Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

At times the Lord speaks as if He is a mighty wind. He may speak in a whisper, or He may move in the heart of a friend to speak kindly to you. These are a works of the One God through the One Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." As a Christian man who constantly sins, it is so important for me to understand that there is freedom in the Lord. Every day, I choose to be unloving, say unkind words, to lust, to hate, to boast with great pride, and to walk against the will of God.

There are times I feel so trapped by my sin especially when it comes to the area of sexual sin and lust. As a man, this world desires to capture my heart and imprison it. Everywhere I look I see temptations of the flesh. Television is perverted in almost it's entirety, music has been taken over by sinfulness(Britney Spears song 3 about living in sin), and women dress in such provocative ways. Satan knows exactly where to attack me, my brothers in Christ, and some great men of the Bible. It is so important to fight for sexual purity. I stand before you as a man who has struggled deeply with lust, so much that it used to be a stronghold the Devil had in my life. I wish I had understand this concept sooner that I am not who I was. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." I am no longer a man who is subdued by lust so much that it cripples my Spirit.

It seems so simple, and yet it's so difficult to not be ensnared by sin. Christ died on the cross for the sins of all people and then raising from the dead three days later declaring victory. I encourage everyone to read Romans 8:28-39 about being More Than Conquerors. It is important to understand the nature of our relationship with God and the earth concerning authority. At the beginning of our existence the Lord handed over His creation to us and made us the masters of our domain in Genesis 1:38-30. Later in Genesis, He used Noah to save the animals and continue the existence of the human race. In Exodus, He rescued the Israelites from enslavement through Moses. Every time the Lord wants His will to be done, He has to achieve it through a man, because He gave authority to man. Eventually mankind was so fallen that the Lord had to come down from the heavens to save everyone through a man, Jesus Christ.

Through the Son of God, Jesus, victory was achieved over sin forever. Jesus was tempted in every way, yet He was without sin. More than conquerors means that victory is already won; all that is necessary is to realize this and accept victory. In the accounts of the Israelites travels to the promised land in Exodus-Deuteronomy, we see how the Lord promised victory to the Israelites before they had even done anything even when they sinned against the Lord. The Lord had already declared how it would end, they would make it to the promised land. He has done the same with sin. Victory is already acheived, we need to seize this victory and understand that we have freedom from sin through the Spirit of the Lord that resides in the hearts of those who believe in Jesus Christ as the living Messiah. You are more than a conqueror. You are a victoroius before beginning the fight.