2 Corinthians 3:12-18 “ Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not see the end of the fading splendor. But their minds were hardened; for to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their minds; but when a man turns to the Lord the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Today's episode questions why we aren't living in the freedom that comes with the Spirit of the Lord. It also discusses how God is transforming us to be more and more like Him in varying degrees of Glory. It encourages us to cooperate more with what the Holy Spirit is doing inside of us. In this episode there are some questions we could ask ourselves if we would like the process to go a bit quicker. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Where the Spirit of the Lord Is, There Is Freedom!
2 Corinthians 3:12-18 “ Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not see the end of the fading splendor. But their minds were hardened; for to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their minds; but when a man turns to the Lord the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
This verse powerfully reminds us of the stark contrast between our lives today and the time of Moses. When Moses communed with the Lord, his face radiated with divine splendor, an overwhelming sight for those around him, prompting him to veil his face. However, when Christ came, this veil was lifted. There was always a curtain between God and His people in the Old Testament. They couldn’t have direct contact with Him. There was a separation. This separation was necessary because of the fall of man.
When Adam and Eve were created, God walked among them. Nothing was separating them. They were as close as they could be. However, when Adam and Eve ate the apple and betrayed God’s trust, they had to leave the Garden, and then there was a separation between us and God. This is not why God created us. He didn’t want there to be a separation between us. He didn’t want anything to keep us apart. This is why He sent Jesus to die on the cross in reparation for our sins so that there wouldn’t be anything between us and God.
This verse mentions that the Lord is the Spirit and that there is freedom where the Spirit of the Lord is. We all need to hear that again. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Guess where the Spirit of the Lord is? It is inside of you and me. It is inside of all of us. That means that there is freedom inside of us. So, why don’t we feel free? Why are so many of us living under the weight of our sins and judgments? Why do we feel like we are held captive by our past or those who surround us? Why aren’t we living in this freedom?
I wonder if we aren’t living in freedom because we aren’t cooperating with it? Is it possible that our chains are made by us? Is it possible that we aren’t free from our sins because we haven’t accepted that freedom? God makes it clear over and over again in the Bible that our sins are forgiven when we repent and turn back to Him. So why do we struggle so much to believe that? Why do we insist on holding onto our sins? Is God a liar? Does He tell us things that aren’t true? If God says we are forgiven, why can’t we accept that? Why can’t we believe Him?
God sent Jesus, his only son, to die on the cross for our sins. Then He raised Jesus from the dead and sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of us. God thinks we are worth it. He wouldn’t have done all of that if He didn’t want us to be free to have a relationship with Him. He wouldn’t have done all of that if he didn’t think we were worthy enough.
This verse goes on to say, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” The Lord is changing each one of us little by little. Looking around, it may seem that the transformation is happening quicker with some people than with others. I have found that the more we cooperate with what the Lord is doing, the more quickly the transformation happens.
When we fight God the whole way, it tends to take much longer. The process of becoming more and more like God means that we are becoming less and less like our worldly selves. God is trying to purify us, and that process can be painful. That process can consist of turning away from things we like that are not helping us grow closer to the Lord. It may mean we must walk away from situations or even people who are constantly leading us into sin. Or, maybe they aren’t leading us into sin, but they are definitely encouraging it.
It may also take longer because we are unaware that the Lord is trying to lead us. If we aren’t paying attention to what the Lord is saying, we might miss it. That is not to say the Lord can’t get our attention; he definitely can. However, he honors our free will. So, if we want to continue to ignore his requests, then He will let us. God has so much more available for each of us. He really does. We have to want it. We have to be looking for it. If we expect more, we will get more.
God is talking to you each and every day. Do you hear Him? Are you listening? How different would your life be if you turned to God more throughout the day and asked what He thought or what He wanted you to do? What if we paid more attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is that still small voice inside of you. You know the one I am talking about. The one that tells you when you shouldn’t be doing something you know is wrong. The one that urges you to make that phone call to that friend. The one that prompts you to apologize when you really don’t want to. Yes, that one. I know each one of you listening has had an experience with the Holy Spirit, even if you didn’t know that was what was happening.
If you heard the verse above, especially the part that said, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another;” and thought to yourself that you wanted to be changed faster into a greater degree of likeness, then you need to pay more attention to what the Holy Spirit is doing inside of you. It is not a question of if the Holy Spirit is working inside of me. This verse tells us it is. If we want the transformations to happen more quickly, we need to ask ourselves, “What do I need to do to cooperate with the Spirit more?”
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode. Lord, we want to be transformed by you. Please help us. Show us how to follow your promptings. Encourage us to sit and listen to you more. Lord, we want to live in the freedom that comes with your Spirit. Please help us. Give us the strength we need to cooperate with your will more. Help us be more and less of you each day, Lord. We love you, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen!
Thank you so much for joining us on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. If this podcast has blessed you in some way, would you consider sharing it with others or making a donation? I have placed a link to donate below, or you can go to my website, walkboldlywithjesus.com. Also, mentoring is tonight! Week 2 of our Come As You Are Series. Come and learn what the Bible says about coming to the Lord just as we are. I look forward to meeting some of you tonight on live mentoring and the rest of you back here in the morning. Remember Jesus loves you, just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in June 2023 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. We meet in person and on Zoom. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “It is trust you must have with faith that never ends. I am the Lord your God. Do not fear. I am with you. I arrange everything in your life. I am in control. Do not obsess yourself with what happens.”