Liberty

 


Galatians 5:22-23 lists the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
The word "fruit" here in the Greek is beautiful. It means the fruit of the trees, vines and fields, the fruit of one's loins, an effect, a result, an advantage, profit, praises presented to God as a thanks offering. The root meanings of the word, though, are interesting as well. The first root means to seize, claim for one's self eagerly. The second root meaning is to take for oneself, to prefer, to choose, to choose by vote, to elect for office.
Those root meanings tell me that this Fruit is something that I choose. I must make the choice to incorporate this fruit into my character. This fruit makes the difference between the liberty of the Spirit, and the bondage of the law of sin and death (Gal. 5:18). This fruit of the Spirit, by its nature, is a fulfillment of the purpose of the law which is to love thy neighbor as thyself (Gal.5:14).
The breakthrough and the victory that breaks bondage and transforms into liberty is contained in this spiritual fruit. We look sometimes desperately for the victory over the enemy that oppresses us. Sometimes that victory is not from the outside, but is birthed from the inside of each one of us. Maybe the victory finally comes when we choose to change ourselves. Perhaps this is the very victory we are looking for. Gal. 5:13 says that we have been called to liberty.
Jesus had a choice of victories, of liberties. Pilate said to Him "Don't you know that I have the power to crucify you, and to release you?", when Jesus stopped speaking with him. Right there is an opportunity for deliverance from the enemy, yet Jesus didn't take it. Jesus answered "You wouldn't have this power unless it had been given to you from above." I am paraphrasing this conversation from Jn. 19:10-11. Jesus did not take this opportunity for this particular victory or deliverance.
In another part of scripture, Mt. 26:47-54, when Judas and the armed crowd came from the chief priests and elders to arrest Jesus when He was with His disciples, one of the disciples tried to rescue Jesus with violence, cutting off the ear of one in the throng. Jesus refused this deliverance and victory by telling that disciple to put away his sword. Jesus said "...do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?" Jesus did not see escape in the form of the sword, or even angelic warriors.
Jesus did not take these opportunities of escape, these rather short-lived opportunities of deliverance. Both offers would have delivered Him from a very tight spot. That deliverance might have been temporary at best, and this was also not the victory the Father was looking for. While the enemy throng of this day might be evaded, there will be one to replace it the next day, and the day after that. No, the victory had to come from another place. Jesus chose that path-the path for which He had been purposed by His Father. That path would produce, not temporary relief, but everlasting victory and relief. It would produce liberty not just for Jesus, but for all. The victory came from a choice within Jesus. It was the choice of obedience (Phil. 2:8). Jesus asked the question in Jn. 18:11, "... the cup  which my Father hath given  me,  shall I  not  drink  it?"   

Sometimes, we think relief and breakthrough must come as quickly as possible, and we look for it in other people, in money solutions, wherever we can find it, because the place we are at is unbearable. We think our crisis will be solved with a certain amount of money, or the right attorney, the right idea, the right person, or even the point of the sword. But sometimes that relief and breakthrough must start from within us. This is where the battle begins and ends-flesh versus spirit.  The victory must come from the place of the Fruit of the Spirit, against which there is no law. Perhaps the real victory, the real liberty, is in the place of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. In this place, nothing the enemy does will profit.

Our Father has called us to liberty.

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMWICrct5ek 

"Break Every Chain"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pD2zIuiC2g