Romans 8:9
"You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."
"You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."
Freedom involves choice. Choosing to spend time with someone is love because that means we are choosing them instead of other things we could be doing. God has given us complete freedom. He has choosen us (Matthew 11:27-28), yet at any time we can choose to walk away from Him, and He will let us go. His love for us us so great that He will let us turn from Him.
Turning from Him often means turning into dangerous territory. A co-worker of mine says like telling an alcoholic he can have a little beer, but not whiskey or wine. Our human nature is drawn to sin. When we choose to turn away from Him we are choosing to sin. Eventhough, it doesn't appear that way to us at the moment. It is wise to remember that Satan has a goal and purpose in enticing us to commit little sins. His purpose is to ensnare us and lead us away from God to destroy us (John 10:10).
Since turning away from God is harmful, it would seem that God should do more to make us stay, or compel us to linger with Him. It would seem that would be how He could demonstrate His love for us. Therefore, it is easy for us to misinterpret our freedom as His disinterest. When we are contemplating turning from God and we don't feel like He is pursuing us, we may feel like we are not worth His time, or that He is not interested in us. However, by faith (Hebrews 11:1) we can know that He never leaves us or forsakes us. If we turn back to Him we will find Him standing in the same place where we left Him. He is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13), always waiting for us to return. He is secure, He is steady, He is unmoveable, a Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4, ), the Chief Cornerstone (Psalm 118:22).
Like the hymn says:
"On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand."
Hallelujah!
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for our freedom. Give me the strength to choose You and turn from sin.
Read More:
John 8:34-36
Action Plan(James 1:22 & 25):
Decide to have prayer time everyday. If you miss a day, make another decision to start again. Don't give up!
