“It is for freedom that
Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened
again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1
When
we think of slavery no doubt the first thing that comes to mind is black
slavery down in the south prior and during the mid-1800’s. But there are many types of slavery that
exist even today. A slave is one who is subject to or controlled by a
specified influence. In this age of
high technology some become a slave to their cell phones. It must be true because they can’t stop
staring at them. They even use them
while driving 70 mph on the Interstate Highways of America talking and texting
like fiends. We can be a slave to
anything that controls us, like television or working out. Pornography is something people find
themselves uncontrollably enslaved to.
Anything that draws us away from God and controls us to the near
exclusion of all else is not of God. The
enemy spends day and night in the attempt to make us ineffective for the kingdom
of God. He also devotes his time to
keeping souls far away from redemption.
There
are contradictions to scripture all around us.
The devil wants to deceive you into believing that the Bible is fraught
with errors leading you to believe you cannot trust its validity. It’s been that way since the dawn of time and
shall continue until the clock stops ticking.
It behooves the believer to be well versed in scriptural knowledge and
draw as close to the Lord as humanly possible.
This is how we can stand firm in our faith. You must know what is expected of you and
what God’s precepts and promises are or you will fall victim to becoming
enslaved once again.
Man
always thinks he knows the right way to go, but Proverbs cautions us in two
instances (14:12 and 16:25) that “There
is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Man’s best laid plans will come to nothing
without God’s input. The devil wants you
to fail. His desperation only reveals
that he knows he’s already lost the war.
Don’t allow him to gain a foothold in your life. Until next time, walk with the King and be a
blessing!
Dictionary used: American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,
Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing
Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
REFERENCE NOTE: Paul had received word that in Galatia, where he had preached the
Gospel, there were some who were preaching “another gospel,” which was
unsettling the believers. These other preachers were responsible for
“bewitching” (3:1; cf. 1:6-9) them. These perceived troublemakers apparently
were not only casting aspersions on Paul's preaching, but also on his person.
The issues seem to center on (1) whether non-Jewish believers must enter into
Christian fellowship via Judaism and its covenantal mark, circumcision, and (2)
whether Paul had legitimate apostolic authority to teach and preach. [Asbury
Bible Commentary; Zondervan; 1992]
