Guarding our social lives to attain spiritual freedom

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spiritual bondage

Teaching for Sunday 30th October, 2011
Teacher: Felix Dordaa Mahama

Text: John 15:17-19.

We are in the world but we are not of the world

What is our social life? The Lord tells us that even though we are in the world we do not belong to the world. Through our brother Paul in Romans 12:2, He tells us again that we should not conform to the standards of the world. We live in the world everyday; eating, drinking, sleeping, working and interacting with other people. Living in the world is our social life.

How can we gain spiritual freedom?

In order for us to gain spiritual freedom, we have to guard this social life with all we have got. We do not enjoy our lives in Christ because we still allow ourselves to be put under spiritual bondage, enslaved by so many things, in the name of fitting into society. God did not born us again to fit into society but for society to fit into us! But what do we see today; instead of dictating for society we allow society to dictate for us, thus selling our spiritual freedom.

When we read 1 Corinthians 6:15-17, we get this advice from St. Paul, “Shall I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Impossible! Or perhaps you don’t know that a person who joins his body to a prostitute becomes physically one with her? But he who joins himself to the Lord becomes spiritually one with Him.” The only way we can gain true spiritual freedom and enjoy our life in Christ is to “become spiritually one with Him”. This is the very thing the devil, through our social life, tries very hard to prevent, and we let him. He tries to push us into and keep us in spiritual bondage. He uses many tools, and when we indulge in them, we become spiritually one with him and lose our spiritual freedom.

We lose our spiritual freedom in different ways. I’m going to outline only a few.

Tools used by the devil to put us into spiritual bondage

Speech

One of the tools of the devil through which we lose our spiritual freedom is speech. God loves His Holy name so much that he will do anything to protect it, even to the extent that He would even ignore the sins of His people Israel – Ezekiel 36:16-27. He wants us to honour, adore, and proclaim His name every time and everywhere. In fact, that is one of the primary reasons we are here on earth and will be in the world to come. Refer to John 3:2. But Satan will do anything to ensure that we profane the name of the Lord, either by saying certain words ourselves or condoning with or encouraging others who do, like buying and listening to profane music.

What happens when you keep on listening to music like this? The devil controls your mind, your mind is polluted, your will is crashed and you lose your ability to resist the devil’s temptations. In short, he puts you in spiritual bondage, you lose your spiritual freedom and become a slave to him!

Popularity

Another of the devil's tools through which we lose our spiritual freedom is popularity. In a bit to live our social life, we adore, support and condone popular figures of society, no matter what they do, believe or practice, even if they contradict our faith.

Play Asamoah Gyan’s song
Observe what is done and said there and how people like it because Asamoah Gyan is in it

Music and dressing

Still another of the devil's tools through which we lose our spiritual freedom is music and dressing.

Play Shakira’s track
Observe what is done and said there and how we patronize clothing with their names on them
Wearing of bangles on ankles
Wearing of multiple earrings

Signs

Yet another of the devil's tools through which we lose our spiritual freedom is signs.

Play illuminati signs
Observe how popular people are involved and sometimes we imitate them
What should we do to such clothing and other materials? Destroy them!

What kinds of things should we associate with? We should associate with things that are Christian such as music, the Holy Bible, crucifix, rosary, etc. If we do, we will have spiritual freedom, and the devil will never be able to put us into spiritual bondage, thus safeguarding our social life.

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Guarding our social lives to attain spiritual freedom

Teaching for Sunday 30th October, 2011Teacher: Felix Dordaa Mahama

Text: John 15:17-19.

We are in the world but we are not of the world

How can we gain spiritual freedom?

Tools used by the devil to put us into spiritual bondage

Speech

Popularity

Signs

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Teaching for Sunday 30th October, 2011
Teacher: Felix Dordaa Mahama