By: Heather Thompson, Author and Bondservant to Christ
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom – that’s what it says in 2 Corinthians 3:17. We sing it, we say it, and we want to believe it. But, we leave out the first part of the verse. In its entirety it says “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (or freedom in other translations).
The Greek word for “spirit” in this verse is pneuma which translates to wind or spirit. It’s where we get our English word pneumonia. What’s interesting about this word is that it is translated 241 times in the New Testament as Spirit. Its Hebrew counterpart, ruach which is used in the phrase Ruach ha-Kodesh that translates to “Holy Spirit”, is used 76 times in the Old Testament.
The reason for the language lesson is because my book, Stillwater, speaks often of Holy Spirit and His great role in our lives. What I find so interesting about the above verse is that it says the Lord IS that Spirit. God IS the Holy Spirit, but also they are separate parts of the trinity.
So many times, we want the freedom, or the liberty, but we reject the Spirit who brings it. By rejecting Holy Spirit and His moves, we essentially reject God Himself. Don’t blame me, I’m just telling you what the verse says; God IS the Spirit.
My book deals greatly in the reality of the supernatural realm and our everyday struggle against the darkness of this present age (Ephesians 6:12). But what makes being a Christian so amazing is that we have the Comforter – or Advocate – sent to us so that we would be filled with the power and strength in our spirit to claim authority over darkness when Holy Spirit prompts us to do so.
We do not sit powerless in a world going to hades in a handbasket weaponless as feeble little bags of flesh crying out to be saved, on the contrary. We have weapons in our arsenal to combat the wickedness happening all around us. As a matter of fact we are to put on the WHOLE armor of God and take back what the enemy has stolen – what we have ALLOWED him to steal due to our complacency.
When we suit up as the warriors we are meant to be in the body of Christ, according to Ephesians 6, we are coming into agreement with what God has called us to do. We are all called to be on the ready in our armor (Ephesians 6:11); we are all called to be ready in and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2); we are all called, by Jesus, to lay hands on the sick, cast out demons and claim the Kingdom is at hand (Matthew 10:7-8); we are all called to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).
Christian, you are more than a conqueror; you are an “over-conqueror”. You get the privilege to trample the enemy under your feet and claim the victory of Jesus at the cross. God has defeated the enemy, and you get to pillage the camp and take back what is rightfully yours through the blood of our risen Savior.
Let’s make the devil regret each day that he chooses to come against God’s people.
Stillwater is a supernatural faith-based novel following Harriet Gordon through her faith journey of doubt, redemption and discovery as the war between angels and demons rage. Join unique characters and epic battle scenes in the book that Literary Titan called “unpredictable and engaging” from beginning to end.
About Heather: Heather Thompson is a debut author with her first book Stillwater, a supernatural faith-based fiction novel, meeting rave reviews. She has spent more than a decade as a communications professional, and more recently has worked as a youth pastor. Thompson holds a Bachelor’s in English from Kennesaw State University and a Master’s in Strategic Public Relations from George Washington University. She lives in Georgia with her horses, cats and dog. Learn more about Thompson here.
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