Daily Devotional for Friday April 7, 2000

The Consequences of Forgetting God

(Deuteronomy 8:19)

Many of the emailed prayer requests I get each day are from people who came to know Christ at some point in their life, and have fallen away from that relationship. They are usually emailing me because they are now at a point of crisis in their life. They, unfortunately, have discovered that this verse in Deuteronomy is very true. You see, as I discuss so much with you, God has given you the free will to choose what you want to do. When you choose to rebel, to turn your back on God, He allows that to happen. But there are ramifications of those choices and often they are quite severe. This verse in Deuteronomy was actually a warning from God to His people. It was very simple. Obey and enjoy God?s blessings. Disobey and suffer the consequences of being on your own, apart from God.

This verse is NOT to be used as a club, or to scare people into following God, or to say that God is going to curse you every time you disobey. God does not operate that way. You see, when you rebel against God, what you do is put yourself apart from God and His blessings and promises. When Adam rebelled in the Garden, his punishment was separation from God. I can not tell you what Hell will be like, but one thing I do know, God won?t be there. Hell is eternal separation from our Creator. When you obey God, you are under His hand of blessing, His promises are yours to claim, you reap the benefits of being in a relationship with Him. When you rebel, you separate yourself from God and are literally ?on your own.?

I want to encourage you today. God has put many warnings into His word. Not to make us obey out of fear, but to obey out of love and try and warn us of the consequences of rebellion. He loves you and cares about you. He is fair. He doesn?t try to hide what happens when we choose to do it our way. He tells us up front that we are on a road of destruction so that we can make an informed decision. Most of us have learned this the hard way. Some of you today are in the midst of a crisis in your life because you chose to forget God. I can only encourage you today that God loves you, and is in the forgiving business. He wants to be back in an intimate relationship with you. He wants to restore you to fellowship. But He won?t force Himself upon you. It is ultimately your decision. You have to take the first step to return to Him. I will be praying today that you never forget God and turn from Him. There is never any lasting joy and only destruction awaiting you when you make that decision. Stay focused on Him. Keep your eyes on Him. Don?t ever forget Him!!