Have You Shut Down on God?

The extended government shutdown altered the income of many citizens. This unexpected decision left many uncertain about their financial future.

If you were one of several hundreds of thousands of workers who depended on the steady paycheck promised to you at the beginning of your employment relationship, I pray that this situation doesn’t happen to you again.

However, the shutdown has caused many to reflect upon their ability to depend on other government resources.

The extent to which the government shutdown reached revealed how many people are not self-sufficient. This wakeup call should not only motivate us to prepare for the future financially, but to start depending on the One who controls everything.

Don’t Forget Where You’ve Come From

Sometimes in life we can become stubborn because we don’t get our way, or something we want isn’t delivered to us fast enough. This impatience will manifest itself with our bad attitudes and complaining.

Despite the comforts that we utilize every day, it’s easy to be demanding rather than innovative when we encounter challenges. We can also become adamant in our response to situations that are not going our way when we’ve let things and relationships become our god.

Instead of diligently seeking God as our ultimate source, we put confidence in this world’s systems, and when those systems don’t follow through on their implied promises, it’s easy to think God is not on our side.

Deuteronomy 8 warns us not to forget God when He has brought us out of our challenging situations into blessings that bring comfort:

Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; (Deuteronomy 8:11-14).

Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; And thou say in thy heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day (Deuteronomy 8:15-18).

In the Old Testament, there’s clearly a pattern regarding how the Israelites turned to God when their enemies were causing them trouble, and they would recognize their sin of turning their backs on God after adopting the ways of their enemies. This repetitive cycle hindered their progress in life.

Have you found yourself crying out to God when you’ve lost your job, relationships, or something else you value? Did you think God didn’t love you because everything that brought you happiness failed?

Do you remember how happy you were when God blessed you with a job, vehicle, or relationship? How long did you worship Him after receiving those blessings?

Did you quickly forget Him when you started working, traveled wherever you wanted to go, or made every effort to fulfill the desires and needs of others?

Have these situations become challenging to the point you find yourself complaining about working so hard to maintain these blessings?

When you wake up in the morning, are these blessings the first thing on your mind? Do you rush out the door to meet the demands of these blessings without speaking or praying to God for direction on how to handle these matters?

Have you shut God out of your life and have chosen to seek advice from others who are also flawed in their ability to navigate their lives successfully?

If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, it’s time to structure a new agreement. Our government officials have to structure agreements that will be conducive to the general population despite how they feel personally about the agreement.

Seek The Stable One

Deuteronomy 6:5 commands us to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and all thy might.

This requires sacrifice. This doesn’t mean that you should manipulate God into giving you what you want based on your good works.

However, you should sincerely seek God and love Him wholeheartedly without any strings attached. By doing so, He will lead and guide you regarding whom you should be in relationship with, and what path you should take.

When you do this, you can expect a life of success according to Joshua 1:8. This doesn’t mean that every day will be free of challenges, but your ability to maintain a good attitude, positive mindset, and patience will stabilize your emotions.

I Peter 5:10 says … “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

Don’t shut down on God. He will help you overcome any challenge with grace and give you new ideas to sustain you.

Stay Blessed!