Where is God in your life?

It was an Iranian poet by the name of Saadi who said, "I fear God and next to God, I mostly fear them that fear him not." Ponder that one for just a moment and it might ring true in your ears today. Those who don't fear God are all around us, oftentimes creating such upheaval and havoc that the world has no chance to be at rest for any length of time. Ray Comfort once said, "When men don't fear God, they give themselves to evil." There were no truer words spoken. 

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:8-10)

The lack of reverence some show toward our holy God is sometimes hard for me to understand. How can they look around at all that he created and not see his profound goodness? How can they strive for some 'goodness' in this world, but totally eliminate God from the mix? As with all decisions we make, the one we make about who should control our lives, guide our steps, and help with all our interactions in this world is one we each make on our own. We either choose God first, or we put something else in his place. 

This past week, I heard of a letter sent to some polling place announcing that the elections should be shut down because "we are in charge now". That could evoke some fear in others, but I just have to dig in a bit closer to God's protective refuge and allow his peace to permeate my soul. I have no idea who the 'we' are in that letter, but I know who the "I AM" is that controls my life. That is all I need to know - God is my one true place of safety - he is in control even when it seems like everything else around me is running a bit wonky.

Where is God in your life? If you immediately answer that with 'at the center of all I say and do', take just a moment to ask yourself, "Is he really?" Is there anything or any ideal you place first when things are running well in your life? Do you press into his presence and get into his Word as much when things are running smoothly and there is no conflict or pressure? Or do you find yourself pressing in a bit harder when the pressures mount and drifting a bit when they lessen? 

At the center of all conflict, you will find man has put God aside. He has chosen to put himself in God's place, if even for just a bit, so that his own will and determination might take center stage for a while. If man continues to do this long enough, he comes to believe HE is himself god! Choose to put God first in all your decisions and you will soon realize the folly of believing your own wisdom and strength could ever measure up to God's, much less surpass it! Just sayin!

Life Hack #18 - Get the Focus Right

Life Hack #18:

Dear child, I want your full attention; please do what I show you. A whore is a bottomless pit; a loose woman can get you in deep trouble fast. She’ll take you for all you’ve got; she’s worse than a pack of thieves. (Proverbs 23:26-28)

Marriage - what was designed to be the pledge of one life to another for the entirety of their lifetimes is under attack in society today. We even have issues with figuring out how to define marriage anymore - with everyone trying to "redefine" it to fit their desire. Who believes they will deal with adultery when they enter into marriage, any more than they think they will have to deal with the issues of prostitution or pornography. Yet, today's culture puts the sanctity of this union we refer to as "marriage" to the test with all kinds of issues, doesn't it? What many don't realize is the damage done when they give their hearts (and bodies) to someone outside of the sanctity of marriage - whether it is through prostitution, pornography, adultery, or fornication. It damages the beauty of what God designed within the boundaries of marriage.

This is a call to attention - our "full attention". This is the revelation of a father's heart here - wanting us to realize the gravity of what he is about to share with us. We are asked to listen, but also to heed what is given as a warning. This lesson must be pretty important because he calls us to attention - gets our focus again, as though we may have drifted a little in our attentiveness toward laying all the foundation stones in place one-by-one. Why is there this sense of urgency on his part for us to hear and obey? I believe it is because he has recognized the destructive pull of anything which takes us away from "dead center" and grabs the strings of our hearts, entangling them in its grasp.

We hear the undertones of a concerned father warning against the misdirection of heart which carries a good many into adulterous paths. In the most literal sense, this is the violation of the "marriage bed" - the giving of oneself sexually to anyone other than your spouse. The issue at hand is that of giving one's heart to anyone to whom it does not belong. Our heart belongs to God FIRST. We can actually "whore" our hearts to many a thing or person, can't we? Any time we put another (even ourselves) in the position God deserves, we are "whoring" ourselves to another. We are violating the relationship God wants to have with his people. There is something which entraps us and makes it difficult to get out. Anything or anyone that takes the attention of our heart, grabbing hold of its affections and attention is a dangerous thing. We are called to be alert to avoid it at all cost. 

We are called to keep our hearts pure and in love with the one who gives us the very breath we rely upon for life itself - God. In turn, we avoid the many pitfalls which await us if we don't. The issue at hand is that of focus - for what we focus on the most gets the priority of our attention. To have any other focus than him will introduce many an unwanted issue into our lives, just as much as having any other focus in our married lives other than our spouse would create a similar type of havoc. The call is to pay attention - to get our focus right. We don't get lured by the adulterous or whore when our focus is on the One we love the most! Just sayin!