Galatians 4:1-4 TPT “Let me illustrate: As long as an heir is a minor, he’s not really much different than a servant, although he’s the master over all of them.
2 For until the time appointed by the father, the child is under the domestic supervision of the guardians of the estate.
3 So it is with us. When we were juveniles we were enslaved under the hostile spirits of the world.
4 But when the time of fulfillment had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.”
Unless you grow up, you, as a minor who is supposed to be a destined heir, are still no better than a servant and, for some, no better than slaves still to sin. And since your spiritual mentality is of a minor, you will lean toward the law as a guardian and supervision.
Verse 3 says the juveniles are enslaved by the hostile spirits. The minors or juvenile Christians are always experiencing demonic harassment, bad visions and dreams, torment, spiritual constipation, bottom feeding, and curses. How do you get out of this stage?
Verse 4 says you need to have the birth of Christ in your life or in other words, you need a personal encounter/revelation of His love and what HE has done for you beyond your head knowledge. You need to be reborn and be a new creation and not a facade.
Let us examine verse 4 more closely. One who is born under the law is someone who needs to be reborn but has been playing church and religion. One who is born from a woman, what does that mean? Women can mean “the church.” You need the help of the church and her leaders to help you get reborn as you are mentored, learn obedience, learn the Word and prayer, learn spiritual authority, which means learning to honor and respect who have come first, be disciplined, and learning from the founder’s personal experience. As you do such things with a properly believing heart and cry out to God, HE has His timing to help you be reborn as the time of fulfillment belongs to Him!
But if you waste time by hiding, lying, being lazy, not fully obeying, not taking care of your spiritual duties consistently, and playing games with the Pastors, then the time of fulfillment may be indefinitely delayed, and no inheritance into sonship but a continuation of slavery to the law.
What does slavery to the law look like? It is when pastors need to keep telling or asking you like a child if you have been reading, praying, attending, and tithing. Are we having redundant meetings of the same problems and reminding you to respect your spouses? Are we constantly dealing with your offense toward us? Have you not let go of your offense or bitterness? Are you still prone to jealousy, envy, pride, and tantrums? Are we still operating worldly in the flesh? Are you scorning the pastors in your heart?
As Galatians remind us, such behavior will keep us from entering or inheriting the Kingdom of God. God’s people with Moses never experienced their shoes being worn out, which meant they had everything provided, but they still had failed to enter God’s rest. Instead, God swore they would enter His wrath. Ironically, the physical lives of God’s people from Egypt still experienced a life provided from His goodness. Therefore, God’s goodness was still in effect from the promise, but entering heaven or His Rest is a different story.
Comments:
Galatians 4:7-8 TPT “Now we’re no longer living like slaves under the law, but we enjoy being God’s very own sons and daughters! And because we’re his, we can access everything our Father has—for we are heirs because of what God has done!
8 Before we knew God as our Father, we were unwitting servants to the powers that be, which are nothing compared to God.”
There are some who areunder the law but want to live as sons and daughters will try to force a life of privilege and end up living beyond their means physically and spiritually. Then what will happen? You can only live on debt for so long.
Galatians 4:19 TPT “You are my dear children, but I agonize in spiritual “labor pains” once again, until the Anointed One will be fully formed in your hearts!”
Galatians 5:9 TPT Don’t you know that when you allow even a little lie into your heart, it can permeate your entire belief system?”
Galatians 5:16-21 TPT Let me emphasize this: As you yield to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life.
17 When your self-life craves the things that offend the Holy Spirit you hinder him from living free within you! And the Holy Spirit’s intense cravings hinder your self-life from dominating you! So then, the two incompatible and conflicting forces within you are your self-life of the flesh and the new creation life of the Spirit.
18 But when you yield to the life of the Spirit, you will no longer be living under the law, but soaring above it!
19 The behavior of the self-life is obvious: Sexual immorality, lustful thoughts, pornography,
20 chasing after things instead of God, manipulating others, hatred of those who get in your way, senseless arguments, resentment when others are favored, temper tantrums, angry quarrels, only thinking of yourself, being in love with your own opinions,
21 being envious of the blessings of others, murder, uncontrolled addictions, wild parties, and all other similar behavior. Haven’t I already warned you that those who use their “freedom” for these things will not inherit the kingdom realm of God!”
Pastor Steve Kim