There Is Freedom | Qualities of Women Who Trust Jesus
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” — 2 Corinthians 3:17
Being able to see is a convenience we tend to take for granted. Imagine what it would feel like for your eyesight to slowly fade away because of a genetic disorder. This is what happened to a man in France who has not been able to see for 40 years. Until recently.
He agreed to become the subject of cutting-edge medical research that uses genes from a specific type of algae to stimulate light sensitivity within the human eye. In 2021, researchers published thrilling results after performing a trial-run of this therapy on the man who was visually impaired. After seven months of injections and wearing special goggles, the man was surprised on his routine walk one day to suddenly see the crosswalk stripes on the road in front of him.
I don’t know first hand what blindness does to a person’s emotional well-being, but I can imagine that it must feel restrictive, like you’re trapped in the darkness and unable to experience the freedom that sight affords to everyone else. With physical sight, the rest of the world enjoys more than mere convenience. Sight grants freedom. Freedom to move about with ease; freedom to drive and exert independence; freedom to enjoy and create visible beauty in ways that are not possible for a person with visual impairment.
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes unbelievers as having a veil over their hearts, an impairment to spiritual sight. They are unable to see the truth of the gospel or perceive the love of God because they are blinded to it. Only when the Spirit removes the veil are they able to see the reality of who God is.
Just like crosswalk stripes on the road, God has been there all along, but we can only see Him when spiritual sight is granted to us.
His Spirit is the One who opens our eyes to the gospel for salvation, and He is the One who opens our eyes to see God at work through the course of our lives. Is your sight impaired today? Are you having trouble seeing the path in front of you or believing that God has prepared a way forward for you?
Ask the Holy Spirit to remove the veil from your eyes, to enable you to see your circumstances with eyes of faith. Jesus promised that His Spirit would be with us until the end of the age (John 16:7, Matthew 28:20), and where His Spirit is, there is freedom! Freedom to move through life with faith, freedom to live independent from doubt and fear, freedom to enjoy the beauty of God’s glory all around us.
Sister, we are God’s precious daughters and He desires for us to see what He’s doing, to behold his glory and to steadily become more like Him (2 Corinthians 3:15-18). Let’s remember who we are today, no longer trapped in darkness but free to live in the light, capable of seeing God at work all around us. His Spirit is with us even now, and where His Spirit is, there is freedom.
REFERENCE:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gene-therapy-treatment-blindness-retinitis-pigmentosa/
For Your Journal
Find It:
In this portion of your journal, write out a Bible verse. You can find a verse that fits a current life situation or use the one we used in today’s devotion.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” — 2 Corinthians 3:17
Fix It:
In this portion of your journal, pull out a few key words from the verse you chose above, or summarize the verse in your own words. Write it in pretty lettering or sketch something that will help you visualize the meaning of the verse and fix it in your mind. Repeat these words to yourself throughout the week to remind you of the truth contained in the scripture. Here are some options:
There is FREEDOM
I am free to see God at work around me.
Feel It:
In this portion of your journal, write out a prayer. The goal is to absorb the meaning of the Bible passage and let it take root in your heart. Ask the Lord to let his word change you by the power of his Spirit so that you begin to feel like the new person you’re becoming in Christ. Surrender any areas of your life that you are trying to control.
Lord, thank you for being with me right now. I believe that where your Spirit is, there is freedom. Help me to experience the freedom you’ve given me. If there is a veil over my heart preventing me from seeing you clearly, please remove it. Help me to see you for who you really are and to be changed by what I see. I want to live with eyes of faith, believing that you’re at work on my behalf, even if my circumstances are uncertain or unclear. Let the gospel continue its work of transformation in my heart as I trust you today. Amen.