Liberty:

II Cor 3:17

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

            “Give me liberty, or give me death.” When you’ve tasted the freedom of the Holy Spirit, then you do say to give you that liberty or to give you death. There is nothing like it. Too many Christians try to live the Christian life in their own power. You can’t. You will wear yourself out trying. It is only as you follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit that you will be able to live it. This liberty doesn’t mean that you can do just any old thing that comes to your mind. But if you are following the directions of the Holy Spirit, then the things that come to your mind will be those that are acceptable to God; you will be free to do whatsoever you desire. Remember … the Holy Spirit must be Lord for this to be true.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are free; My children … free to release yourselves in My love. For I have given you the Kingdom gladly. You shall walk in My freedom as you allow Me to control your lives. The world says that is not freedom, but I say that there is freedom in no other way. You cannot be free apart from Me. Worship Me and stay in My freedom. My Spirit guides you into the true liberty in Me.”

            50. The Spirit is Lord in my life. Therefore, I have complete liberty.

Work of the Holy Spirit:

            Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit:

Romans 14:17

17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

            We get so caught up in the trappings of looking Christian to those around us and doing those things expected of us that we forget what the Kingdom of God is all about. It is living the holy life; living in peace with God and man; and rejoicing always in the Holy Spirit. If we are content with these, we shall truly be able to accomplish all God has in mind for us. Also, others will want to enter the Kingdom also.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Many people have rules and regulations to come unto Me. I have but one … that you desire to be with Me. You shall come unto Me whenever you desire. You shall be in My company all the days of your life. You shall never wither, and you shall never die as long as you stay in Me. You are in My Kingdom when you desire to be with Me; and you shall be protected from the ills of the world as you reside daily in My love.”

            49. I am in the Kingdom of God and will walk continually in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Temple of the Holy Spirit:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

            Now this reference about our body being a temple of the Holy Spirit is talking about us as individuals. I believe in context, the one in chapter 3 is about a body of believers. As a temple of the Holy Spirit, we should keep ourselves holy. He indwells us, guides us, and empowers us. You wouldn’t treat the church building where you attend church with disrespect, would you? Why would you treat the dwelling of the Holy Spirit with disrespect? Verse 19 tells us that He is given by God to us, and that we’re not our own. God didn’t save us to let us “do our own thing.” He saved us to do His own thing. We are to be holy like He is holy. So, we’re to glorify God in our body. The verses right before this were talking about sexual sins. But I believe it applies to all of our activities concerning our bodies. When we keep our bodies in good shape (and I don’t mean just exercising), we feel better and have more energy to do things for God.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My temple, My holy ones. You are My special place of worship; for in you is My worship complete. For you worship Me with unchained heart. You worship Me with all your soul and might. You are My special ones, and I delight in your worship of Me. Release yourselves unto Me for true worship, and I will guide you into the true worship of your God. You are My special place of residence; for I reside with you and in you and will never leave you. Trust in Me to keep you in My presence all the days of your life.”

            48. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who indwells me. I will glorify God in my body.

Indwelling:

           

            New covenant of the Spirit:

2 Corinthians 3:6

6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

1 Corinthians 6:17

17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

            Man tries to devise a way to live the Christian life. He comes up with ways for him to do it. But the covenant of God is one of the Spirit, not the flesh of man. If man could live up to it, then there would be no need for God … for Jesus to give His life a ransom for many. This covenant that man would devise will eventually kill him. The covenant that we follow is one of the Spirit, and it gives life everlasting.     When we became Christians, we were united with God in the Spirit. We were as the verse says, one Spirit with Him. God’s own life-giving Spirit living within us to enable us to live this covenant.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "When you join yourself unto Me, you will have established a covenant relationship that cannot be broken. I will not let you down. I will never desert you. You are My special one, and I will join together with you in a New Covenant relationship. You will never be alone nor deserted again. The world has deserted you; your special friends and family have deserted you; but I will never desert you for I cannot desert My own. My Spirit dwells within you, and I cannot desert Myself.”

            47. I have become a servant of a new covenant of the Spirit which brings life to me and those I come in contact with every day.

            Water metaphor:

            Drink of One Spirit:

           

1 Corinthians 12:13

13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

            There is not one Holy Spirit for the Jews and another for the Gentiles. There is only one Spirit and we have all drunk from Him. We are to preserve the unity of the Holy Spirit, not try to create it. Unity is supernaturally natural when the Holy Spirit is involved. Water is just one of the ways the Spirit is depicted. We are refreshed when we drink of water; so we are refreshed when we drink from the Water of the Spirit. He becomes a river of living water flowing from within us.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Come to Me you thirsty ones and drink of My Spirit; for He is refreshing and will renew you to My completeness. Do not fear Him; for He will bring you into My presence. He will guide you into all the Truth; for He is the Truth. He will show you the way into My blessedness. He will show you the way into My blessings; for I will give unto Him to give unto you. You will never thirst again; for you will be satisfied and will give unto the Nations for Me through Him.”

            46. I have drunk of the One Spirit in unity with my fellow believers, whether they are from the Jews or the Gentiles.