Breaking Free Against Religious manipulation Exploring Galatians 4:8 20 on the Daily Bible Refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller hello my good friends, Dr.

Brad Miller here with the Daily Bible Refresh our daily visit to the New Testament.

We read from the New Testament the Message version to make it understandable.

We make it relatable by giving you the selected passage for this very day from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C of a three year cycle.

Right now we make it relatable by giving you some points to ponder, some teaching points and applicable I giving you an action step to take.

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Here's our reading Galatians 4:8 20 earlier, before you knew God personally, you were enslaved to so called gods that had nothing of the divine about them.

But now that you know the real God, or rather since God knows you, how can you possibly subject yourselves again to those ten gods?

For that is exactly what you do when you are intimidated into scrupulously observing all the traditions, taboos and superstitions associated with special days and seasons and years.

I am afraid that all my hard work among you has gone up in a puff of smoke.

My dear friends, what I would really like you to do is to try to put yourselves in my shoes to the same extent that I, when I was with you, put myself in yours.

You were very sensitive and kind then.

You did not come down on me personally.

You were well aware that the season I ended up preaching to you was that I was physically broken and so prevented from continuing my journey, I was forced to stop with you.

That is how I came to preach to you.

And don't you remember that even though taking in a sick guest was most troublesome for you, you chose to treat me as well as you would have treated an angel of God, as well as you would have treated Jesus himself if he had visited you.

What has happened to the satisfaction you felt at that time?

There are some of you then who if possible, would have given your very eyes to me.

That is how deeply you cared.

And now have I suddenly become your enemy simply by telling you the truth?

I can't believe it.

These heretical teachings go to great lengths.

These heretical teachers go to great lengths to flatter you, but their motives are rotten.

They want to shut you out of the free world of God's grace so that you always depend on them for approval and direction, making them feel important.

It is a good thing to be passionate and doing good, but not just when I am in your presence.

Can't you continue the same concern for both my person and my message when I'm away from you that you had when I was with you?

Do you know how I feel right now and will feel until Christ's life becomes visible in your lives?

Like a mother in the pain of childbirth.

Oh, I keep wishing that I was with you.

Then I wouldn't be reduced to this blunt letter writing language out of sheer frustration.

Well, my friends, in today's reflection we're talking about Paul being pretty exasperated.

We're talking about how Paul confronts religious manipulation and advocates for authentic spiritual freedom.

Here are some points to ponder.

The first is about the liberation from religious control.

Paul confronts how easily liberating faith can become enslaving religion.

He challenges the 10 gods of religious rules and traditions that create dependency rather than freedom.

This speaks to how modern religious institutions often use guilt, shame and fear to maintain control over people's spiritual lives.

Another point is about authentic relationship versus religious performance.

Paul reminds the Galatians of their earlier genuine relationship, one based on mutual care and vulnerability.

He contrasts this with the manipulative flattery of religious teachers who want to make themselves important.

This challenges us to examine whether our spiritual communities foster genuine connection or performance based acceptance.

One more point.

It's about the labor of liberation.

Paul uses the metaphor of childbirth to describe his work for their freedom.

This suggests that spiritual liberation is both painful and creative.

It requires letting go of comfortable controls and birthing new ways of being progressive.

Faith often involves this difficult labor of helping people break free from oppressive religious systems.

Here's your action step this week.

Identify one religious practice or belief you maintain out of obligation or fear or habit.

Rather than authentic spiritual connection.

Experiment with letting it go or transforming it into something life giving.

Journal about how this feels and what it reveals about your relationship with spirituality.

Let's pray.

O Divine source of freedom, when we find ourselves bound by religious rules and expectations, remind us of your liberating love.

Help us distinguish between the voice of control and the voice of freedom, between manipulation and authentic care, between performance and genuine connection.

Give us courage to examine the quote 10 gods we still serve perfectionism, religious obligation, fear of divine punishment.

May we become people who foster freedom rather than control, authenticity rather than performance, love rather than fear.

Guide us in the painful, beautiful work of birthing new ways of being of creating communities of liberation where your spirit moves freely.

Amen.

Hey, we did want you to know that we have a great Bible study resource for you.

It's called the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible Study Method.

It's going to help you with your personal Bible study and we hope that you'll pick it up at our website, voiceofgod daily.com I'll be with you again here tomorrow.

We're here every single day.

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Until tomorrow, friends, this is Dr.

Brad Miller.

Remind you that God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up.

It's created new.

Every morning.