“Where the Spirit of the Lord there is Liberty” 2 Cor 3:17
Who was Paul writting to in this passage? We can see and understand people who that don’t know Christ are held captive to sin and bondage. This passage of scriture was written for the Christians at Corinth. The rest of the chapter reads:
“18 But we all, with unveiled face [referring to Moses], beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are beingtransformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
What do these to scriptures mean to you?
Where the Spirit of the Lord… This literally means a dwelling place, a location. The where is not an external but an internal dwelling place of the born-again, recreated spirit filled man or woman of God. When we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead we are born-again. We then (should) receive the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts. We then become one with God.
So if our spirit-man is born-again, what about our souls, our mind, our emotions and will? Simply put, we need to renew our mind, to produce the fruit of the spirit (emotions) which in then leads us to do God’s will.
Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed”
Jesus came to set the captives free! This means people who are oppressed by the enemy, held captive by bondage, Christians and non-Christians alike (people!).
So if you are being held captive by lust, perversion, even religious docturine, fear, performance – regardless if you are a Christian or not – Jesus has overcome satan and his schemes of this world to set you free!
Before I gave my life to the Lord, no one had to tell me that I was in bondage. I knew that drugs and alcohol kept me from freedom and liberty. I was held captive by the addictions and I didn’t know how to get set free. I tried what I knew – reading every self-help book I could find, but without the Holy Spirit and the power of God my studying was futile. Bondage can only be broken by the Authority in the Name of Jesus and by the Holy Spirit administering that authority and power!
Even today, some 20 years later, there are things in my mind that keep me from the fullness of God’s will. That is not a ‘human nature’ as many would call it. Human nature is another way the enemy uses to point the finger at yourself and not him! So daily we must surrender to God’s will. We must desire the gifts of the Holy Spirit especially discernment of spirits.
Discernment, in my opinion, is one of the least talked about gifts from the Holy Spirit. In the long and short we have the gift to discern what is coming out of our mouths. If what is in our hearts and what comes out of our mouths is not in line with God’s Word then we need to come against what spirit is talking (more on that later).
For now ponder the scripture 2 Cor 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” Fellowship with the Holy Spirit – He is the Spirit of Truth!
