Sunday morning during church I was singing to the Lord with my hands held high and my eyes closed. I tend to move a bit when I worship. When I opened my eyes I realized I was no longer facing the worship leader, but had unknowingly turned to the left. Although I don’t think anyone else noticed, I laughed at myself. 

It’s easy to get off course, and it usually happens incrementally – little by little. 

If a pilot calibrates his or her course and is off by just a little bit, the desired destination can be missed by miles! In fact, the further you go while off course, the farther you will be from where you wanted to go. 

The Apostle Paul gave the believers in Galatia a needed course-correction. They had come to faith in Jesus Christ, but were had begun to go back to old ways of thinking and former practices which were unfruitful at best. 

You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?‭‭ 

Galatians‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

In other words, Paul asked, “Where did you get off course? You’re heading in the wrong direction!”

• Divorces begin with small deviations. 
• Failed businesses can be traced back to small steps in the wrong direction. 
• Health issues often begin with a few poor choices. 
• Moral falls start with small compromises. 

If we aren’t careful we can experience death by degrees. Little by little, the enemy deceives us and we make decisions that put us off course. The longer we go without a course correction, the further we get from all that God desires for us.