One of the biggest reasons why we may remain in bondage to sin, even though we have been ‘legally’ set free, is because of ignorance of the truth. Jesus speaks of this in John 8:31-36: “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
One time I was tempted to sin, but the Lord brought me to this one picture of a cute baby bird in somebody’s hands, and somebody wrote a Bible verse on the picture about the goodness of God. I realized that I didn’t even THINK of sinning after thinking about what a good and loving God we serve!! My point? The more we become aware of the goodness and the love of God, the more we will love Him, and the more we will develop a bitter hatred for sin, because as we become more like Him, the more we love the things He loves and hate the things He hates. After all, it’s the goodness of God that leadeth us to repentance: Romans 2:4, “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”
Once you begin to grasp the goodness of God, your love for Him will grow because of the love that He has for you (1 John 4:19), and out of your love for Him, you will begin to naturally keep Jesus’ commandments as Jesus said in John 14:23, “…If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” As we grow in love for God, we also grow in love for one another (1 John 5:1), and out of our love for one another, we will naturally fulfill the law by loving one another (Romans 13:8, “…love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”).
Meditating on God’s Word and learning of the goodness of God is very powerful in the tearing down of strongholds (incorrect thinking patterns based on lies and deception). I believe one of the reasons King David developed a very intimate relationship with God is because he spent a lot of time alone out in the field with Him.
Did you know that knowing (realizing) the love of Christ allows us to to filled with the fullness of God? Ephesians 3:19, “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
