Floating

Have you ever noticed than when God seems far away from you, it's usually because you have started walking in the opposite direction?

There are times when God seems so very distant to me. I realized that it isn't because God doesn't care, it's because I have gotten distracted and have started showing interest in things that take me away from the time I spend with Him. This doesn't happen all at once, it is a gradual thing... slowly, not deliberately, just a slow floating away, until one day you look up and think, "Wow! It's been a long time since I have _____." I can fill in the blank with the words prayed, worshipped, praised, studied, had communion, fellowshipped w/other believers etc. It happens so slowly, and the time used to devote to God has now be usurped by other things. I am like a piece of wood drifting on the surface of a lake...I'm just floating away.

Slowly . . .

floating . . .

away. . .

In order to protect myself from this "floating away," I do periodic "self-checks." Am I "checking out" during sermons? Do I sing on "autopilot"? Am I "connected" when I am taking communion? Am I praying during the day? What about my morning devotion time? Do I continue to study during the week? What about just spending time in the word? Am I meditating on the word during the week? Does God even cross my mind during the day?

The questions help me to stay connected. I need to ask them because they help to anchor me, and without the anchor, I will float away. God is very important to me, He is everything to me. But, as you know, this is a very loud and distracting world which the evil one uses to his own purposes. It is to blind me to "the drift." By asking my questions, I keep the evil one from accomplishing his task and that is to get me so far away from God that I am led to believe He isn't there for me and that maybe He isn't even real. The evil one isn't called the father of lies for nothing.

So, royal reader, my question to you is this: Are you drifting or floating away from God? Has something taken over the time you normally spent with God? What do you think about during the day? I urge you to ask yourself some anchoring questions and then do something about it. Let's go spend some time in His word. Let's go pray or sing or serve. It's a new day... let's not drift.