Galatians 5:1 In the freedom, then, with which Christ did make you free — stand ye, and be not held fast again by a yoke of servitude; YLT
Pentecost contains two facets: Slavery and Freedom. These two facets focused on the flesh and the spirit. Pentecost first dealt with the flesh when the Law was given at Mt. Sinai. Once the Law was given, mankind realized that it was enslaved by its own lawlessness. The Law provided at standard of judgment. Metaphorically, Israel became the “bondwoman” at that time. The Law dealt with the fleshly acts of men and judged accordingly. It placed a yoke of servitude on them. A yoke ties you to a burden or bondage.
Christ set you free from bondage. He not only provided the acceptable sacrifice to satisfy the Law, He also sent the Comforter to lead you and guide you. He opened up a higher form of conduct by which we could walk. He freed us from indwelling sin, removing the yoke of bondage to the Law. The Apostle Paul gave us the path to live by:
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit
Many Christians have difficulty in walking according to the Spirit. Why? It is a problem of hearing. If you are in a crowd, it is tough to hear that still, small voice. If you have the music blaring, it is difficult to hear a whisper. The closet is where the quietness and solitude allow you to prepare to hear. You must set yourself apart from distractions in order to begin hearing. If you don’t focus on hearing, you will return to the the slavery of the Law because your flesh will once again take over. You are always listening and responding to someone or something. It is either your old man or the Spirit. You old man would move you back to slavery. Mind-generated formulas are created by the old man to enslave you by forcing you to walk out some process in order to achieve success. These are distractions designed to keep you busy and steer you away from being led by the Spirit of GOD. Who are the Sons of GOD? Paul answers this simple question:
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Don’t get me wrong, it is important to study Scripture, to read related books, and listen to messages given by inspired men and women. However, Jesus Himself did not have a Strong’s Concordance or the Internet. His ministry’s success was due to being led by the Spirit and hearing FATHER’S Voice. The prophets of old spoke what they heard from Our Heavenly Father. They didn’t have a Bible to refer to. We now have the luxury of Scripture as a reference, a standard, and a guide. But a guide to what? To become a son of GOD. We must focus on hearing if we truly we to be freed from the flesh. We must not let signs be our guide, they will mislead us. We must not let world events be our primary focus. Once we are led by the Spirit, we will impact those very events we are hearing about.
You must quiet your flesh in order to hear in the spirit. You must shut down your mind and remove distractions. How long will it take? That depends on you. It could take days, weeks or months. Do not be denied. Quit responding to your old man. Do nothing if you have to. Scripture provides us a list of the deeds of the flesh:
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
If you are doing any of this list, stop it! Once you stop, you have taken the first step toward hearing. Now that you have stopped doing the wrong things, do something for your neighbor:
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this:“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
As you walk in Love, you will become sensitive to HIS Voice. As you hear and respond to HIS Voice, you will then start the process of being “led by the Spirit”. As you mature in this walk, you will truly be a mature son and freed from the flesh.