"And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, Loose him, and let him go" (John 11:43-44).

Do you remember the account in John 11 of Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead? If you'll go back and read it, you'll see that when Jesus stood before the tomb, He called out, "Lazarus, come forth!" Sure enough, Lazarus came forth. But the Bible says he was still bound up. The grave clothes were wrapped around him. So Jesus said, "Loose him, and let him go!"

That's a good illustration of our situation. When we were born again, our spirit man came forth. We were born of God. But the self-centered habits we had acquired while living under the Law of Sin and Death were still in place. They still had us bound.

Well, Jesus wants the same thing for us that He wanted for Lazarus. He not only wants us alive, He wants us free! He wants us walking in love because that's the only way the new life He's put within us can get out!

When we walk in love, we step out of the natural realm into the supernatural. Nothing can hold us back anymore. But the grave clothes, those deadly habits of unforgiveness, impatience, irritation, and selfishness, have to go.

Do you want to be free from the habits of hostility that have you bound? Then say the same thing Jesus is saying. Get into agreement with Him and say to each one of those deadly habits, "Loose me and let me go! I will go on with God. I refuse to be held down. I will walk in love. I put hate and unforgiveness and selfishness behind me. I will go forward in the power and the Glory of God. So loose me and let me go!"

It doesn't take weeks or months to switch over from natural to supernatural living. For a born-again follower of Jesus, all it takes is a decision to yield to the force of love. After all, God has already placed it within you. But love won't do any good if you keep it locked inside.

"Put on the new man created after God," the Bible says (Eph. 4:24). Don't leave him trapped inside. Bring him to the outside. Dare to release what God has put within you. Strip off those grave clothes and live the life He has called you to live.

Dare to step into the supernatural. Dare to give yourself over to love.

Speak the Word: Deadly habits of unforgiveness, impatience, irritation, and selfishness, loose me and let me go. I choose to walk free by the power of God's Word. (John 11:43-44; Rom. 8:2-6)

For Further Study: Galatians 5:13-15

Daily Scripture Reading: Exodus 29-30; Mark 15

Excerpt permission granted by
Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc.
aka:  Kenneth Copeland Ministries