I was enslaved to many little gods

 

Galatians 4:8-9

Before I had any relationship with God the Father, I was enslaved to many little gods.  Now if you would have ask me if I was enslaved to anything, I would have thought you were in need of help.  But from a small boy, I was under the control of others, my nature was to be seen as the star, the good guy, the hard worker, the hero, but down deep in my soul, I longed for others to think of me better than I knew to be true.  I was just a little guy who had big ears and a flattop hair cut that had no interest in school or learning.  It was Jr. high when I was introduced to a new god; he was the god of cool.  My desire was to be with the cool guys, and who were the cool guys? The cool guys were the ones who had bad reputations and it was years later that I understood many of them were anything but cool.  It was later that I found another god; football players, they were special and people went to see them perform and people knew their names and girls wanted to date them, and they had great influence on my actions and thought life.

I was also captive by pride, insecurity, fear, and still the need to be seen as someone of value.  When I married, she had to be good looking and smart, and yet I was so insecure I could not believe anyone who got to know me, could really love someone like me.  After going to work for 3M, I found another god, it was success, and yet often fear and insecurity would steal any joy of being a top performer.  If they knew how dumb I was they would surely replace me with any one of the guys who came looking for a job.

It was not fun being controlled by these gods, they ask much of me, but left me with the need to have someone who knew me, and would still love me, but who would do that?  I found the answer to that question in five men who met on Wednesdays to talk about the one who had set them free from many of the gods who controlled me.  I had heard it all in Church and yet these men were living it out in their business life, and for six months met with them and wanted what they had, but did not want to give up my gods.  Why?  I do not know, unless it was that they had been with me so long.

When I ask Christ into my heart, He removed some things, like fear of loosing my job, and the need to go out drinking with the guys instead of going home to my wife.  But the enemy of my soul knew me well and set up other little gods to take me captive, like being a leader with the youth instead of sitting under a teacher who would teach me how to trust and apply the truths in the Scriptures.  This once more lead to pride and arrogance and once more fear and insecurity came back into my life, but this time God sent men who taught me that fear is the opposite of faith, and that confession brings about forgiveness. 

I have come a long way on this road and have no desire to be enslaved to the elementary principles of this world, but every once in a while I start believing I can, and I am reminded; "I can’t and He never said I could, He can and He promised He would."  That is why I often need to read Galatians 4:8-9, Jesus knows all about me, and He still loves me.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice