Keeping Liberty

True freedom is being loosed from the bondage and power of sin and of the spirits of this world. Deliverance is another word for freedom. ‘Liberty’ is yet another word for freedom: “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (II Co. 3:17). The baptism of the holy Ghost is the experience that delivers one from the dominion of sin and of the spirits of this world, and it also is the means by which one comes under dominion to Jesus. Our calling is to receive the Spirit and to serve Jesus, meaning that we come under his dominion and live according to the leading of his Spirit (Rom. 8:14). God’s Spirit leads us in the opposite direction of sin and of the demonic spiritual forces that rule the minds and spirits of most people in this world (Gal. 5:17; Eph. 2:2; Eph. 6:12). Everyone is going to bear the fruit of whatever spirit rules them and that they follow after. Jesus graphically told us that if we do not bear forth the right kind of fruit, and continue to do so, we will be lost (Mat. 13:40-42; Lk. 8:14; Jn. 15:5,6). The motivation of the "rulers of the darkness of this world” is to lead us away from the leading of God’s Spirit, and back under sin. The most prevalent and successful way that demons accomplish this is to persuade a child of God to be overly connected to, and spend too much time with those who are not being led by the Spirit of God. It doesn’t matter who they are or what their moral standards are, if they are not free from sin and following after God’s Spirit, they are bad company to keep regularly on a voluntary basis. The scripture says we cannot get altogether away from associating with people who are following after sin, so that’s not the motivation. But to choose to be joined together voluntarily with people who are not after God, is just bad judgment.

The apostle Paul admonished us to not be “conformed to this world,” but to rather be “transformed, by the renewing of [our] mind" (Rom. 12:2). He also said, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (I Cor. 15:33). James came directly to the point about this very serious matter, saying, "know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (Jas. 4:4).We cannot frequent the company of people who are walking contrary to God’s Spirit, and not become a partaker of, and come under dominion to, the spirits that rule these people’s minds and spirits. To confirm this point Paul once again said, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? … Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (II Cor. 6:14,15,17). Friend, God wants us to have "no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Eph. 5:11). We simply cannot afford to give up our liberty from sin, to those who are under sin. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Gal. 5:1). We cannot gain anyone to Christ by shunning everyone, but we cannot gain anyone to Christ by becoming a partaker of their sins by consent; which is what happens when we try to join ourselves to the wrong people, and try to mainatin our lot in Christ at the same time. It’s a trick of the devil, and he has used it often and successfully for a very long time. Amen.