Hope-Filled Christian
Hope-Filled Christian
Unshackled Faith: Strengthening Your Relationship with Jesus
What if you could break free from the shackles of religious practices and truly deepen your relationship with Jesus? Join us for a transformative discussion on living a faith-filled life as we explore Galatians, chapter 5, and the freedom Jesus has granted us from the yoke of slavery. As we journey together, we'll uncover the importance of staying grounded in this freedom, nurturing our connection with God, and doing things through love in honor of Jesus.
In this enlightening conversation, we examine how to preserve our freedom in Christ by fostering a close relationship with God and seeking His wisdom. It's not about a set of rules to follow, but an intimate bond with our Creator. Learn how we can prioritize spending time with God, even when life demands our attention elsewhere. Lastly, we'll share a weekly blessing and prayer to remind ourselves and each other to remain rooted in the freedom that Jesus has given us. Don't miss this empowering episode that will guide you towards a more fulfilling, faith-driven life.
Hi and welcome back to HFC. Just for your information, this is being recorded earlier because I am actually going out of town when I would normally be recording this, and also it's kind of being done last minute because I completely forgot that I had to record this, which is a good reminder because I'm also going out of town later in July. So it's a good reminder that I need to do this and think this out more thoroughly then, because that time will actually be out gone sooner and have even less time to record. Anyway, so this is being done kind of last minute, so I apologize if it seems kind of unkempt or rough, that is because it is unkempt and rough because I don't know if I'll have time to edit it because, as I said, short on time. Anyway, for this week's episode we're looking at Galatians, chapter 5, specifically two verses that kind of stood out to me Galatians chapter 5, verse 1, and Galatians chapter 5, verse 6. Galatians chapter 5, verse 1, says For freedom, christ has set us free. Stand affirmed, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. And Galatians 5 chapter, verse 6, says For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
Speaker 1:Now, i enjoy these two verses because of the kind of detail they give us about what it means to live a life for Christ. First of all, it says that we are set free because Christ has set us free and that we need to stand firm. But it also gives us this image when it says And do not submit again to a yoke of slavery That yes, jesus has set us free, but there is the capability of us to submit to the yoke of slavery, to take it upon ourselves once again to deny what Jesus has done for us, despite the fact that he's done it, and to reclaim that, even though it's not just something that belongs to us anymore. And so, like, if you know, someone said they handle something, you're like, sure, sure, sure, and then you end up going to go do it anyway, like they've already said they're going to take care of it. That's on you if you decide to go pick it up. It's at this point that Jesus is saying you are free. You are free And this is no longer your burden. I have taken it, i have paid your price, and yet some people still go back and pick that up, and so I think it's important to reminder that just because you don't feel free from sin doesn't mean that you're not free. Sometimes it's on ourselves that we go back to pick up that you know old sin and become a slave to it yet again. Now, the other verse I like is verse six, because it says For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
Speaker 1:I feel like this gives good detail, because when it tells us we shouldn't be looking to do something simply because we feel like it's what should be done in a certain religion, this goes back to the idea of religion versus relationship. We shouldn't be seeking out a religion or doing certain practices, seeking out a God to life. Instead, we should have a relationship where we do certain practices because we feel led to do them, because we're having faith that this is a relationship, that we have a living God who seeks out. You know, changing things is more complex than do this five times a day. Do this three times a day and you're going to be perfectly fine. Our God is not a a medicine that you take. Yes, he is curing and he is healing to your flesh, but it's not do this over and over and over again every single day and that's it. You'll be fine for the rest of your life. It is a relationship. There are differences, there are ways that it changes and adapts depending on your situation. There are dry seasons, there are good seasons, all that stuff.
Speaker 1:And the second part that I enjoy reading or that I got from this was the part where it says but only faith, working through love. Because sometimes I feel like we get the idea that okay, yeah, i'm gonna work in faith, not realizing that we also have to work through faith with love. I feel like we miss that aspect of there's verses. I actually talk about it. There's verses that mention doing all things as if you're doing them unto Christ himself, and I feel like that's another important aspect to remember that we're supposed to be loving people as if they are ourselves and we're supposed to be doing things as if they're done unto Christ ourselves.
Speaker 1:What we do this for Christ. Is that the kind of work that we'd allow for Christ? is that the kind of experience that we'd be willing to put forth for judgment by God, and not that he would judge it? but I'm just saying like if I'm gonna do something, then I should be doing it as if it's being done to the most important person And, despite what you may feel, the most important person that we have in our lives should be Jesus, and so I should be doing everything that I'm doing as a Christian as if I'm doing it unto Christ.
Speaker 1:That means, if I'm reading my Bible and I'm taking notes, i'm taking notes as if I'm going to share them with Christ. If I'm praying, i'm praying as if I'm praying with Christ, because he is with and, honestly, the point of and the fact of the matter is he is with us, he's ever present, he is omnipresent, he is through all of these situations. So it is as if we're doing them unto Christ, and it's also as if we're doing them through Christ, because we've talked about before that when we become a Christian and when we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts, we clothe ourselves in Christ, and so we take upon the identity. And not only that, not only kind of in our relationship with God do we do that, but also in the world do we do that Because, once we say that we're a Christian, people begin to look at us to see okay, what does a Christian act like, what does a Christian do? And so we have to be remembering to do all these things in love, not through condemnation, not through hate, not through judgment, not through cruelty, understanding that, yes, the Bible may say you know that this is a sin, but that doesn't mean we scream and yell in people and say that they're sinners. That doesn't mean we're shouting and I'm not saying shouting and like saying it loudly But you have to remember that you have to keep your emotion out of it, unless you specifically feel led by God to include emotion in it.
Speaker 1:And one of the most important things that I can think of is I know personally, when people talk to me, if they're yelling at me with anger and or yelling at me harshly or something, or they're just snapping at me, that very quickly I stop listening to what they're trying to tell me and I start listening and thinking about how I can respond to defend myself or what I can do to get out of the situation. I am no longer in the capability or the mentality to be listening to what they're telling me. And so, in that same way, we have to remember to act in love and to talk calmly and to give someone truth, but not in a way that condemns them or makes them feel defensive. And, honestly, there's gonna be people who feel defensive regardless. But we have to be putting it forth in a way that's giving it the least amount of, because, let's be honest, the word of God can be hard to swallow, both for newcomers, old comers and people who have even heard that very specific message before. So we have to be as loving and caring as possible, not adding extra difficulty to it just because we're putting on a difficult personality and whatnot. And I'm not saying we have to be overdoing loving and like, oh well, baby people, but at the same time we're giving it with love.
Speaker 1:And I think the best instance I can think about this with is if I just saw someone Mass up, i have to think, okay, how can I say this in a way where I'm both reminding them that they broke a rule or broke a law or something like that, that this was in the classroom, and but also not being too nice to the point where they're like, oh, whatever, there's no consequences. And so I like to think of it as sometimes I have to imagine that not everybody knows the same things that I do and, except in the classroom, there's a given set of rules and you're actually supposed to go over that. But if I see someone doing something, you give them a loving I don't know the word, but you kind of correct them in a loving way like, hey, that actually wasn't cool, we shouldn't really be gossiping. It may be really uncomfortable when you said that, and I just hope we can veer away from that because I want to make everybody feel welcome or something like that. And then just speaking in a way if you're not entirely sure, and then there's other parts where you're still not being angry but you're like, hey, we I'll just put it more in the context of the classroom First time I might say, hey, it wasn't really cool when you did that.
Speaker 1:You need to be making sure that you're listening to when everybody's talking, or you need to make sure that you raise your hand when other people are talking, because that can make it very difficult to understand what's going on in the classroom. And then, following that, then there's there's like, okay, look, we had this talk last time. I'm still not yelling at them. Hey, stop talking, raise your hand, blah, blah, blah. And I'm not being rude to them, i'm not being angry, i'm just saying okay, we have this conversation last time. Now you're going to be getting some kind of consequence. And I'm not saying there's we're doling out consequence, but I'm just saying like, no matter what we're saying, even if it's something that someone's, we need to be remembering to say things with love and to do things in love.
Speaker 1:And there are sometimes what God speaks to us kind of roughly in love. But we have to remember that. We have to ask ourselves is this what God is in telling us to do? And that requires a very close relationship with God and that requires a very, you know, heavy insight into what God is guiding us towards and being in your word daily. But basically, i just, i just love this because it just talks about two really cool things, The first one being you know that Jesus set us free, but we can pick it back up if we decide to, and that's why sometimes we can feel like, oh, i'm free. And then we're like, well, jesus didn't work for me, or Jesus didn't pay enough, he forgot to pay my bill. No, the truth of the matter is that sometimes we pick it up ourselves without realizing what it is, and so if you're struggling with that, perhaps asking for wisdom like God, how did I open up this door? How did I manage to pick this yoke back up. What is what am I doing Or what am I allowing into my life? that is, having this continue to happen, where I continue to pick that yoke back up, even though I know that you've paid for it.
Speaker 1:And the second part is remembering that it's not about a religion, it's about a relationship, it's not about a set of things that you're doing. It's about actively seeking out a relationship, god having an intimacy, asking God, you know, listening, because sometimes there'll be days where it's like, oh yeah, you know, i'm going to be faithful and I'm going to read my Bible five minutes every day, But there may be a day where God's like, hey, let's spend a little more time. And we have to be willing to say, you know what? Okay, god, let's, let's spend some more time on this, despite the fact that we may be busy, that we may be in, because that's what we would do in a normal relationship. If someone were, hey, do you mind sitting and talking with me? And even if you were rushing and this person was really important, you'd say, sure, i can give you a little more time. And it's not saying to be like I've seen, like, oh, give me the whole day or whatever.
Speaker 1:But sometimes there will be situations like that, just like in real life or not real life just like in more physical relationships, meaning relationships where we're actively interacting with people. There might be an emergency situation where you'll have to just like, all right, my whole day is just gone down the drain. I have to just absolutely give them my full attention, and there may be times like that with God. But again, it's a relationship, not a religion. Anyway, let's go ahead and end this with prayer, and I'm actually trying to do this without having any mistakes, so I really hope I don't mess up on this prayer.
Speaker 1:Lord, i'm believing that you are going to be with me. Dear God, i just pray and I thank you for, first of all, giving us, you know, the payment for the forgiveness of our sins, forgiving us mercy and grace and getting us out of that situation where we were hopeless, where we had no hope to ever pay off our sin and we were condemned to eternal death and we had no opportunity and hope to get to heaven and to have a closer relationship with you, lord. Lord, i pray that you just continue to give us wisdom and insight and give us a desire for your words so that it can help us understand how, if and when we are picking that yoke back up, how to stay away from picking that yoke back up, creating in us a way to run this race that is filled with endurance, not so much trying to get it over with as fast as possible. Remembering this is more of a marathon. This is more of a cross country run than you know, a 40-yard dash or something, helping us to develop a pace and not, you know, burning ourselves out entirely.
Speaker 1:Lord, i just pray that you remind us that it's not about a set of circumstances. It's not about doing the same thing every day and expecting that to work for us. When we do the same thing every day, yes, help us develop routines, but also help us to develop the ability to listen and the patience that is required to listen, to hear and be readily available to listen to what you're calling us to do, and helping us to be humble enough to be obedient when you call us to do that and to set things aside to make you a priority that, even if you're telling us that we need to spend an extra hour reading our Bible when we have so many things to do that day that we're still obedient and say you know what I'm going to trust and I'm going to have faith and believe that, if God's telling me to spend an extra hour reading my Bible, that you're also going to provide us with the insight and wisdom to get our stuff done faster than we thought possible, lord. I'm just believing and praying, lord, that you're going to continue to do all these things. Lord, i pray that you forgive us of our sins and that you lead us from temptation. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to this week's episode of HFC. I hope you enjoyed this, even though, like I said, it was very rushed and believing that God made this unperfect and whatnot. I just pray that you guys have a great week and you don't pray for me either too. We all need to pray. Anyway, have a God bless the week. Thank you.