Galatians 4:9 “Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits?  How can you want to be enslaved to them again?”

Two steps forward and one step back; when I look at my life with God this is what I see.  Paul writes about beggarly elemental spirits that are pulling the Galatian Christians back into spiritual slavery.  As I was meditating on this I thought of people who are battered or abused.  How many stories have I heard over the years about people who finally leave an abusive situation only to go back or to get into another one?  It is heart breaking and hard to understand when I hear these stories.  Yet, spiritual slavery is no different.  When we slide back into practices or patterns in life that pull us away from God, we are putting ourselves back into an “abusive” situation.  We are enticed by the comfort that familiarity brings and so when the going gets tough, we are tempted to step back into our comfort zone even if it is into enslavement.  Take another step forward.   If we can continue to take two steps forward we will walk more and more in the light and love of God.  The call of enslavement will become less and less comfortable because we receive comfort and love, blessings and forgiveness when we live with God.  Join me in the walk to know God and be known by God.  Let’s be free in His embrace!

Lord,

Quiet the voices of enslavement that call us back to the familiarity of darkness.  Help us cling to you when the going gets tough and guide our steps, each one, closer and closer to knowing you and being known by you.  Draw us to you in light and love so we can live in your freedom.  Amen.