Daily Devotional Day 58

God wants mankind, once and for all, to be insulated from this kind of outside interference and manipulation. The law could not do it; the prophets could not do it; even the knowledge of Jesus' life could not do it; but the Holy Spirit through the sacrifice of Jesus could. He brought us to the cross and not only did He die, but we died with Him. Therefore, it broke the hold of the outside influence on us.

The cross breaks the ability to be distracted from outside forces. How? - through death. Who's death? Our own death blocks the influence of outside distractions. We are no longer tossed about by every wind, because dead people cannot respond to their five senses. God wants us free from the pressure of our outside environment.

Jesus continually frees us and provides this environment through the cross. It is through death that we overcome. "We were crucified with Him." (Galatians 2:20) The other part of God's plan is that He put His voice inside of us. The Holy Spirit of promise has come into our spirit and influences us from the inside out. We are no longer distracted by outside voices.

God's voice must be nurtured. There are laws for acquiring and keeping His voice. When we keep these laws, the voice stays active and vibrant inside our spirits. We have His written law to guide us and govern our hearts and we have His Holy Spirit. The fall was accomplished through seeking knowledge, so through faith,

God chooses the foolish things of the cross to bring us to death to outside stimuli. (Galatians 6:14) He doesn't try to reach us through the mind, but goes right past the mind, past our emotions, past our will and into our spirit. God uses inspiration not just information. The voice of the Holy Spirit provides intuition, inspiration, interpretation and conviction. These help us to respond correctly to life.

Do you believe you have been crucified, buried and have risen with Christ? (Romans 6). The waters of baptism accomplish this through faith. We are new creatures in Christ! Ask the Holy Spirit to show you your progress in denying yourself. How have you changed? What areas of your life still need to be crucified? How do you respond to bad news, good news, outside voices? Practice listening for His interpretation, inspiration and conviction!