Let Him Free Ya!!
Tidbit Text: 1 Corinthians 3:17 – "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and
where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
Have you ever wanted to stand up and sing along with the church choir, but
you decided not to because no one else was standing? Have you ever resisted the
urge to lift your hands up to the Lord because you thought that others might
think you were crazy? Have you ever toned/calmed down your praise and worship
in the car because you thought that the driver in the next lane might laugh at
you? In every last one of these scenarios, I can answer "yes." Isn’t
it funny how we are always so concerned about what man thinks, and not about
what the One who blesses us with life thinks. But something miraculous always
happens when we give the Lord first place in our hearts, when we dare to be
different, when we step out without caring what other people think, when we
focus on Glory.
This past Sunday in church, as the choir was singing the Lord said to me,
"You know, you can stand up." I hesitated for a minute because no one
else in the congregation was standing, plus Eddie and I were visitors. But then
I rebuked that devil, stood up and starting clapping and singing with the
choir. Do you know what happened? Within what seemed about 10 seconds, the
pastor stood up and motioned for the entire congregation to stand. It was
beautiful. Everyone was on his/her feet giving honor and praise to the Most
High God.
Our tidbit text tells us that if we open up to the Lord, He will free us. He
will liberate us. Most of the time, we think we have to feel all warm and fuzzy
all over before we can open up and praise the Lord. But sometimes we have to
just step out there and meet the Lord–usher His Holy Spirit into our hearts and
minds. Even if you don’t feel like standing, stand anyhow. The Lord will honor
your willingness to seek Him.
When we resist the prompting of the Holy Spirit, when we refuse to open
ourselves up to Him, when we concern ourselves more with what Sister So and So
is thinking, we grieve the Holy Spirit because we are supposed to be operating
under the Glory of the New Covenant.
On the other hand, the Israelites operated under the old covenant. In Exodus
33:18-23, even though Moses wanted the Lord’s glory to be revealed to him, he
had to settle for seeing God’s back. "[Y]ou cannot see my face, for no one
may see me and live" (20th, NIV). And in Exodus 34:33-35 and 2
Corinthians 3:13, after spending time with the Lord, Moses veiled his face so
the people couldn’t see God’s radiant glory. He was not bold in the Lord. But
Hallelujah, 2 Corinthians 3:12 tells us that "since we have such a hope,
we are very bold." What is that hope? That HOPE is JESUS!! 2 Corinthians 3:16
says, "[W]henever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."
When Jesus died on the cross for our sins that veil was lifted.
The Word tells us that as soon as Jesus died, "[B]ehold the veil of the
temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake,
and the rocks rent" (Matthew 27:51). In the temple in Jerusalem, only the
high priest could pass through the veil (a massive curtain that separated the
"Most Holy Place"–the place where God’s glory was revealed–from the
rest of the temple). And the high priest was permitted to enter the "Most
Holy Place" only once a year. But when Jesus Christ (the Anointed One and
His Anointing, the Great High Priest) gave His life, that "big ‘ol"
(as my nephew would say) veil was split in two.
Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Seeing then that we
have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of
God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus, the Great High Priest, made it possible for us to boldly enter into
the presence of God, to seek His face and not die but live with Him throughout
all eternity!!! Praise the Lord!!!
In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me." We can’t expect to experience the
Glory of God without welcoming Jesus into our hearts. And we can’t welcome
Jesus without welcoming the Holy Spirit, for (as our tidbit text tells us) He
(the Lord) is the Spirit.
So ask yourselves, "What veils are separating me from the Glory of
God?" The Lord gave me these two to share:
I. SIN/THE PAST
Of course we know that sin is a "big ‘ol" veil that inhibits our
liberty in the Lord. We allow that liar, satan, to keep reminding of us of the
bad things we have done. We let him make us feel that we aren’t worthy to come
into the Lord’s presence. But if you don’t remember anything else, remember
this: Jesus paid it all. Once we allow the Spirit of the Lord to come into our
hearts, and once we ask for forgiveness for our sins, we should let them go.
"Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more," declares the
Lord (Hebrews 10:17, NIV). We should move on so the Lord can begin cleansing
(liberating) us in another area.
Philippians 3:13-14
13 Brethren, I count not
myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things
which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus.
We should want to leave the past behind and press on toward the prize. We
should want to be lifted "from glory to glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
II. TRADITION/LEGALISM
When we do something just because, "That’s the way it’s always been
done," we quench the Holy Spirit. "Making the word of God of none
effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like
things do ye" (Mark 7:13). The NIV reads, "Thus you nullify the word
of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like
that." In this scripture Jesus is showing us just how powerful tradition
is. It binds us, and it "nullifies" the Word of God in our lives. You
might need to ask yourself why you do the things that you do. If it’s just
because daddy used to do it, you may need to reconsider.
Open up and let the Lord do "a new thang" in your life. I just
love it when the choir (or praise team) gets caught up in the Spirit. It’s as
if the members are saying, "Yeah, this ain’t the way we rehearsed it, and
this ain’t the way they sing it on the tape, but this is the way the Holy
Spirit is moving it." And it only takes one person. It could be the
pianist, the soloist, the director or another choir member who is just so
caught up in the Spirit that the whole choir and then the whole church catches
afire.
You just never know what the Spirit of the Lord will do. So let Him free
ya!! I promise–you’ll never be the same again.
Have a blessed week!
P.S. I’m sure that many of you have noticed that on some occasions the
"Thursday Tidbits" have ended up being almost as long as the
"Monday Messages." At first I was a little concerned. But now all I
can say is this: "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
Praise the Lord!!