Today’s Reading
“But now that you have come to know God, or rather be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?” (Galatians 4:9 NASB)
“Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD until He comes to rain righteousness on you.” (Hosea 10:12 NASB)
The easy path is usually not the best path, and the path to freedom can be incredibly painful.
If you give me the choice between comfort and pain, my natural choice is always comfort. In fact, I prefer to avoid discomfort altogether! I would rather sleep in instead of work out. I would rather eat what tastes good over what is good for me. I would rather walk the other way then to face conflict. And I would rather stay where I am spiritually then to allow God to change me. But I have a choice. Do I step into temporary pain or discomfort for what I ultimately know is best, or do I settle for staying comfortable?
I remember a season of my life when from the outside I was doing all the right things – I was in church, I studied and prayed every day, and I was even attending Bible college. My outside performance looked good, but the truth was, I was avoiding God. I was busy trying to impress Him, but I didn’t want to allow Him on the inside. I had a comfortable way of living, and that included avoiding looking too deeply into my heart and soul.
In this season, I heard a speaker share from Hosea 10:12 and through that God took me to a new level of freedom. Here God uses the illustration of hard ground to describe our lives. Hard ground does not soak in the rain. In order to receive the rain, hard ground has to be broken up. In other words, God wants to work deep in my life, not just on the surface. But in order for Him to do this I have to go through the painful process of breaking up the hard places in my heart. I have to face my fears and insecurities. I have to stop avoiding God, and truly allow Him in the hidden places of my soul.
God wants you to experience freedom, and that means you have to let go of comfortable places and patterns and allow God in to the deep places of your life. The path to freedom may be painful, but it the good kind of pain, the pain that yields great results.
Reflection
What area of your life do you want to avoid looking at? Are you choosing a familiar and comfortable path over the freedom that God offers?
Prayer
God, I want to fully experience Your freedom. I give You permission to go into the deep places of my heart and reveal the areas that need to change. I want to know You more and reflect You to others. I am willing to walk that path, even when it is painful. In Jesus’ name; amen.