'...Loose him, and let him go.' John 11:44 KJV
When Jesus stood at his friend's grave and said, 'Lazarus, come forth,' His friend, who'd been dead for four days, shuffled out, still bound from head to toe in grave clothes. His grave clothes didn't just fall off the minute Jesus spoke to him. No, he needed someone to 'loose him, and let him go'. There's an important lesson here. When you accept Christ, He changes you from the inside out. But certain experiences in your past can slow you down, keep you bound spiritually, and determine how you see yourself. And while the Holy Spirit does the initial work, transformation is a process - one that needs the help of others. It doesn't happen overnight, it takes time. The Bible says, 'If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.' (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV) You're 'becoming'! When Jesus saves you, it's like emerging from the tomb wrapped in the grave clothes of your past. What are those grave clothes? Negative influences and thought patterns, low self-esteem, old habits, destructive relationships etc. That's why God sends people to love you, help liberate you and release you into your potential. It's important that you identify these people and build your life around them. It's also why you need to develop an intimate relationship with God through prayer and Bible reading. Through His Word, you get a true picture of how He views you. Through prayer, you get to know His heart and begin seeing yourself through His eyes. When that happens, you begin to live redeemed, released and redirected.
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2012
