I used to ignore God and almost pretend that He didn’t exist prior to knowing Jesus as my personal Savior. I’d remember Him and I’d pray if I wanted something badly or got in trouble and needed help. But if I didn’t get the answer I wanted, I’d reject Him again. And, if I did, I would pat myself on the back and say, “Good job, me!” I always took the credit. But there will come a time in each of our lives when we will seek God. But will we do it with our whole heart? “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13.
I’d like to say that now that I am a follower of Jesus Christ, God gets all the glory for every good thing in my life, but I’d be fibbing.
I think that my behavior, prior to knowing the Lord, is pretty typical behavior. It is when we do know the Lord that it is more offensive and even frightening.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we have seasons that we live fervently and boldly for the Lord. But there are also times when we are not walking as closely with Him.
Those are the times when we fail to recognize God for who He is. We fail to recognize that every good thing in our lives is from Him. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” James 1:17.
We fail to remember what He has done for us. Jesus gave His life for ours.
“…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.
And we fail to recognize that we still need Him.
Some of us have had periods of struggling financially and lacked the comforts found in having a good job. Then, when we get a good job, we don’t need God as much. So, we begin to disregard Him and place spending time with Him on the back burner. The very abilities that we have to hold that good job are gifts from God, Himself. I assure you that, if we become less secure with that job, we will seek God out then.
We may think that our provisions come from our hands and our labor. Whether money or material possessions (those things that may even be gods in our lives), we may think that it is through our efforts that they are obtained. Then, we disregard God and think or behave as if we don’t need Him. Rarely do we spend time with Him when we think this way. But He is the one who provides for our needs. “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus”. Philippians 4:19. And I assure you that, if those provisions are at risk, we will seek God out then.
One of the other areas that we disregard God is our families. If we are not careful, the love that we have for our spouses and our children can become a god. They get put before God and we spend less time with Him. We can even disregard His desires in favor of our family’s needs. I assure you that there will come a point at which you will be back on your knees, lifting them up in prayer to Him. Do we really want to wait until they are in need or peril before we make Him the most important thing in their lives? When that time comes, we will seek God out then.
King Solomon started out a man of God. But soon, he became distracted by knowledge, power, money, and lust. He obtained more of these things than anyone prior to him. But, in the end, He summarized a life lived apart from God. “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” Ecclesiastes 12:13.
We can get distracted by the things of this world. We can even get distracted by the gifts of God.
When we’re this distracted, pleasing God is no longer our priority. I beg you that, if the Holy Spirit has convicted you about this, repent and run back to God! “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,” Acts 3:19.
God has redeemed us and rescued us from the penalty of our sins by allowing His own Son to pay the penalty for us. And He did so with His very life. And what does He require of those who know Him personally? “He has shown you, O mankind, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.
Father God, we praise You for Your provisions. We praise You for Your love, grace, and mercy. We praise You for our reconciliation with You, even though we falter. Father, forgive us. Forgive us for rejecting You. Forgive us for our pride. And forgive us for the idols/gods in our lives. Draw us back to you, Father. Holy Spirit, break our hearts when we disregard or reject God. Break our hearts when we take our eyes off of You and begin to focus on earthly things. And break our hearts when we have idols in our lives. Forgive us for disregarding Your sacrifice, Lord Jesus!
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and have treated God like a genie in a bottle, please go to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/). You will find a prayer outlined on this page. Please pray this prayer. God wants to be so much more than a genie. He wants to introduce you to a greater love than you even knew possible. He wants to forgive you and free you of your sin. And He wants a personal relationship with you.
Once you have prayed that prayer (or if you have any questions) please reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com. I’d love to answer your questions or be in prayer for you.
Luv Ya!
