If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed —John 8:36
If there is even a trace of individual self-satisfaction left in us, it always says, "I can’t surrender," or "I can’t be free." But the spiritual part of our being never says "I can’t"; it simply soaks up everything around it. Our spirit hungers for more and more. It is the way we are built. We are designed with a great capacity for God, but sin, our own individuality, and wrong thinking keep us from getting to Him. God delivers us from sin— we have to deliver ourselves from our individuality. This means offering our natural life to God and sacrificing it to Him, so He may transform it into spiritual life through our obedience.
God pays no attention to our natural individuality in the development of our spiritual life. His plan runs right through our natural life. We must see to it that we aid and assist God, and not stand against Him by saying, "I can’t do that." God will not discipline us; we must discipline ourselves. God will not bring our "arguments . . . and every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5 )— we have to do it. Don’t say, "Oh, Lord, I suffer from wandering thoughts." Don’t suffer from wandering thoughts. Stop listening to the tyranny of your individual natural life and win freedom into the spiritual life.
"If the Son makes you free . . . ." Do not substitute Savior for Son in this passage. The Savior has set us free from sin, but this is the freedom that comes from being set free from myself by the Son. It is what Paul meant in Galatians 2:20 when he said, "I have been crucified with Christ . . . ." His individuality had been broken and his spirit had been united with his Lord; not just merged into Him, but made one with Him. ". . . you shall be free indeed"— free to the very core of your being; free from the inside to the outside. We tend to rely on our own energy, instead of being energized by the power that comes from identification with Jesus.
I had a prolonged session with God last night. on how to love people truly. esp when it comes to guys that either i have an interest in or have an interest in me. it's one tricky area where it's easy to stumble and like what therie says, it can be source of temptation whether or not i'm attached and the only way to fortify myself is with the truth of God. God and me have come up with 2 simple steps to love people (though i think it's more of God's idea and me agreeing. )
1. Pray for them continually.
for them to know Christ, to have salvation, to experience God's saving grace. Each name that i pray through, Lord i know you have ordained for me to intercede for.
2. Pray for myself continually
to guard my heart, as well as for the Holy Spirit to search my heart and motivations. I will not waltz towards any guy without being sure that i can love God more than him and him more than myself.
Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight with evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13
Love is to protect the other party. Love is to trust that God will take care of everyone of us; i do not have to play "Messiah" to save anyone. Love is hope, that i look to God to make things right. Love will cause me to persevere in all of the above.