Tom Branch - Roads of Faith

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 (New International Version)

But I was doing so well...

You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. Galatians 5:7-8 (New Living Translation)

How did I find myself back in this place again. I don't know. I am sure I do but I do not want to take the time to sit down and map the whole thing out. I won't like the results of it very much. After the first 50 or so sins. While some of the external factors were a part of it, my reactions were the internal aspect of it. I gave in and let sin reign. Not take over or anything but I let it overwhelm me and became blind to it once again.

One thing that Jerry Bridges tried to help us understand was running this like a race and keeping our eyes on the prize. Actually it is from Philippians but one chapter in of his books hit on this. I know that I have definitely lost focus. I shifted form seeking God to seeking a way out of now. This is where things start to fall apart by not seeking him or accepting that he is the one. Or simply that he IS. So it's no wonder how those of us in this spiritual warfare daily to not know what we are fighting or live a docile fight. Kinda there but going no where. In the How People Change book, one of the first things they tell you is the focus of heaven.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:13-14 (New Living Translation)

In looking back upon how I went off against my roommate I see that no matter how right I felt Iwas, I was still on a path to a dead end.

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. Galatians 5:13, 15 (New Living Translation)

I was not living in freedom. I was living in the law. You do unto me and I will do unto you. Much like that scientific rule where every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Blow for blow. This was a cycle that would have went no where. When I know that I should have taken a different course of action. I know the end result I was very satisfied. I won, But at a cost.

I took an issue I Wanted to address for a very long time and went rash on it. So I was not following the teachings here on this one. There was no serving or love among either of us. What hit me here is this would apply to any relationship. Including marriage. How can I intimnately love anyone for the glory of God if I am not servbing one another in love? But following the laws of my right vs your wrong? Or the laws of anger I guess would be a nice name for it. It comes with being evil and fallen.

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. Galatians 5:16-18 (New Living Translation)

But now reading further I see that I am not following him in my actions in life as of last week. I was giving in to my sinful nature by choice. It is rare when I really set out to do wrong or sin on purpose. And here I am giving in, in so many ways. But somethign just hit me. About being free, well not free. We are not free to carry out our good intentions, but if we follow the spirit, Christ, we are not under the law of Moses. So this means no to the ten commandments?

Think about it if you break down the commandments, you can see a few very comman basic themes in it. I even heard George Carlin break them down once. He may not have been the, well It's George Carlin folks! However if we follow Christ in the greates commandments everything fits into place. We are to love God with all our heart, and secondly love our neighbor as we love ourselves. If we were to do this it does change the light in whcih I look at the big ten list ya know?

So what does it realy mean to love one another? For me its easy on paper but difficult in application. I don't know. By living in anger and frustration, come to think of it in Star Wars Yoda really boke down everything to the point of the darkside. Those of us who battle that darkside knew waht he meant. While everyone looked at yet another cheesy line. There is truth in that. Replace Dark Side with death. Now listen again...

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate, and Hate leads to suffering.
- Yoda

Suffering. Did we hear that? In my case I was so angry I was hateful. I did not hate those who wronged me, I hated I was wrong but gave into to a hateful heart. Which later I felt physical pain. I could not stand the feeling I was harboring. It hurt. It was suffering. And that leads to death. And not the good one. It is the life of bondage. The yoke of slavery.

So from giving in to the anger I became a slave to that in which I wanted away from. I never thought that a trip to Galatia would show me this. Did anyone else knwo this was in Galatia? I'm scared to see what else that got in the market!

Labels: Evil Tom, OTJ

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