After I finished up my preseason football camp, I reflected heavily on how the mental aspects of sports take a toll on us all during any kind of camp or season; whether it be learning technique, understanding key team concepts, memorizing plays, you name it.

Throughout this seemingly grueling process, our coaches, as we know, provide us with the knowledge, support and encouragement necessary to be able to achieve our goals; and, even though we might struggle at times to understand or achieve what our coach really wants, any good athlete really has an undying thirst to achieve their coach’s standard. However, there are those players with self-seeking attitudes; those who disregard what they are instructed to do in order to achieve their own agendas on the field. I bet you can think of an example of someone that fits this description. However, no matter how skilled these players might be, they all succumb to difficulties that seem impossible to overcome without coaching or teaching.

In Galatians, Paul is facing a problem similar to that of a coach dealing with an arrogant player. In his letter, he is addressing that by turning back to their governing Jewish law, they are devaluing what Christ had done to bring salvation to the world; just as headstrong athletes devalue what their coaches do for them. Instead of living for their Jewish traditions, Paul states the real way to receive conviction and salvation: by living in Jesus Christ. Essentially, Paul is telling us to change our “spiritual regime.” Instead of governing ourselves by what we think is right, we must let Christ govern us into decisions that we know are right.

Today, allow Him to come into your heart, and accept the Holy Spirit as He seeks to aid you in your struggles, joys, and anything in between. Just as none of us would want our actions to be reflective of those of a cocky athlete, we shouldn’t want our decisions to be reminiscent of the world’s ideals. As Christians, we should have an unquenchable desire to achieve God’s unique plan for every one of us. Don’t be misled by a misled generation, but allow yourself to prosper in the undying grace of Jesus Christ!