Of course, we understand the letters Paul wrote to the churches were not marked with chapters and verses.  Dividing Scripture into chapter and verse was done as the Bible was printed for the purpose of referencing. Therefore, sometimes a continuous thought was divided between chapters, as it is in the case of our memory verse.  

Galatians 5:1 is commonly read as a continuation of the teaching from Galatians 4:20 through verse 31, and Paul’s explanation of Abraham’s two sons and their connection to two covenants:   Galatians 4:23-24 NLT “The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise. 24 These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants.” 

Towards the end of Chapter 4, Paul’s explains to the members of the churches at Galatia they are not children of the slave woman, but children of the free.  And why did Paul bring this instruction? Because of the pervasive teaching that found its way into the churches of this region… the teaching that said that grace was not enough for salvation, but it needed to be coupled with the keeping of the Mosaic Law.  

Galatians 5:1 is Paul’s Declaration of Independence for the children of the free woman… because “Christ had TRULY set them free!”  And, if they were absolutely free, the responsibility to remain free would rest with them.  How would they remain free? By refusing to tie to their faith in Jesus Christ the necessity of keeping the dictates of the Law… for Christ has set us free from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us! So, live in the freedom Christ has provided!

This week's Scripture is an important reminder of our dependence upon Jesus. Not only did Christ die for us, but He lives through us! 

When you feel like you are failing in your faith, remember to trust your faith in Jesus more than your faith in yourself. Do not concentrate on who you used to be because it is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you! Thank you Jesus!!!

Scripture says that we are called to live in freedom. Notice it doesn't say we are "forced" to live in freedom. That wouldn't be true freedom anyway!

The key to walking in freedom with Jesus is recognizing that Christ has made a way for us to make decisions. Jesus made the decision to go to the cross for us. We must decide to follow Him daily. 

Allow the Holy Spirit to confront and correct any ways that you are using your God-given freedom to satisfy your sin nature. And as Paul wrote in Galatians 5:13, "Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love." 

Are you lead by your emotions? Do your urges and desires dictate your decisions?

Jesus warned that if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch. The religious leaders of Jesus' day were criticizing Christ's disciples for not washing their hands before eating bread. Jesus had a simple response, "Let them alone." 

People cannot see things the same way God does. We need His help to navigate life because He has a better vantage point than we do. The religious leaders were so distracted by details that did not matter, that they did not realize that the Messiah was in their midst. 

Make the decision to be lead by the Spirit and to be a true follower of Christ today. You need to make that same decision every day. Remember that decisions lead and feelings follow...it should not be the other way around. 

1 John 4:4 shows our identity in Christ and the identity of God in our lives. These truths are more than just words, they are declarations over our lives. Take a look!

In the first line, “But YOU BELONG TO GOD, my dear children.” John sets the standard that anyone who believes is no longer a slave, no longer in the dark, but they belong to God. All the old that we once knew, is now made clean in the eyes of the Father. He doesn’t view us in the lens of the dirt we had, God sees us clean and pure in His sight. When you feel alone, or that you don’t belong, remember that you DO belong and are accepted in the family of God.

Then later, John says, “You have ALREADY WON A VICTORY over those people.” We could stop there. The battle in our lives, the storms we face are ALREADY won! We have a defeated enemy in Jesus name. God is bigger than any problem we face, and spoiler alert, WE WIN! So no longer do you have to feel defeated in your circumstances. Always hold that promise and hope that the victory is ours, “Because of the Spirit who lives in YOU.” So stand tall and speak the truth to that storm that the Victor is on YOUR side.

John closes this particular verse bringing to light the magnitude of the God we love. “The Spirit who lives in you is GREATER THAN THE SPIRIT WHO LIVES IN THE WORLD.” According to 2 Timothy 1:7, God has not given us a Spirit of fear. We don’t have a wimpy God who just sits back on His throne with His feet up waiting to see if we mess up. No! Our God is greater than any foe. He heals. He saves. He loves, He fights. And He is the champion! We have a Father who has defeated death! We have a Father who created the world! And nothing and no one could ever be on such a level. He is God and He is good.

So as you go throughout your week, remember this: You are a child of the One who is Greater than the world. And He loves you and has already fought all your battles. You don’t have to look any further. He has it all taken care of. So why fear? Why worry? Don’t walk with your head low! Hold that head high and walk in the confidence that You are a child of God, and NOTHING is impossible for Him!

I leave you with a few songs that can help you declare these truths this week. Sing them alone. Sing them with your families. Sing them at work. Sing them in the midst of the storm. Your praise is a weapon; so use your voice and declare His truths daily!

“Jireh” by Elevation Worship and Maverick City

“Sparrows” by Cory Asbury

“Man of Your Word” by Maverick City

Trust is defined as this: the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.  We all trust in things everyday.  We flip a switch and trust a light will appear.  We lower onto a seat and trust that the legs will support our body.  We firmly believe in the reliability of many things and our actions prove it. 

It is easy to say that we trust the Lord, but do our actions prove it?  Believers would readily agree that Jesus is reliable, that He does not lie, that He is able to do anything, and that He is all powerful.  We see these attributes on display all through scripture and if you have walked with the Lord any amount of time you have enjoyed the benefits yourself.  So why then do we struggle to obey Him?  Why do we choose our own plan over His? 

If He is indeed worthy of trust, then our life choices should reflect the instruction we receive in His Word.  Rest in the fact that His understanding of every situation is perfect and complete while ours is unquestionably flawed.  As Corrie Ten Boom shared, we see the back of a tapestry, with its colorful chaos and endless knots.  He sees the woven masterpiece on the front. 

May we regularly examine ourselves and pray for the Lord to reveal areas of our life that we are holding back from Him.  We can walk in obedience to Him with full confidence that He is weaving a masterpiece that will result in our good and His glory.

Our memory verse is often quoted and many times the verse we go to when we need an influx of 
strength to overcome something difficult. But think with me for just a moment… when does He give us 
the strength to do everything? What if this verse merely describes an outcome? Let me quickly share 
three thoughts Paul conveys from Philippians, Chapter 4. 

First, in verses six and seven, Paul recognizes we face difficult things in life… from great challenges to 
small annoyances… but, regardless the size, they all contain the seeds of worry. In the face of these 
difficulties, Paul issues a command … DO NOT WORRY; PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING! With this command, 
the Lord is beginning to give us strength to do everything! And the very first layer of His strength is 
God’s peace. As the Scripture says, “God’s peace will guard our heart and mind IN CHRIST JESUS!” 

The second of Paul’s three thoughts has to do with OUR THOUGHTS. Every second of every moment of 
everyday there are hundreds of thoughts streaming through our mind; but, without worry and with 
God’s peace on guard, WE CAN TAKE CONTROL OF OUR THOUGHT LIFE! Free from worry, we choose to 
fill our thoughts with God’s Word… those things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable! 
What we think on is what we put into practice! We are strengthened when we practice God’s Word and 
believe God is always with us regardless the difficulty! 

Paul’s final thought has to do with our attitude in the midst of our circumstances. Free from worry 
knowing the peace of God is guarding our heart and mind, focused-on and practicing God’s Word, and 
having the confidence that comes from knowing God is always with us we learn to be content regardless 
of our outward circumstances. Good or bad, circumstances cannot control us. It is in this place of 
learned contentment that God gives us strength to do everything!

Whatever happens - we should rejoice in the Lord. Scriptures like this can cause us to question our faith commitment.

"Do I rejoice in the Lord no matter what?"
"Is that even possible?"

Let's confront those questions with a couple of questions: "What if I do not rejoice in the Lord no matter what?" 

The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:1 that he never grows tired of reminding the church of these things, and he does so to safeguard our faith. The truth is, before you lose your faith, you almost always lose your joy first. When you do not rejoice in the Lord in all situations, the joy of the Lord is not your strength in all situations. That is not only a difficult place to be spiritually, but it can be spiritually dangerous as well. Once your joy is gone, your faith is sure to follow. Protect your joy by rejoicing in the Lord no matter what! 

Let's pose a second question: "What if I did rejoice in the Lord no matter what?"

This changes everything, because our perspective has changed about everything. Even in struggles, and even through trials, a person who rejoices in the Lord always will always see God's hand on their lives! This kind of commitment to God produces what the Bible calls "Joy Unspeakable." It doesn't makes sense why we are always joyful, and our faith can survive through difficult situations that don't make sense. If the enemy can take everything from you, but he cannot steal your joy, the battle is already over! Whatever happens, let us rejoice in the Lord, and as we give God glory we will realize that God has given us the victory! 

Psalm 119:105 NIV “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” 

Light is something that is necessary to navigate this world of darkness.  We need light to guide us safely through the unforeseen dangers that await us. 

Several years ago, while pastoring a church in the desert of New Mexico, I made a stop at the church with two of my young children.  The sun had already set over the San Andres Mountain range to the west as we entered the church office door. It was dark, and Eric and Ashley took off down the hall just seconds before I could turn the light on.  I flipped the switch, and my attention was immediately drawn to the small rattlesnake coiled in middle of the hallway floor.  There was unforeseen danger in the middle of the church hallway! Living in New Mexico for more than 13 years, we saw our fair share of these venomous reptiles, and thankfully without incident. 

What about our spiritual journey? Are there unforeseen dangers in our spiritual path? In Proverbs 4:19 NIV, the author shares this insight, “But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.”  We have the choice to walk in darkness or to walk in the light.  Yes, many are the dangers along our path, but we can trust our daily, personal use of God’s Word will shine the light on those dangers. 

From Proverbs 6:23, Solomon shared the “correction and instruction” found in the lamp of God’s Word “are the way to life.”  When we live in the light of Truth, God directs our steps and leads us away from danger.  And He will do so until there is no more darkness; because, in that eternal day, we won’t need the light of a lamp or of the sun for the Lord God will be our endless light. 

But, while it is night and we journey in the darkness of this world… His Word is our light and lamp!

2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

Our memory verse this week is taken from the Fifth Chapter of Second Corinthians. In this chapter, Paul is writing to the church at Corinth regarding the confidence they can enjoy because of the promised hope in Christ Jesus. 

Confidence is the state of being certain of something; it is firm trust or faith. Therefore, having confidence in God’s promise of heaven, we live our life in the body with full reliance on God’s testimony.  In exchange for our faith, God gives us a down payment of the glory seen through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit—the pledge, or deposit on the fulfillment of God’s glorious promise. We have this treasure in earthly vessels. 

So, when we live by faith, or as the King James Version says, “walk by faith”, our faith “supplies the place of direct vision.” Our faith in God’s testimony becomes the evidence of what we do not see; our direct vision is the supernatural ability to see with our heart what our eyes cannot see. 

The same applies when God speaks to us from His Word or by His still, small voice.  When God speaks to us, He creates a vision in our hearts; and when we believe it, our faith becomes the evidence of what we do not see. Therefore, our confidence is not in what we see with our eyes, but in the testimony of God. 

For example, God spoke to David about Goliath; and David spoke to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head.” 

David’s words painted a picture of the direct vision he’d seen by faith; His faith was all the evidence he needed. David walked out his faith, and Israel was rescued.  We, too, can put confidence in the God’s Word and walk out our faith.