potential outcomes.

Both God and Satan are usually involved in the suffering of Christians. God's purpose is to purify and strengthen us. He wants to make us better. Satan's purpose is to pervert and weaken us. He wants to make us bitter. Some of us struggle with looking toward the light of Jesus in order to find our purpose. A few find their purpose early-on however most of us waver in our relationship with Christ by taking control of our life back from Him. The Spirit speaks but we are determined to be in control therefore, we cannot hear His voice. The message our sin nature cleverly sends in that we need to be in control, it feels natural.

When we take back control we become stuck in an endless middle ground wondering aimlessly without any control at all and without purpose. So, what is it going to be . . .better or bitter? The answer is in the choice of a willingness to give up bitterness to become better through the providential light of the Spirit. He will help us release whatever is holding us back in order to be better instead of bitter by His regenerating work of filling us with a new purpose (1 Thessalonians 4:8)

"The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a Light dawned" (Isaiah 9:2-3 NASB).

When we hold onto bitterness we take control out of God's hands placing ourselves back in darkness. When we surrender ourselves completely to His control He gives us the wisdom to understand what control really means. It means, by releasing bitterness we are unchained in order to walk in enlightenment and understanding. God's control means our life is exactly where He wants it to be; He is preparing us for our lives objectives. None of us will ever find our true resolve until we surrender bitterness and our desire to be in control to the one who controls the cosmos.

 The Road to Liberty:

• Suffering make us mature (James 1:1-15)
• Scripture study makes us mature (James 1:16-25)
• Sincerity makes us mature (James 2:1-13)
• Service makes us mature (James 2:14-26)
• Sound speech makes us mature (James 3:1-18; 1:26-27)
• Submission makes us mature (James 4:1-17)
• Simplicity makes us mature (James 5:1-6)
• Steadfastness makes us mature (James 5:7-11)
• Soul winning makes us mature (James 5:19-20)
• Supplication makes us mature (James 5:12-18)

How can we learn endurance unless our patience is tried, trials produce endurance making us better not bitter. Ultimately, God's purpose is that we become mature through suffering in order to learn how to become peaceful in the middle of trails.

Challenge:

Are you ready to visit dawns' light even when darkness surrounds the light in your life? Are you willing to shed your bitterness like a caterpillar so you can transform into a butterfly? I challenge you to walk the road of endurance through the Holy Spirit, let Him guide you toward - - The Spiritual Liberty of Light.