Dusting God

What is your view of the Lord?

Is He out "there" somewhere?

Does He only come when we need Him?

Is He only there to answer prayers?

Many might say that God is a force or somewhat of a being that is there for us when we need Him.  Some can't totally understand who He really is.  I understand how some may not understand Him completely.  But why is that?  

When a situation arises are we quick to FIRST run to our friend, spouse, computer, etc, and not to the Lord?  How about when life is good?  Are you still coming to the Lord on a daily basis?

Picture a fireplace mantle with many different "idols" on it.   On this mantle there are smaller idols and then there's the one of God.  He's the largest of them all, right smack in the center of this mantle.  The rest are labeled such as: Our traditions, church leadership, our image,  $$$,  our jobs,  our homes, entertainment, sports, politics, computer time, friends, shopping, etc...

At anytime, depending on what we are going through in our day, we in our subconscious mind pick up these idols and give our heart, soul, and mind to.  We will literally spend hours on end with these smaller idols but then give God a few minutes of the day.  Oh yeah, God is still the biggest in our lives.....HE REALLY IS!!  Yes, he is the biggest, but He is an invisible "idol". 

"But God is with us all the time!" you might say.  Yes, of course, He never leaves us nor forsakes us.  He is with us always.  But why is it when something serious in life happens is it then we place more value on who God is in our lives?  We then dust off God and give Him more time than the rest.  Our TV's and computers, and whatever else are great tools, but when we start to tune into them more than to God then that will produce a problem.   

These things are not a sin, and God is not mad at us for spending more time on the computer or on the television, than spending time with Him.  He loves us unconditionally!   We need to consider what we are feeding on.  When times are good and everything is going our way, we should still feed on Him.  We should continually desire to be with Him when life is good.  We should always be aware of Him every second of the day.  He is speaking.  

We should be conscious of His word and His presence in us continually.  This means when we are bad mouthing a neighbor, we should be aware of God's correction.  When we are sitting in front of a movie and there is prevalent sex, adulteries, and cursing we should be aware of God.  What is He telling us during this movie?  Is He laughing with us or leading us to turn it off?  How about when we are working on the computer and see a picture of a skimpily dressed young woman and click on the link and it leads us to a pornography site.....was not the Lord warning us from the moment we let our subconscious mind become lulled and now we have fallen into the trap of the enemy!   Or when we are out shopping and realize we are on a budget but really want to buy that cool item that seems to be calling out our name.   Is not God telling us to stop and not buy it?  What is He saying?

Can you see how the Lord is with us in all our ventures?  He is there guiding us and leading us.  But how would we know it's Him telling us to turn off the computer, the TV, to stop bad mouthing a neighbor or not to go over the budget?  By being conscious of Him 24/7!!  We become more conscious of His presence by minimizing all other distractions in our lives and make God real. STOP making Him into an idol.  Make Him your best friend....Above your spouse,  girlfriend or boyfriend; above your friends, above your computer and television; etc...

During your break time instead of flipping through the newspaper or latest fashion magazine, chat with the Lord or read the bible.  Instead of waking up late, make time to wake up early and have an in-depth bible study.  Instead of watching yet another show on TV, go online and listen to your favorite minister.  If you are home most of the time, put the bible on cd while doing housework.   There are many ways to grow in the Lord and make Him more real in our lives.  Find something that works for you. 

The more we fill our flesh with Godly activities, we draw out the goodness of God that already dwells in our spirits.  Then when the trials and tribulations of life get thrown our way we will not even flinch or crumble because we know our God and know He will not let us down.  We can walk through "hell" with a smile on our face, confident, and with great faith, knowing we will come out untouched. 

FREE IN CHRIST