"Do not be drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit." The Apostle Paul.
When the Spirit leads you, when He completely influences and controls your life, you will experience freedom, as it is written, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." It is also written, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourself be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom--never burdensome pressure, never passivity of mind or will.
You can distinguish the influence of demonic spirits from the leading of the Spirit by this very thing:
freedom.
Demons try to possess and oppress us.
The Spirit fills us and liberates us.
As we saw in part one, if you pursue love, you are pursuing a goal that the Spirit will lead you in. The same is true for freedom, or self-control. If you pursue self-control, or if you pursue encouraging others to be free or self-controlled, the Spirit will lead you in that.
Love people, and the Spirit will lead you in loving them.
Liberate and empower people, and the Spirit will lead you in that.
If I am trying to figure out how to best love my wife, I can ask her, and the Spirit, and they both will lead me in loving her. And I'll know it. God is love. If I love my wife successfully, then I know the Spirit of Love is leading me.
If I am serving my wife, seeking to liberate and empower her, the Spirit of Liberty will lead me.
The same is true for you.
Love liberates, and liberation is an act of love. These two are one. So whether you focus on loving or liberating, you will feel the Spirit leading you.
Do you want to know the Spirit is leading you?
If so, pray this prayer with me,
"God, please lead me by your Spirit as I seek to love and liberate those in my life. In Jesus name, amen."
Let me know how the Spirit has led you in the comments.
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