Forgetting God

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Judges 8:33-34 Forgetting What God Did

No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. Judges 8:33-34

When things are going well, it is easy for people to forget who helped them get to that point. People are quick to push out of their memories the struggles and battles they had been in time of prosperity.

Instead, they worship ideas and things that they believe helped them become successful, rather than the truth.

Sometime after Gideon had freed the Israelites from captivity he had died. Immediately upon his death the Israelites began to worship the false God of Baal and forget that God had rescued them from their enemies.

God works many times behind the scenes in the life of a believer, rescuing him from troubles and the enemy. At points things look horrible with no possible chance of good to come from it, then suddenly everything turns around for good. That is when God had worked in one’s life.

Many believers are quick to forget or ignore what God had done in their life. They turn back to the world and sinful ways of living, rather than growing closer to God and serving Him more. They feel that it was the things of the world or pure luck that rescued them, rather than God.

God has done many different things for the individual believer. He has forgiven, healed, provided for, rescued, guided, protected and much more. One must never forget these things and go back to the sinful ways of the world, thinking the world, self or good luck did these things.

Only God is to be worshipped and served.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will see what God is doing in your life; that you will remember what God has done in your life; that you only worship and serve God; and that you will trust God with your whole life.

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Hosea 8:14 Forgetting The Maker

Walled city

Israel has forgotten their Maker and built palaces; Judah has fortified many towns. But I will send fire on their cities that will consume their fortresses. Hosea 8:14 

No one likes to be forgotten or ignored. If someone accomplished or did something great, he wants it to be remembered and acknowledged. It is even worse if the credit for the accomplishment is given to someone else.

It can be painful when the accomplishment is forgotten. Lawsuits are drawn up against others when the credit is stolen. People want to be recognized for what they did.

God is complaining about how He had made Israel and Judah, yet they no longer remember Him. They are focused on building things for themselves. His plan is to punish them and destroy their cities.

During a sudden time of crisis people will often remember God and cry out to Him for help. But when the time of crisis is over and things are going well and successful people suddenly forget God.

In the first few weeks after 9/11 churches were being filled and people were calling out to God. After a few months, people quickly forgot about God and went about building up their lives again. They built their palaces of careers, homes, businesses, and material things. Churches, again, saw a drop in attendance. God was being forgotten.

There are also many in the church who have forgotten God in their services. They are focused on building some ministry or making a better building to worship in, rather than focusing upon God and what He desires.

The focus of every believer should be first upon God and what He wants. As soon as a believer takes things into his own hands, he often begins to forget about God and judgement will come from God.

Think about where your focus is in life. Ask yourself what it is that you are trying to accomplish. You may be focused on the things of this world, building a better career, a larger retirement fund, a bigger house, or more. These are all temporary and show that you are forgetting about God.

Turn your eyes to God. Seek what it is that God desires for you to have and to do. Focus your attention on becoming more like Jesus and build His kingdom greater. When you do that all these things will be added unto you in due time. Do not allow yourself to forget about God in the process of living life.

I pray today that you will know Jesus as your Savior; that God will be your first focus in life; that you will work to build His kingdom each day; and that you will not forget God in living life. 

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Isaiah 17:10 Forgetting God

Blue flower

“You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress.” Isaiah 17:10a 

Remembrance is something that is important for people to do. It helps to remember things to be able to accomplish tasks. It helps to remember things to keep from doing something wrong again. It helps to remember people to keep connections alive and on the correct path.

While remembering is important, many people tend to forget the important things in life. They live in the immediate moment and forget what was learned in the past. They get so busy with their lives that they forget about the people around them or that had an important place in their lives. They forget about what it took to get them to where they are today.

Isaiah had a prophecy against Damascus. In it he tells them that they had forgotten God who had been their Savior. The result of their forgetting God is found in the later verses that what they plant would fail.

In the busyness and work of life it is easy for people to forget about God. They get caught up in what is going on in their day-to-day lives to the point that God is put on the back burner.

In doing so, they lose the fire and joy of knowing God and serving Him and begin serving themselves. They will also begin to allow themselves to step into sin walking further away from God.

There are some, even active in church, that have forgotten God. They are caught up in doing things their own way. This can even include ministry inside the church.

Every believer needs to keep his eyes and life focused upon God. He must never forget that it is Jesus who is saving him. He must not forget what God has done for him and is continuing to do for him.

Take a moment to remember what God has already done for you. Think about the forgiveness Jesus has given you. Remember the love God has shown to you. Do not forget about God.

Do not allow the cares of this world to overcome you and draw you away from God. It is Jesus who is your Savior and can bring you through every situation, not your job, others, money, or things.

As you remember God, draw closer to Him, live for Him and see His hand of favor rest upon you to take care of you.

I pray today that you will know Jesus as your Savior; that you will not forget about God; that you will put God first in all that you do; and that you will honor God with all of your life. 

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Psalm 106:13 Forgetting What Happened

Sticky notes

But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold. Psalm 106:13 

There are some things that people love to remember and there are some things that people love to forget. Some of those things people will always remember, while some things they will forget very quickly.

Remembering the bad or negative things occurs easily for most people. The majority of people can remember some horrible experiences that had occurred twenty, thirty, forty years ago as though it was yesterday. They were traumatized to the point they cannot forget what happened or they play it over and over in their mind and words for decades in bitterness and anger.

Often in light of the negative, people forget what was good during that time. They refuse to see or remember what good things had occurred before, during and after a bad time.

The psalmist talks about when the Israelites were in the desert, they would quickly forget what God had already done for them. They refused to wait for Him to meet their needs in His way and time.

Thousands of years later many believers are still having that problem. They have seen God provide miraculously for them, but forget about it and begin to worry and complain. They forget to remember how God has met their needs in the past.

As a believer forgets what God has done, he will worry and fear. Often he will take things into his own hands and step out of God’s will and into sin. He will often turn to the ways of the world, rather than trusting God.

Every believer must remember what God has done and will do. This will keep his faith in God up and help remove all fear and worry.

There will be times when you do not see God moving in your life quickly or in your time and way. It is at these times that you must not forget what God has already done in your past.

Before you begin to worry and fear, take a moment to count how many times God has blessed you and how He has blessed and met your needs in the past. Hold on to those memories of God’s great provision and trust that He will continue His hand of provision in your life.

Do not allow yourself to fall into the ways of this world with fear and worry. But rest in God’s abilities and timing by never forgetting Him.

I pray today that you will know what God has done for you; that you will never forget what God has done; that you will trust God’s love for you; and that you will wait on God to meet all of your needs in His way and time.

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Hosea 13:6 After Being Fed

When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me. Hosea 13:6

God had brought the Israelites up out of Egypt into the wilderness. While they were in the wilderness, He provided for all of their needs. They did not have to work hard to get the food that was required. Later, He gave them the land of Canaan for their possession without extreme hard work on their part. Once they had these things provided they were satisfied. As soon as they were satisfied, they forgot all about God.

When there is a crisis or a great need, it is easy for people to turn to God and seek His help. Every time that there is a major disaster or event in a nation, many people turn to God and start praying. They seek God’s assistance in their time of great need. Those who normally don’t mention anything about God and rarely go to a church service, suddenly talk about praying to God for help for themselves or for others in great need.

Later, when the need is met or the crisis is over, people forget about God. They are no longer talking about praying and seeking God’s help. They are satisfied and happy with themselves and this world.

This occurs with many believers in the church. In a time of crisis, they are constantly praying and asking others to pray, but stop the praying when the major crisis is over. When the belly is full and satisfied, people feel that they no longer need God. They feel that they have everything back under control.

As a believer, this should never be the case. No matter how well things are going for you, you are not the one in control. It is God who provides your every breath. Without your breath, you would be in a major crisis, you would be dead.

Do not make God to be only your 911 God. Make Him a part of your life all day, every day. No matter how good things are going, do not forget about God. It is He who made your day go well. It is God who provided for all of your needs to bless you.

Keep a song of praise and thanksgiving on your heart each day for all that He has done for you.

I pray today that you will know God’s provision and blessings in your life; that you will not forget God when things are going well; that you will give credit to God for all the good in your life; and that you will always seek God and praise Him daily.