Free to Follow the Spirit
Adapted from Hearing from God Each Morning
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom).
Although I have taught many times before on the subject of legalism as a deterrent to a Spirit-led life, I want to elaborate on it more because I believe it is a tremendous hindrance to hearing from God.
I don't believe we can experience joy unless we are led by God's Spirit, and we cannot be led by the Spirit and live under the law simultaneously. A legalistic mentality says that everyone has to do everything the same way, all the time. But God's Spirit leads us individually and often in unique, creative ways.
God's written Word says the same thing to everyone, and it is not a matter of private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20). This means God's Word does not say one thing to one person and something else to others. However, the direct leadership of the Holy Spirit is a personal issue.
God may lead one person not to eat sugar because of a health issue in that person's life. That doesn't mean no one can eat sugar. People who are legalistic try to take God's Word to others and make it a law for them.
I once heard that by the time Jesus was born, the scribes and Pharisees had turned the Ten Commandments into two thousand rules for people to follow. Imagine trying to live under that kind of law. That's bondage!
Jesus came to set captives free. We are not free to do whatever we feel like doing, but we have been set free from legalism and are now free to follow the Holy Spirit in all the creative, personal ways in which He leads us.
If He knows each time we sit down or stand up and took the time to tell us about in His Word, then surely He sees and cares about everything else.
Prayer of the Day: Holy Spirit, I ask You to free me from legalism. Help me embrace the joy of Your personal, creative guidance and follow You with confidence, not comparison or control. In the name of Jesus, amen.
