God is Out of My Life! How Do I Get Him Back In?

It’s hard to stay focused, especially when that focus requires attention be given to something that is different and challenging. As Christians living in this 21st century, our responsibility is, as Jesus said when he was only 12 years old, to “be about our Father’s business.” As clear as this objective is, because we are imperfect we sometimes get tripped up and lose our focus. Thank God for His grace given to us through Jesus! What about other times when it’s not just a typical misstep? How about when we fall not just into a careless or impetuous wrongdoing, but into a full-blown choice that leads us towards evil? What do we do to help us come to our senses, and not only retract the wrongdoing but decisively get ourselves back onto the path of God-honoring thoughts, words and deeds? Personal Choice Walking away from God’s presence and blessings in our lives can happen in a variety of different ways and on a variety of different levels. Whatever the circumstances we face or the experiences we have, there is always a single, driving, common theme present: personal choice. The simple fact of the matter is, if you and I have a personal relationship with God through Jesus, God will never walk away from it. He is faithful and will always be present for us in every time of need. On the other hand, we have the power to walk away from that faithfulness, should we choose to. The scary thing is that we can walk right out of the protective range of His grace and favor. Desire and Pride Why would we do such a thing? It turns out that the Bible clearly details several reasons we can end up in such a condition. Being in the sinful human state we are, falling prey to these motivations for leaving God behind can be easier to follow than we might think. So, what are they? What could cause us to walk away from God’s favor? Desire and pride. Our desire and our personal pride. Desire is stimulated by what we see and what we feel. Pride is stimulated by the credit we want to have reflected in our lives. The toughest part of all this is that it is all natural - and in our world, it is all encouraged. Essentially, we are saying that walking away from God is a very natural, very human thing to do! Great! Now what? Check out our June 13, 2022 podcast, “God is Out of My Life! How Do I Get Him Back In?” for answers. We not only carefully examine what parts of our human makeup can draw us away from God, we also address the issues of degree. When we are drawn off course, how far off do we go? What remedies and changes are appropriate and at what stages? Join us for an honest and biblical conversation about our own human tendencies and the solid remedies we can use to keep us in God’s favor.