Galatians 5:7 – You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

Paul was addressing the legalism that had impacted the churches in the area of Galatia. Legalism is disobedience to the truth. The Galatians had made a good start in the Christian life, but someone had hindered them. This hinderance came at the hands of the Judaizers and the false apostles of their day. By accepting their faulty teachings the saints were disobeying the truth of God and not living in the grace that was available to them through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Hinderances to your faith can come in many different ways and forms. This past week, in the Nashville area, winter weather was able to hinder many of us from our regular routine of life. As the snow fell the first day, it was exciting and the kids we happy to be out of school and able to go sledding down the hills of this area. But by the 4th and 5th day of bad weather, everyone was beginning to pray this would all just pass on by. It truly is amazing how easy it is for us to be hindered by weather.

Challenge:

Just like the weather can hinder your ability to get out of your house and drive to the grocery store, there are things, though out of your control, that can hinder your relationship with God. Notice this weeks verse starts out with “You ran well.” You see, there was an earlier time in these believers lives where their faith were strong in the Lord and their lives were quite productive. But they took their eyes off of God and began to do things in their own strength trying to please the Lord. Is there something that is hindering your relationship with the Lord? Are there outside influences that are taking your attention away from God? Your challenge this week is to practice praising God no matter what outside pressures are pulling at you. For instance, do you have a favorite worship song that lifts your spirit when you hear it on the radio? Get a copy of that song and listen to it a couple of times a day and let the lyrics minister to you. Find a scripture in the Bible that encourages you to worship the Lord. For example, Psalm 66:4 “All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.” These will help you to rise above your hinderances and rest in the goodness of God. Finally, I ask you to read this next statement slowly and consider how true this really is. “The more you pray, the less you panic. The more you worship, the less you worry.” Let that sink into your mind and heart until you feel the pressures of this life falling away and the power of God filling you. God bless you.