Spring Cleaning

2 Corinthians 3:17 NLT
For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

When I was a young boy living at home my mother would clean the house every week. The home always looked clean.

But once a year as the season changed from the cold of Winter to the warm gentleness of Spring she would do a Spring cleaning. This is when all the furniture was moved and everything was cleaned. Any dirt hiding away was discovered and removed.

We are free in our spirit. Holy Spirit, Christ within lives in us. Therefore because His spirit lives in us there is freedom.

So why are we still bound to things of this world? Why don't we feel free from the burdens of this life? We have Jesus in us and with Him comes freedom.

Yes, that is true. But. There is a "but" and it has to do with our soul and our mind. Our spirit is one with Holy Spirit and perfect in every way. Our soul and mind are still living much of the old life.

Our soul needs cleansing and our mind needs renewing so we have the mind of Christ. Then we will fully experience total freedom.

On the outside we may look clean and free. Our talk is life giving and others are touched by Jesus as we encourage them and pray for them. But to be totally cleansed like that Spring cleaning we must set aside what we are holding on to from this worldly life and give it all to God.

"Father God. Help me to clean house. Show me what I have not turned over to you. I desire the total freedom You have for me to experience. Thank you for sending me Holy Spirit to save my spirit. Help me to become more Christ like each day and to have the mind of Christ. In Jesus name, I pray."

Impossible

Hebrews 11:6 NLT
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

We are all given the measure of faith we need to do whatever has to be done. After all, didn't Jesus tell us that all it takes is the faith the size of a mustard seed? With the measure of faith which is the same for everyone, we reach out and ask Jesus into our heart. We become a believer.

Holy Spirit, the spirit of Christ comes and joins our spirit. We have the anointing of Jesus in us. We have His faith. Now we need to get our mind to wrap around that fact. Then we can begin to die to all those things and activities that our soul likes.

As we die to our old self and fill our mind and soul with truth, we begin to see Jesus flowing through us in our words and actions. His love begins to flow through us because He is in us. And as we go forth in his Great Commission and lay hands on the sick, He comes upon us and we see them recover.

"Thank you, Father. Thank You for saving my spirit and for showing me daily how to walk closer to you. For renewing my mind and showing me what of my old life to get rid of as I become more and more like you in my thoughts and my actions. Thank you for making the impossible possible. In Jesus name. Amen"

If God says it

It is not the words we say that count. It is our willingness to say them. Holy Spirit might be prompting us to say something and we hear it, but we hold back the words. The person who should hear them doesn't. And we miss a blessing by not opening our mouth. It is as we go that we grow. If God says it, say it!

Lined Up

When we think that a message given is great ask this question: Does it line up with our theology or with God's word? That leads us to another question. And maybe we need to rethink our theology. Often what we "know" is based more on what we grew up with that we assume is Bible based.

Dead to Sin

1 Peter 2:24 NLT
He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

Why do we still worry so much about sin? Worry itself is not of God. So every worrisome thought is out of our own head, perhaps even influenced by the enemy. He would just love it if we spent our time worrying about what we should or should not do. We can get so wrapped up in it that we miss the opportunities God has for us.

When we believed, the Father sent us Holy Spirit, the spirit of Christ to live in us. No longer is our spirit separated from Jesus. No longer is our spirit capable of sin. Our soul and our mind are a different matter.

Holy Spirit was sent to teach us all things as well as to comfort and guide us into all truth. I believe that as we unknowingly step out into sin, Holy Spirit nudges our conscience and we get that feeling down in our gut that says STOP. Or you do NOT want to make that choice. Or even, HEY you should not have done that, said that, or gone down that path.

Because of the Cross, our sins are forgiven--past, present, and future. I believe that as we realize our errors we need to ask Holy Spirit to help us change our ways. He points out our mistakes and points us in the right direction. He may do this through another person or by leading us to scripture that shows us the truth.

"Thank you, Holy Spirit for leading me into all truth. Thank you for removing all my sin that day on the Cross. Holy Spirit continue to teach me through my daily experiences in this life, continuing to bring my soul and mind into alignment with my renewed spirit. Thank you for giving me the mind of Christ. In Jesus name I pray."

Like a Car

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NLT

Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Imagine a group of cars all the same age. Some are expensive and others are lesser models. They all drive well and are brand new. There is something unique about this group of cars. They all have the same high powered engine.

Over the years the owners of these vehicles take care of the them differently. Some make sure the oil is changed regularly. They rotate the tires and keep the inside and out clean and shiny, just like when they were new.

Others pay less attention to the inside. The outside is as clean as the last rain storm and the inside is piled with empty fast food wrappers and coffee cups. They too change the oil on schedule and have all the maintenance items attended to.

An unfortunate few have had accidents. Some took their insurance checks and went on a cruise instead of getting the car fixed, so the dents are still there and the paint is chipping and rusting.

But the engines in all the cars still run like new filled with power and as such stay ahead of the pack on the super highways. When they zoom by other cars on the road the authority their engines have is evident. 

Does this story remind you of anything? As believers we all have Holy Spirit, the spirit of Christ living within. Our engines are all the same. But what about the vehicle He lives in? Are we taking care of it? Is it in bad shape or kept like new?

There is nothing as powerful or having as much authority as that engine in us--Holy Spirit. And Father God is blessed every time we step out and use what He has given us to help His children.

And it does not matter what our vehicle looks like. It does not matter if parts of it are broken or old or ugly or beautiful. When Jesus comes upon us it is He that is doing the work. It is He that is healing the hurts of other. It is Jesus healing their bodies. It is Jesus that brings freedom.