2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (KJV)

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

¹⁸ But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The 4th of July represents freedom and liberty to all Americans. But God wanted to give us true liberty, not just in the flesh but also in spirit. He gave us true freedom from the bondage of sin, the constraints of the law, and the limitations of our own efforts. Verse 18 tells us we are transformed into the likeness of Jesus through the spirit. 

Freedom does not mean just to have fun and do whatever our hearts desire.

True freedom is living a spiritual life. Placing God and Jesus at the center of our hearts. We must always think about Jesus and move as if he is there with us 24/7. The spirit dwells in us forever and we must acknowledge this. The reason why people live however they want even after salvation is because they do not focus on spiritual life. They focus on the flesh and throw away the life of living in the spirit.

The more you live in spirit, the more closer you are to God. The more you live for the flesh, the more you distance yourself from God. True freedom is living  a spiritual life.

So what is spiritual life? It's acknowledging that your flesh cannot be trusted and cannot produce good works. That is why we must lean on the spirit to lead our lives.

The Holy Spirit is crucial in our transformation. It is by the Spirit of the Lord that we are changed. Our own efforts to become righteous or holy fall short. True transformation happens when we recognize that we can never live a holy life on our own. This is why we must acknowledge the evil we have in our hearts and distrust it. Only then can we allow the holy spirit to lead us. Acknowledging who we are in front of Jesus is most important. We are dirty, wicked, and filthy people who cover our hearts daily. We speak well, we laugh, we have compassion but deep in the core of our hearts is the will to exalt ourselves. We must always remember this. 

Only then can we let go of ourselves and cling onto God. More than saving a million souls, God wants us to guide our lives through the spirit. To have oneness in heart with him and come into communion with him.

God loves us dearly and does not want to lose us. He wants to use you to glorify himself through you. In order to do so however, we must remain dirt and we must distrust every part of ourselves.

Self needs to die so that Spirit can live. I hope we can all accept this message deep into our hearts. We are righteous and perfect forever but we must always remember who we are without God.

Amen!