I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from Him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to change the good news about the Messiah.  Galatians 1:6-7HCSB

Many of us are creatures of habit.  Often times our jobs, church, and other commitments require that we do the same thing at the same time each day. Many of us find comfort in consistency. But we all know that change can happen in the blink of an eye.  You can think you are in a solid relationship, only to have your significant other say, “I’m sorry this just isn’t working for me.”  You can think that you are in excellent health only to get an upsetting diagnosis from your doctor. Our lives can change in an instant.  But one thing that should remain constant is our love for Christ.

Now I am sure that many of you have seen those that walk the aisle, get baptized and vow before God and everybody to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind only to find that they seem to have forgotten all about that a short time later. You may have had your own similar experience with that. I know I have. I was baptized at 12. I did well through my teen years, but once the devil crept into my life, he took hold.  He’s quite persistent and hard to shake loose of once he grabs hold of you.

Now the interesting thing is that God will not force us to love Him. He waits patiently for us to come to our senses. But the devil works hard at trying to get you back. Sin is fun, right? Last night our pastor said that sin if fun or no one would want to sin, but that it is like gravel in our mouth after a little while.  The problem is when your sin becomes burdensome, you are often tied up in bondage to it.

In our scripture passage, Paul was writing to the Galatians who seemed to have turned away from the gospel of Jesus Christ to please those men that were against it.  Don’t we often do the same thing? Haven’t you ever drank alcohol, simply because you were with others who did the same and you didn’t want to seem like a fuddy-duddy?  When you are around those that cuss, do you do the same? Maybe even for good measure take the Lord’s name in vain? Just so they know that you are serious about your cussing.

Have you figured it out yet? If you haven’t, it’s okay, it took me a while. The devil puts people in our path to lead us astray.  Now you can take the lead and attempt to lead them to the Lord or you can follow them to hell. The choice is a pretty clear and simple one.  Being a Christian is not easy. Often times it will mean that we are not the popular kid in school, so to speak. But we never know when God will call us home and to tell you the truth, I just want to get to heaven. I just want my eternity in glory to be secure.  Know that whatever the devil offers will look very appealing, so guard against that. Also know that when you step up for God, the devil will come against you. Stay in God’s protective embrace so that you will be safe from the devil. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to,  Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 

Christianity is a life long commitment. It is not something we do for a season.  Sin looks good, but after a season it becomes bitter and by that time we are in bondage.  If you are living with some type of sin then you are carrying a heavy burden, my friend. I encourage you to hand that burden over to God today. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”

Change is hard. When we change our lives for the better by turning to God, we will quickly find that the devil will stop at nothing to win us back.  Sometimes, it is easy to go back to or to stay where we are comfortable. I can assure you there is no greater place of comfort than snuggly wrapped in the loving arms of our Lord and Savior.  Trust me, I’ve tried it both ways and I am so happy to be back in the arms of my loving, heavenly Father.  Won’t you join me? You can turn to God just as quickly as you turned to sin.  He will give you comfort and rest. The change will do you good.

Have a great day!