A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Chris Musgrove of Future Now)
Scripture for the Day (August 15, 2018)
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
The Greek word for abide is “meno” which means to stay in a given place (in relation and expectancy), to continue, to dwell, hold to, endure, remain, and stand. Where you abide is where you reside, stay, or where you live: it’s your address. It’s where people go to find you because they know that’s where you live. If you abide or stay at a given place in your relationship to God and His Word and stay at a place of faith or expectancy then you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. You can’t experience verse 32 (freedom through the truth) without living out verse 31 (abiding in the Word).
Recently I was in a church service where I believe the Holy Spirit showed me a vehicle traveling down a highway that needed a front end alignment because it was pulling to one side of the highway. I believe I was supposed to share it with the congregation so I just said, “Some of you need to get on the spiritual alignment rack and allow God, through His Holy Spirit and His Word, to get you back into right alignment.” Several people responded and received prayer to get back in right alignment with God. One person even testified that the minute I spoke about getting on God’s spiritual alignment rack he knew that was for him and he responded.
Over the years I’ve noticed that people don’t just wake up one day and their relationship with God is gone or way out of line. No, they drifted away from God and His Word a little at a time until they were far from God.
Romans 13:14 says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” Don’t allow your flesh to get you out of alignment with God. Stay in the Spirit and stay in His Word to stay in alignment with God. This makes me think of Ephesians 6:13 which says, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” The Amplified Bible says, “Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].”Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
As a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ we need to stay at that given place in God’s Word where we are wholeheartedly free to be directed and able to follow the path God has for us.
