Devotionals

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BEWITCHED!
By Missey Butler

Remember that wonderful situation comedy that was popular back in the sixties? The dutiful homemaker wife, Samantha Stevens and her lovable husband Darren, who kept us all in stitches as they tried to maintain a normal marriage while working hard to keep “in check” the temptation to take shortcuts by the “A-b-b-r-a…K-a-d-a-b-r-a-s” of Samantha’s ever twitching nose.

The storylines were so funny, as each scene played out with the introduction of an array of colorful and zany characters that would either help or hinder Samantha in her attempt to keep her powers at bay, while trying to remedy the situations with her own mere mortal abilities! It never failed how every effort to do the right thing (within her own strength) would inevitably be met with the sigh of…“Oh darn” and then the twitch- twitch of her nose, resulting in utter chaos all around!

I got to thinking, ya know, we Christians have been guilty of similar situations ourselves! In fact, there is another notorious “bewitching” problem that the apostle Paul felt the need to address early on in the book of Galations when he said:

“You foolish Galations! Who has bewitched you?” (Galations 3:1)

He of course was referring to the whole “law verses grace” problem. Paul was trying to stress that just as they had started their Christian life in the power of the Spirit, so they should continue to grow by the very same grace and power of that Spirit! They had begun to take a step backward when they decided to insist on keeping the Jewish laws.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly can relate. Just like Samantha, the tedium of everyday living can sometimes get the best of me and I end up twitching my own nose (in essence) by resorting to my own energies and efforts!

We must always realize that we grow spiritually because of God’s work in us through the Spirit, not by following some specific set of rules. Trying to stay justified with God by our own “mortal” efforts just doesn’t cut it! Those good intentions that come in the form of: “I’ll do better next time” or I’ll never do that again…always ends in utter failure and defeat.

I am convinced that the Holy Spirit’s greatest work in all of us, is in teaching us to believe and trust in Christ’s provision for our sins, as we walk out that truth in His sustaining power, especially during those times when we feel weak, vulnerable, and very much MORTAL!

We must begin to understand that because we are born of the incorruptible seed of Christ, we do come into a liberty from any and all religious activity, and we have no need to prove anything! Even when we do things we don’t want to do (a trial of our faith) we give thanks as we realize it is no longer “I” who lives, but Christ living in me, and the life I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me! (Galations 2:20).

As we continue to move forward in our spiritual walk, daily stirring up the Spirit of Faith, recognizing the challenge before us… we find that we will very “supernaturally” live everyday for Christ.

For me to live… is Christ
(Philippians 1:21)

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