Holy Spirit | HOPE & LIGHT

FREEDOM is my One Word for 2023, and 2 Corinthians 3:17 is the verse the Lord gave me concerning how to walk in freedom. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. As Christians, the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, lives within us – our bodies are His temple “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,”
‭‭(1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

But experiencing His freedom is not something that automatically happens. We experience freedom when we allow the Holy Spirit to be in control. He is in our lives to guide us, to teach us God’s truth, to comfort us during times of sorrow, to convict us when we sin, to intercede for us when we don’t even know how to pray, and so much more.

As I was reading in the book of Matthew this morning, this verse stood out to me. “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV; citing Isaiah 29:13‬‬)

Jesus was rebuking the Pharisees and scribes for honoring their human traditions above the Word of God. “He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.”
‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭15‬:‭3‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

The meaning of this passage is clear. The human traditions the Jewish leaders called the “oral traditions,” were detailed instructions on how to live out the Torah (the 5 books of Moses). By the time Jesus was ministering to the Jewish people, the leaders of the Temple were honoring these detailed instructions on how to live out the Torah. In fact, in this example they were considered as of equal or even of greater significance than the actual Word of God. Jesus was rebuking them for teaching their traditions as doctrines they we required to follow.

This morning, the Lord reminded me that He is not pleased when I simply honor Him with my lips. Yes, our lips should honor Him. But God is primarily looking at our hearts. If we want to walk in FREEDOM, we must allow the Word of God to move from our head to our heart. Jeremiah understood this important truth, when he wrote these words. “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Have any of you chosen One Word to focus on during 2023? If so, feel free to share your One Word and any lessons that the Lord is teaching you concerning it in the comments.

As I was eating my breakfast this morning, I used the time in prayer. It was a sweet time of prayer, but one part stood out to me: Thank You, Lord, for leading me in paths of righteousness. I recognized this as a part of the well-known twenty-third Psalm, so I turned to this Psalm in my Bible.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Psalm 23:1-3 ESV

I read this Psalm in a variety of versions, and then opened the Blue Letter Bible, one of my favorite Bible study tools, and did a word study on shepherd. I was surprised at what I learned.

The Hebrew word râʻâh, translated shepherd in this verse, is not a noun as I had expected. It is a verb, an action word that says the LORD, Jahweh, shepherds His children. He tends to my needs, is my companion and special friend.

In 2020, I wrote a Bible study on the Holy Spirit, and as I read these translations of râʻâh I was reminded that these characteristics of the LORD Jehovah are also true of the Holy Spirit. He is our constant companion, the One who lives within us as Christians, teaches us and leads us in how to walk.

I was also reminded that Jesus says He is the Good Shepherd in John 10.

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
John 10:14-15

The LORD, Jahweh, shepherds us because we are His children through our relationship with Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. And when His days of walking on earth were coming to an end, Jesus told His disciples that the Father would send another Helper who would be with them forever.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
John‬ ‭14:16-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Yahweh râʻâh, the Lord who shepherds us, is a name of God that clearly refers to all three members of the Trinity. As the One who shepherds us, the Lord faithfully meets all our needs. He provides green pastures where we can rest in His amazing love and be refreshed for the path ahead. He leads us beside still waters, a place of peace. And He leads us in paths of righteousness, so that our lives with bring Him glory and honor.

I want to close with Psalm 23 in The Passion Translation (TPT). This isn’t a word-by-word translation but one that digs deeply into the meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words. While I usually begin my Bible study time with either NASB or ESV, I have found the TPT an encouraging version to close my time studying a specific Bible passage.

“Yahweh is my best friend and my shepherd. I always have more than enough. He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace near the quiet brook of bliss. That’s where he restores and revives my life. He opens before me the right path and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honor to his name. Even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have! Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of your love takes away my fear. I’ll never be lonely, for you are near. You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight. You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit; you give me all I can drink of you until my cup overflows. So why would I fear the future? Only goodness and tender love pursue me all the days of my life. Then afterward, when my life is through, I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you!”
Psalm 23 TPT