THE EVIL CURSE OF UNBELIEF
Galatians 3:1-3 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? (NIVUK)
Some in the Galatian church had believed a lie. False teachers had told them that they could not be in God’s favour by saying that they believed; they had to be religiously good. That was untrue. Even Jesus welcomed criminals and immoral people and as they believed Him, they were welcomed into His kingdom.
But their faithlessness operated as an evil curse. Having believed the lie they were then living under the lie. It was as though they were being controlled by some evil being. They knew that Jesus, who was dead, became alive again. There were enough eye witnesses to confirm the evidence. They knew something of the Holy Spirit’s power in their lives which they had never experienced before. The old way of legalism never produced the liberty in the Spirit. It was as though the powers of evil were trying to rob God’s people of their peace and joy. And they were!
Satan delights in stealing the blessings of God from Christians. He does operate a curse wherever He is allowed to terrorise the believers: the cure being tied to trying to be good when we know that we cannot reach God’s standard. And yet, so many who have begun their walk with Jesus joyfully are sucked back into religious legalism. False teachers abound. Our own flesh still makes us want to be spiritually self-sufficient. But the truth is that we are either totally dependent on the grace of Christ alone, or we have no purpose in this world or hope of heaven to come. Do not let the Evil One manipulate you into thinking that you don’t need Jesus. You do need Him for everything!
Prayer: Dear Lord God. Thank You for saving me, not because of the good things I do but because I am trusting in Jesus alone to remove all my sin and give me a new start every day. Forgive me when I think that I can earn Your favour. Help me to resist false teachers, friends and even my own fleshly nature as Satan accuses me and urges me to despair of my sin and try to help myself. I know that only Your grace can save me. Please bring me back to that simple faith. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
But their faithlessness operated as an evil curse. Having believed the lie they were then living under the lie. It was as though they were being controlled by some evil being. They knew that Jesus, who was dead, became alive again. There were enough eye witnesses to confirm the evidence. They knew something of the Holy Spirit’s power in their lives which they had never experienced before. The old way of legalism never produced the liberty in the Spirit. It was as though the powers of evil were trying to rob God’s people of their peace and joy. And they were!
Satan delights in stealing the blessings of God from Christians. He does operate a curse wherever He is allowed to terrorise the believers: the cure being tied to trying to be good when we know that we cannot reach God’s standard. And yet, so many who have begun their walk with Jesus joyfully are sucked back into religious legalism. False teachers abound. Our own flesh still makes us want to be spiritually self-sufficient. But the truth is that we are either totally dependent on the grace of Christ alone, or we have no purpose in this world or hope of heaven to come. Do not let the Evil One manipulate you into thinking that you don’t need Jesus. You do need Him for everything!
Prayer: Dear Lord God. Thank You for saving me, not because of the good things I do but because I am trusting in Jesus alone to remove all my sin and give me a new start every day. Forgive me when I think that I can earn Your favour. Help me to resist false teachers, friends and even my own fleshly nature as Satan accuses me and urges me to despair of my sin and try to help myself. I know that only Your grace can save me. Please bring me back to that simple faith. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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