Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Freedom

Freedom was the perfect topic for yesterday's sermon.  Freedom is what we must first obtain for God's spirit to flow freely in our lives.  I was just talking to Jason about that on Wednesday night.  I have always had a very easy relationship with God because of my openness emotionally.  My gift of discernment & worship also help in that, but if I have anger or unforgivingness I do not have the freedom God needs to use those gifts.  Last time we lived in Franklin, I was still healing from my previous relationship.  No matter how hard I tried or prayed I could not forgive him for what he had done to us.  Forgiveness to me was saying what he did to us was okay.  After some time I slowly forgave him and just in time.  I was able to resolve my anger and I am very thankful.  My life started changing during that forgiveness and I became the person I was before, but with more love and thankfulness for the love I share with Jason.  The key was freedom.  Me holding on to past anger kept me from the intimacy I had always had with God, which choked the freedom God needed to flow through me.  That five year period of my life was one of the most lonely.  Not because I was alone, but because I knew that spirit-flowing relationship with God and I had separated myself from it voluntarily because of my circumstances.  We only hurt ourselves when we set up barriers.