Bound in the Spirit
And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem,
not knowing the things that shall befall me there; Acts 20:22
Apostle Paul did not know the things that would befall him in Jerusalem, but Holy Spirit of God surely did! Because Paul was bound in the Spirit, he could rest in the fact that in his obedience to the leading of the Spirit of God, his steps were being ordered. Paul was so steeped in the Presence of God that he saw himself as “a prisoner of Christ Jesus” for the cause of Christ. Yoked up with the Lord! When one is in sync with the Lord to that degree
he or she MUST obey the Spirit. Two oxen yoked together, joined at the head or neck, walk in tandem if they are to reach their destination. Do you know why his “yoke is easy and his burden light’? Because God is pulling the heavy load of whatever our situation may be WITH us! Teamwork! For the Bible says we are to be workers together WITH God. Whatever our ministry may be, by the grace of God, do as Paul did and be “bound in the Spirit”. In the intimacy of the yoke, mouth to ear, we get direction, guidance, strength, power, and help. My God, we get comfort from the Comforter the Lord sent when we are bound in the Spirit! For He is Elohei Khol Nechamah, “The God of all Comfort” (2 Cor 1:3” I just sort of see the covering of Holy Spirit of God as in the picture above. Oh! To walk with God like that! In another Bible version, bound in the Spirit is interpreted as “impelled by a sense of duty”. It’s our reasonable service to be about our Father’s business, is it not? Understand, Abba Father does not FORCE us. Even when the burden of the Lord comes upon one, the Lord would remind us that, by his grace, “My burden is light and easy to be borne.” When one is bound in the Spirit, he or she can do all things. All of it through Christ Jesus! No, the “sense of duty” is not a drudgery. To be bound in the Spirit...drawn irresistibly, by him, is to be captive to the Spirit and very sensitive to him. It is out of love, the Lord’s love for US, for He loved us FIRST, warts and all, and our love for HIM that we are as Paul, wrote, “ obligated and compelled by the convictions of my own spirit”, to obey. Paul HAD to go to Jerusalem not knowing what to expect. “If you love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15. Obey me. Follow directions. We New Testament Christians, too, are to be constrained by, in obedience to, “bound in the Spirit”. It’s something we have to practice, in small ways and large ways. Then comes the syncing with the Spirit. Then comes an ear to hear his voice and because of close proximity to him, that “smearing” of oil, the yoke destroying anointing of God. Glory to God, yoke destroying power comes because of being yoked WITH the Lord. In this season, my focus has been to just focus on my love relationship with the Lord and ministering to him. Everything else is in his hands. It is so liberating! He is absolutely sovereign, and there’s nothing anyone can do to thwart his plans and purposes. They will come to pass in spite of us, not because of anything we do. It is no good thing WE do. It is not us, it is Him!
I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Isaiah 42:8
Beloved, we have no bragging rights. Glory in the Lord, and like the Apostle Paul, walk out your life and run your race all wrapped up in the Spirit. Hallelujah, And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Keep this in mind as you do: The Word of God is NOT bound, and there is no distance in the Spirit. What a powerful combination to be be bound in the Spirit, wielding the two-edged sword of the Spirit: the Word of God. The child of God who is compelled by the Spirit and using the "sword of his mouth" by speaking the Word is operating out of the Kingdom of God. In this hour, that kind of Christ-centered power and authority is mandatory! I want to exhort you to seek God's face and an even closer walk with him. Be captivated by him!
In his bonds,
Prophetess Vickie Lee
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