When We Forget We’re Free…

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” — Galatians 5:1, NKJV

Have you ever found yourself going back to something God had already helped you walk away from?

Maybe it was a pattern of thinking, a destructive habit, or a way of responding to difficult situations. You knew it wasn't good for you. You had even experienced the freedom that came from leaving it behind. But then life got hard, and somehow, you found yourself right back where you started.

I've been there.

For years, I struggled with negative patterns that seemed to keep pulling me backward. The Lord would graciously rescue me and set my feet on a new path, only for me to run right back to my old ways as soon as that path had a bump in the road.

Why do we do that?

Sometimes, the very things that hold us captive become the things we're most familiar with. And as strange as it sounds, familiar bondage can feel safer than unfamiliar freedom.

When the Israelites Longed for Slavery

As the children of Israel grew in number in Egypt, Pharaoh became afraid they would become too powerful. He subjected them to slavery and forced them into harsh labor. Their lives became so miserable that they cried out to God for help (Exodus 1:11–14; 2:23).

God heard their cries and rescued them from their bondage. Through a series of miraculous acts, He brought them out of Egypt and led them toward the land He had promised them.

You would think they would have been celebrating their newfound freedom!

Instead, when the journey became difficult, they started looking backward.

When they became hungry, they remembered the food they had eaten in Egypt. When they became discouraged, they questioned whether God had brought them into the wilderness to die. They even talked about returning to Egypt (Exodus 16:2–3; Numbers 14:2–4).

Think about that for a moment.

They had cried out for deliverance, witnessed God's power firsthand, and walked away from the very thing that had enslaved them. Yet when freedom became uncomfortable, they began romanticizing the place they had once begged God to help them escape.

They remembered the food but seemed to forget the chains.

And if we're honest, we can do the same thing.

The Comfort of What We Know

In her Bible study One in a Million, Priscilla Shirer uses an illustration about an elephant that helps explain why breaking free from bondage can be so difficult.

When an elephant is young, it can be restrained by a chain attached to a stake in the ground. The young elephant tries to pull away but isn't strong enough to break free. Eventually, it learns that struggling is futile and stops trying.

As the elephant grows, it becomes strong enough to pull the stake out of the ground. But having learned its limitations when it was young, it no longer tries.

The very thing that once held it captive no longer has the power to keep it there. Yet the elephant continues living as though it does.

I wonder how many of us do the same thing.

We've believed the same lies for so long that we've stopped challenging them. We've repeated the same destructive patterns so many times that we've started believing we'll never change. We've grown so accustomed to living within certain limitations that freedom feels impossible.

Sometimes, we even become attached to the things that keep us stuck because they're familiar. We know what to expect, even if what we expect isn't good for us.

But just because something is familiar doesn't mean it's where God wants you to stay.

Don't Let a Difficult Season Make You Forget Your Freedom

It's easy to romanticize the past when the present becomes difficult.

We start thinking things were better before. We forget the pain that came with our old habits, the consequences of our choices, or the ways those patterns kept us from experiencing the life God was calling us to live.

I've wasted a lot of time going back and forth between old patterns and the freedom God was teaching me to walk in.

I wanted the new life God had for me, but I didn't always want the discomfort that came with trusting Him. It was easier to fall back into what I knew than to keep moving forward when I couldn't see what was ahead.

But through those years, I've learned something important.

I would rather be in the harshest circumstances with God than on the greenest grass without Him.

Freedom doesn't mean we'll never face another difficult season. It doesn't mean we'll never struggle with temptation, fear, or the desire to return to what we know.

It means those things no longer have to control us.

Galatians 5:1 reminds us that Christ set us free for a reason. We're not meant to keep returning to the very things He has freed us from. We're called to stand firm in the freedom He has given us.

That doesn't mean we can overcome every struggle through sheer determination. It means we learn to depend on Him, trust His Word, and take the next step of obedience even when the path ahead feels unfamiliar.

So, what about you?

Is there an old pattern you've been tempted to return to because the freedom God is leading you into feels uncomfortable? Have you believed a lie for so long that you've stopped believing change is possible?

Don't mistake familiarity for safety, and don't mistake a difficult season for a sign that you should turn back.

You don't have to keep living within boundaries God never intended for you.

Christ came to set you free.

So stand firm. Keep trusting Him. And don't go back to the chains He has already broken.