February 1st

One month down already! Can you believe it?? Before you know it, we will be getting ready for Christmas again!! This year let’s make it a point to recheck our maps frequently to make sure we are on God’s course, not ours. Have we drifted off course yet? Do we need to cut anything loose? Are we still dragging something along with us that we could just leave on the altar? Surrender is so freeing! When we step into the presence of the Holy Spirit, we can just let go of everything and experience peace and freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Are you striving to do the right thing or to stop doing the wrong things? Don’t jump back on that train. Remember, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Freedom from the wrong is found there in the Spirit. It is not by our own strength or will power that we stop doing wrong things. We only need to get in the Spirit and stay in the Spirit and we will find freedom there from the sins. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to transform us back into the image of God. WE can’t do it.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

It all comes from the Lord, the Holy Spirit. We have to abide in Him and He will do it in us. Without Him we can do nothing. He is the vine and we are the branches, we need to stay connected to Him.

John 15:4-5 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

We have to remain in Him, not wander off and then find our way back. Not check in every once in a while. Not occasionally check the compass heading. Our focus needs to be on Him, on remaining in Him, on getting as close to Him as we possibly can get. We shouldn’t focus on removing sin, we should focus an getting close to Jesus. His presence should be our focus.

It’s a whole package deal too, the Holy Spirit doesn’t do just half the job. The Holy Spirit, removes the ugly sin but He also moves us to obedience. Look at Ezekiel 36, He is talking here about the work that the Holy Spirit will do in us.

Ezekiel 36:25-27 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

HE removes the junk AND gives us the strength and motivation to obey and carefully follow His commands. Well, if it all falls on the Holy Spirit to do that in us, what do we do? What is OUR responsibility?

Surrender and believe. We have to believe/have faith and we have to surrender ourselves to Him. As we head into a new month, let us examine our focus, attitudes and actions and make sure that we are headed on a course to get closer to Him, NOT one that seeks to remove sin or achieve good works.

Jesus, Thank you for your grace and mercy. Holy Spirit, thank you that you don’t leave us who we are but you work to transform us back into your image. Help me to remember to keep my focus on being near to you and staying in your presence instead of the do’s and don’ts. It is so easy to get caught back up in the wrong mindset. Thank you that in you I have freedom and help me to stay in that spot.