What practical steps can we take to avoid turning our backs on God? The Warning in Jeremiah 2:27 “They say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their backs to Me and not their faces. Yet in the time of their trouble they say, ‘Arise and save us!’ ” Israel’s drift shows three danger signs: • Idolatry replaces devotion. • God becomes an afterthought until crisis hits. • People face Him only when desperate. Diagnostic Check: Am I Drifting? • Prayer feels optional. • Scripture intake is sporadic. • Sin no longer grieves the heart. • Gathering with believers feels like a chore. • Urgent needs finally push you back to God. Step 1: Keep God Before Your Face Daily • Begin and end every day with focused prayer. • Memorize and meditate on short passages—Psalm 16:8: “I have set the LORD always before me.” • Place visible reminders (a verse card on the mirror, a worship playlist in the car). • Talk with Him throughout the day, not just at mealtimes. Step 2: Identify and Destroy Modern Idols • Ask, “What steals my time, money, energy, or affection from Christ?” • Confess and renounce anything that answers that question. • 1 John 5:21: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” • Colossians 3:5 calls greed, lust, and selfish desire “idolatry”; starve them by deliberate self-denial and generous giving. Step 3: Choose Obedience Over Convenience • John 14:15: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” • Apply Scripture immediately—do the hard thing now, not later. • View every command as an invitation to deeper fellowship, not a burden. Step 4: Keep a Soft, Teachable Heart • Hebrews 3:12-13 warns against “a wicked heart of unbelief” and urges daily encouragement. • Invite correction; resist the reflex to justify or excuse sin. • Journal convictions and how you’ll act on them before the day ends. Step 5: Build Habits of Thanksgiving • 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in every circumstance.” • List three fresh blessings each morning. • Speak gratitude aloud to family and friends; thanksgiving displaces grumbling and keeps your face turned toward God. Step 6: Live in Covenant Community • Hebrews 10:24-25 calls us to spur one another on and avoid neglecting assembly. • Commit to a local church; arrive expecting to give and receive encouragement. • Find at least one mature believer who can ask you hard questions and pray with you regularly. Step 7: Respond Quickly When God Disciplines • James 4:8: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” • When conviction comes, stop, confess, and realign immediately—don’t wait for a crisis. • Remember His discipline is loving correction, not rejection. Practical Daily Plan Morning: • Read a short passage; pray it back to God. • Write one idol you will resist and one act of obedience you will practice today. Midday: • Pause for a two-minute gratitude check. • Text a fellow believer a verse or encouragement (Hebrews 3:13 in action). Evening: • Review the day with God—where did you sense His presence, where did you drift? • Confess, thank, plan for tomorrow, and rest with your face toward Him. Stay vigilant, keep your face to the Lord, and you will avoid the tragedy Jeremiah exposed—crying to Him only when trouble comes. |
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