Avoiding the ‘BOOM!’

 

None of us realize the extent to which the world has influenced the way we think. We don’t realize that our standards, opinions, and many of our attitudes have been infiltrated by what we see in social media and the like. Our view of many of God’s institutions, statutes, and principles are filtered through what society says is acceptable, and most people don’t give this a second thought. They simply go along with it because everyone else does. The damage this has caused is unprecedented. We simply can’t quantify the erosion that has taken place in our souls, and it is because most have looked to the wrong source to supply the wrong thing.

Love does not force. 1John 4:8 tells us that God is love, and He doesn’t force us to love Him or to obey His standards, statues, and laws. He leaves this totally up to us. God has given us the gift of free-will, and He will not overstep this gift or overturn it in any way. He didn’t want robots. He wanted a family. He wanted children that would love Him because they chose to love Him, not because they were forced to. He created us in His own image, and like Him, we self-govern. We make our own decisions and choices.

Our decisions and choices make the greatest statement about who we want to be. Our identity is etched in stone. We cannot change our identities. God created us to be spiritual beings housed in a body made of the dust of the earth, and that’s what we are. He created us to be human beings, allowing us inter-dimensionality. His purpose is to unite both the spiritual world and the physical world, and to have us live in both simultaneously. Our decisions and choices determine whether we will walk in our identity or reject it as Adam and Eve did when they sinned in the Garden of Eden.

The Apostle Paul said in Hebrews 12:1(NIV), “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,” Our journey on earth is temporary. It is the beginning of our lives, and God’s purpose is that we prepare in this life for the continuation of what is to come. Earth is indeed grooming ground for the next life. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are here to lay up treasures, and through His infinite mercy and grace, God has provided us with every spiritual blessing through Christ Jesus to do just that. Heavenly Father has equipped us to do everything He requires us to do, and this must be the assignment that motivates our every move, so that we continue to run the race that God has set before us.

Jesus Christ said in Matthew 6:19-20(NLT), “19 Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” The things that people consider to be treasures are the things closest to their hearts, and very often these things are not treasures that are fit to be stored in heaven, and therefore, they cannot be. The single man, for instance, often considers his singledom to be a treasure, because he believes it allows him to have sexual relationships with women without being committed to them alone for life. He doesn’t want monogamy according to the Plan and Will of God. He has his own agenda, and clings to it as a treasure.

Singledom cloaked in this kind of agenda is not sustainable. To see this, we need only look at the breakdown of the family unity, and the emotional instability connected to abandonment and absence of fathers in the home. There is a heavy price for men not recognizing the true treasure of being husbands and fathers and swapping it out for the pursuit of lust and other worldly and selfish gain. As a man, the attitude and mindset of singleness can potentially cripple your purpose. Through Adam, God demonstrated immediately that life flourishes when a man prioritizes the responsibility for producing, protecting, and supporting someone and something above his own need.

 God’s Plan is such that when we exhibit the faith and commitment to take care of His business, He will take care of ours. But when we head in a direction that we think is certain and right for us, without the benefit of checking in with Heavenly Father, often we don’t recognize the severity of the wrong choice until a ‘Boom!’ happens. We hit the wall of our circumstances with a devastating impact because we closed our eyes to God’s purpose and calling upon our lives.

 There is real danger in thinking we can have a life of blessings without honoring the One who gives them. Psalm 24:1(NIV) tells us, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;” All blessings belong to God and all blessings come from Him. He has set up the system in the earth according to His perfect and divine Will. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that He is a Rewarder of those that seek Him with diligence. He setup the system to reward actions, attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors that meet the requirements and standards God has set. He does not reward disobedience. That’s why when Adam and Eve disobeyed Him, they lost their holiness and ability to commune with Him. They lost the Holy Spirit, because God’s Spirit cannot commune with darkness and sin.

 He does not lower His standard to come down to our standards. Instead, through Jesus Christ, He’s given us all that we need to move up to His standards of Godly living. Without delay, He tells us in Hebrews 12:1 to throw off the baggage of our own agendas and selfish thinking, we are to strip off the sin that causes us to trip and fall in life, so we can run with endurance. The world can’t tell us the truth because the world doesn’t know the truth. Jesus Christ tells us in John 14:6 that HE is the truth, the way, and the life, and no one can get to God unless they come through Him.

 Proverbs 19:21(NLT) declares, “You can make many plans, but the LORD's purpose will prevail.” God knows the reason He created you. He knows exactly what you ought to be doing, when you ought to do it, and how you should get it done. The greatest thing we can do for ourselves is to stop assuming and guessing about life. It’s too short, and we don’t have time to waste. We all think we know best, but in truth only God knows what is best for us. Whether it’s marriage, relationships, work, or any other decision in life, seek God’s counsel and pray as often as you can. You will avoid the ‘BOOM!’ or at least minimize its impact if you strip off the layers of worldly influence, invite Heavenly Father into your decision making, and live according to His Will and Word.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

“Avoiding the “BOOM!”, written for Christian Encouragement and Inspiration© 2021. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.