May 11: Being transformed into Jesus’ likeness

But whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Satan is the deceiver of the world and works hard at keeping all of us in darkness. He uses false teaching, prejudice, pride, and the desires of our flesh. Just think to what extent the devil deceived people to cause them to crucify Jesus, or to cause them today to be involved in drugs, etc. But when we or anyone else tums to the Lord, the blindness and the veil over our eyes is removed. If we truly follow Jesus and let Him teach us, we are no longer blind. We know the truth about God, about Jesus, about ourselves, about life. We become free because the truth sets men and women free.

Take a look at your life and see if you are free or not. Be honest, and look at the different areas of your life. Before we can make a powerful and effective prayer, we have to know what we need — we have to know what we need to cry out to God for. Are you bound up and deceived by a religious spirit? Is your body sick and diseased? Are your finances in a mess? Are you controlled by bad habits or addictions? Do you need to repent of some sin and get serious about following Jesus? Are you a victim of witchcraft? Is the devil destroying your family or marriage? Whatever your problem is, God can set you free. But you need to cry out to Him and be serious about seeking your freedom.

Then, as we are progressively set free from everything that held us back, God's Spirit will begin to transform us. We will become like Jesus — we will mirror God's nature and power. From one degree of glory to another, the Holy Spirit will bear His fruit in us. So don't allow Satan to continue placing a veil over your eyes. Don't allow him to hold you back or oppress you. Reach out for God's best and allow the Holy Spirit free access to your life.

Unless we are baptized in God’s Spirit, we are not truly free. Many think they’re free because they attend church, or because they’ve gotten rid of this or that problem, or because they made the sinner’s prayer one day in church, but no one knows what true freedom is until God’s Spirit has been poured into him. And this is where the devil uses the veil to devastating effect, by making Christians stop short of this true freedom. — Don’t accept anything less than the freedom that comes through the Spirit of the Lord.