This is a great question to ask ourselves when we start feeling that our spiritual life is stagnant or that we are not growing. The fact is, self-deception is most of the time behind our lack of spiritual growth, and the sad truth about spiritual blindness or deception is that, the person who is deceived will always be the last to know they are deceived, that’s actually why they are deceived. My brother, my sister, after you have accepted Christ, new things began in your life, whether you can see them with your physical eyes or not, whether you can hear them with your physical ears or not. You see, apostle Paul wanted physical healing, but God told Him that His great was sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9), in other words his healing was spiritual, though he could still see the physical symptoms of sickness in him. And indeed, nowhere do we hear him complaining about being sick, because he was spiritually healed, and God’s grace was sustaining him physically.
In today’s passage, the Galatians had become fascinated by the false preaching, as though an evil spirit had been cast on them. Some of those believers may have even been in Jerusalem at Pentecost and received the Holy Spirit (verse 2)… yet, like many believers of today, they still felt insecure in their faith because faith alone seemed too easy. Thus, they had taken a step backward when they decided to keep the Jewish laws. My friend, we must realise that, we grow spiritually because of God’s work in us by His Spirit, not by following special rules. Yes, many people are still trying to get closer to God by following rules, by good deeds. While certain disciplines (Bible study or prayer for example) and service may help us grow, they must not take the place of the Holy Spirit in us or become ends in themselves. That is the reason why Apostle Paul asked the Galatians as he may ask some of us today: “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? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?” (verses 2-5)… Yes, these questions are aimed at getting our focus back on Christ as the foundation of our faith.
My friend, the Holy Spirit gives us great power to live for God. It is so sad to observe that some believers want more than this. They want to live in a state of perpetual excitement. The tedium of everyday living leads them to conclude that something is wrong spiritually. Very often, the Holy Spirit’s great work is teaching us to persist, to keep on doing what is right even when it does not longer seem interesting or exciting. You see, the Galatians quickly turned from Paul’s teaching of the Good News to follow the teachings of the newest teachers in town. My friend, for great excitement, go to Disneyland. What every true Christian needs, especially during moments of spiritual stagnation, it is the Holy Spirit’s gift of persistence. My friend, if your Christian life seems ordinary, you may need the Spirit to stir you up… because every day offers a challenge to live for Christ… you cannot feel bored when the Spirit of God is actively working in you and through you. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.