OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SATURDAY 22/06/2013 - OF BONDAGE AND LIBERTY BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

OF BONDAGE AND LIBERTY

MEMORY VERSE

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

2 Corinthians 3:17

READ

Ecclesiastes 2:1-12

Ecc 2:1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.

Ecc 2:2 I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

Ecc 2:3 I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.

Ecc 2:4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:

Ecc 2:5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:

Ecc 2:6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:

Ecc 2:7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:

Ecc 2:8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

Ecc 2:9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

Ecc 2:10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.

Ecc 2:11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

Ecc 2:12 And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.

MESSAGE

John 16:13 says if you are a friend of the Holy Spirit, He will keep you informed of the truth. It will be difficult for people to pull wool over your eyes. In addition to this, He will expose the truth of God's Word to you. It is the revelation of the truth that makes free. This implies that, if you are a friend of the Spirit, He will bring you out of bondage and ensure you walk in liberty. No wonder 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, 

“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 

The greatest need of the one in captivity is the Holy Spirit. Are you in a demonic bondage? You need the Holy Spirit. Are you in prison – both spiritual and physical? Be filled with the Spirit. Draw close to Him. Love and serve Him within that prison situation and before long you will be spiritually liberated. As you continue to walk with the Spirit, the physical prison walls will not be able to contain you. The truth is that you cannot have a close walk with the Holy Spirit and remain bound. Do you know that those who were criminals and are presently serving a prison sentence, but have now received Christ and are fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit, are actually free? If men say you are bound but God says you are free, who would you believe? 

Everybody desires freedom. Whether you are in a physical prison or not, you want to live at liberty. Do you know that the most enslaved people are not those inside the four walls of a prison but those outside? In their quest to be free to do whatever they like, many have become terrible slaves of their carnal desires. An individual who has no self control is in bondage. Take Solomon for instance. He received unprecedented blessings from God, but a time came that he became so obsessed with carnal things that whatever his eyes liked, he acquired. What bondage! No wonder he ended up with 1000 women! The physical prison is there to help the convict have a rethink about life and to help them find Jesus. As you receive Jesus, develop your relationship with the Holy Spirit and win souls to Christ. Are you in a prison? The Spirit of God will bring you out in Jesus name.

PRAYER POINT

Father, in whatever bondage I have found myself, as I walk with the Holy Spirit this season, set me free

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

James 1 - 2