abide in JESUS and be free

Move Closer Every Day

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5

Abiding in Jesus isn't something that comes automatically to any believer. It's a lifestyle that involves discipline and effort. We have to choose to give ourselves to our union with Him, to give Him first place where our attention is concerned. If we want to grow spiritually, if we want to walk in power and in fellowship with the Lord, we'll have to spend the time it takes to know Him. That's not something we can do for a while and then forget about either. We must continue in it every day. For the moment we stop moving closer to Jesus, we always start drifting away. You see, here in this natural world you're surrounded by ungodliness. You live in a body that is totally natural. Unless you purposely counter that with daily prayer and time in the Word, your body and your mind will simply give in to the pressures around you and go the way of the world. Right now, make a decision to give yourself to the things of God. Focus your attention on the Lord. Surround yourself with His Word. Listen to preaching and teaching tapes while you're getting dressed, driving to work, preparing dinner, working on your car, exercising, cleaning house and when you go to bed. Listen to the Word of God anytime, anywhere! Abide in Him today. God's Will Is Liberty Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Liberty. If you could put the will of God into one word, that would be the word. God wants people to be free. Free from sin, sickness, poverty, oppression and every other curse. That freedom is what Jesus came to provide. He said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor...to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised" (Luke 4:18). That's what He trained His disciples to do. And if you're a born-again believer, that's what He wants you to do too! Some people say, "Well, I don't know about that. That may not be God's will for today." But listen, the Bible says God never changes. He hasn't changed His will for the earth. He doesn't do one thing awhile and then go do another thing awhile. Jesus' life was a perfect picture of God's will 2,000 years ago-- and it still is! That's why He left instructions for us to go and do the works that He did. That's why He sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to do them. Jesus still wants to do the will of the Father here on earth--but He does it through us. He has to work with us until we're willing to lay down our traditions and let Him do His thing. That's what the early Church did. They started out with a bang because they did as Jesus taught them. Everywhere they went people became free. Let's pray for the Church of today to deliver the liberty of God to the world. Let's quit questioning the will of God and start carrying it out instead. He said the works that He did we would do also and even greater works (John 14:12). It's time for us to take up where Jesus left off and set the captives free!