RESTRAINING ORDER

Greetings and salutations all of you FREE and RESTRAINED saints. Free? Restrained? What kind of mumbo jumbo kind of talk is this.

Harry Houdini was a master escape artist and illusionist...who would allow himself to be bound by ropes...shackled with multiple handcuffs...put in a strait jacket...locked in wooden crates...the bottom lined he was RESTRAINED. His goal...to get FREE.

We know that Jesus taught that if we
(1) If we abide in His Word (2) Then we are His disciples (3) We shall know the truth (4) The truth shall make you free. Of course people twist this concept around to mean that if you are just blunt with everyone...if they just know truth...then the would be FREE. They want to bypass the abiding, discipleship, coming to an intimate relationship with the truth...and just go on to being free. When the believers that He was giving this message began to question whether or not the were every really not free...Jesus pointed out to them that everyone who COMMITS SIN is the SLAVE (bound/restrained) of SIN. He then declared that if the Son shall make you free, you shall be FREE INDEED (not just think your free...but actually free from sin).
(John 8:30-36)


Proverbs 29:16-18...or as I like to call them the PRO-VERBS...POSITIVE ACTION.. states..."When the wicked increase, transgression increases...but the righteous will see their fall. Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He will also delight your soul. Where there is no VISION, the people PERISH. But happy is he who keeps the law."
The word PERISH mean to be UNRESTRAINED. When someone (saint or sinner) is walking in sin...they are bound...slaves...not free. But when you have VISION...insight into the law...the Word of God...you go from being unrestrained...doing whatever you like and reaping the consequences...to be RESTRAINED. You reign yourself in like a horse with a bit in the mouth...and then lead and guide the horse instead of the horse leading and guiding you.

We Christians value our FREEDOM. We actually thing that our new found freedom gives us the liberty to do things that may or may not be good for us. That's why you see so many people who profess to be true believers...one day...out of the blue...end up addicted to drugs...hooked on tobacco...in a feeding frenzy as we fatten ourselves to the point of overweight oblivion.. descending from being social drinkers to social drunks...bound by porn...to the point of where you can't tell the saints from the sinners without a program. In Kenneth Copeland's booklet called Discipline of the Flesh...he points out that the words liciviousness...or licentiousness mean to be unrestrained. Those two words seem to slither off your tongue. When you think about it...you almost need to take a bath after you say them.

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth...some advice about their freedom. Remember from the previous Rambling...that they were a spiritual group of believers who either were wallowing in the things of the flesh...or tolerating the things of the flesh. Somewhere along the way...they had lost their VISION...the were FREE in their minds...but they were UNRESTRAINED in their actions. Paul wrote:

" Or do you not know, that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be decieved; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, no homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (I Corinthians 6:12) YIKES!!!! How can we avoid this fate? "And such WERE some of you; BUT you were washed, but your were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God." (I Corinthians 6:11) The contrast... the BUT...is washed, sanctified, justified...all tied up in the D.B.R...the cross...the blood of Jesus.

Paul now contrasts the freedom we have and the old ways of life that can once again...enslave us...bind us...restrain us. "All things are lawful for me...but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be MASTERED BY ANYTHING. Food is for the stomach...and the stomach is for food; BUT God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not or IMMORALITY, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body." We may be FREE...to do certain things...BUT...it will not be PROFITABLE...beneficial for us to do them.

As we have seen...we are called to discipline ourselves...for the purpose of godliness. We are to discipline our SPEECH (what we say)...CONDUCT (what we do)...LOVE (what motivates)...FAITH (what gets us through when the end is not in sight)...PURITY (what we allow or do not restrain in our lives).

It is time...that as believers (imperfect as we are)...to issue a RESTRAINING ORDER on ourselves. Cease and desist from going against the deeds of the flesh. Restrain and be free.

Next Time: YOUR SPEECH (What's comin' out da spout?)

Unrestrained thoughts (what we think)...Produces unstrained words (what we say)...Resulting in unrestained actions (what we do)

Love and Restrained Kisses
Rod "Houdini" Boyd