The Illusion of Escape
Galatians 6:7–9 (NLT)
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
We don’t escape pain by avoiding it—we only delay it. The person who indulges constantly in comfort still ends up weary. The person who avoids discipline ends up with regret. Paul makes it clear: the seeds we sow with our thoughts, habits, and appetites will grow into something. You can’t plant selfishness and expect peace. You can’t feed the flesh and be filled by the Spirit.
The science agrees. Studies show that overindulging in dopamine-spiking activities doesn’t eliminate stress; it actually increases it over time. The more we escape, the more fragile we become. Avoidance rewires the brain for helplessness. Eventually, you’re not running away from something painful—you’re running in circles, wondering why nothing satisfies. The harvest of avoidance is decay. But the harvest of perseverance is blessing.
So much of spiritual maturity comes down to delayed gratification. The long-term win is almost always hidden behind short-term resistance. You’re going to feel pain either way—the pain of pressing through or the pain of missing out. But only one leads to life.
Daily Action:
Name one area in your life where you’ve been sowing comfort over calling. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you start planting seeds of discipline and obedience today.
Prayer:
Lord, I don’t want to waste my life sowing seeds that produce nothing but regret. Help me choose what is hard now but leads to life later. Strengthen me to persevere, plant in faith, and believe that the harvest is worth it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
We don’t escape pain by avoiding it—we only delay it. The person who indulges constantly in comfort still ends up weary. The person who avoids discipline ends up with regret. Paul makes it clear: the seeds we sow with our thoughts, habits, and appetites will grow into something. You can’t plant selfishness and expect peace. You can’t feed the flesh and be filled by the Spirit.
The science agrees. Studies show that overindulging in dopamine-spiking activities doesn’t eliminate stress; it actually increases it over time. The more we escape, the more fragile we become. Avoidance rewires the brain for helplessness. Eventually, you’re not running away from something painful—you’re running in circles, wondering why nothing satisfies. The harvest of avoidance is decay. But the harvest of perseverance is blessing.
So much of spiritual maturity comes down to delayed gratification. The long-term win is almost always hidden behind short-term resistance. You’re going to feel pain either way—the pain of pressing through or the pain of missing out. But only one leads to life.
Daily Action:
Name one area in your life where you’ve been sowing comfort over calling. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you start planting seeds of discipline and obedience today.
Prayer:
Lord, I don’t want to waste my life sowing seeds that produce nothing but regret. Help me choose what is hard now but leads to life later. Strengthen me to persevere, plant in faith, and believe that the harvest is worth it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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