Overcomers 4 /3/ 21

The lesson for today comes from Gal 4:8-11.  Paul writes to the Galatian Church about the pull of the world to return to the things we escaped when we  turned our lives over to God.  In Verse 9 he asks “…how can you turn back to the weak and bankrupt elemental forces?  Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?”  This is a key element of habitual or addictive behavior.  We have good intentions but they often fail to deter us from behaviors that have controlled our actions for years if not decades.  We often find our selves reacting to worldly influences rather than the spiritual guidance we need.  We cannot fight this fight alone.  God wants to be our recourse but if that relationship is not strong we often turn elsewhere.  We need personal relationships we can turn to but we often turn to them when the crisis is past to gain spiritual, mental and emotional support.  The engagement needs to take place during the crisis approach in order to gain the strength to resist and overcome.  That joy of victory is reflected in Gal 5:1 “Chris has liberated us to be free.  Stand firm then and don’t submit again to the yoke of slavery”.  God’s goal for us is to have a strong relationship with God that allows us to turn to him in crisis and with his strongly and encouragement to resist and overcome.