Forgetting God

For a christian is sounds ridiculous. How can a christian forget about God Is it even possible to forget about God? Forgetting about God would be like forgetting your wife or husband, it would like forgetting your children. Could you ever wake up and see a child in your house and then remember that you have a child?

It sounds unfathomable, yet let us look at what scripture says:

Deuteronomy 4:9 KJV 1900

9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;

Deuteronomy 4:23 KJV 1900

23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.

Job 8:13 KJV 1900

13 So are the paths of all that forget God; And the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:

Psalm 103:2 KJV 1900

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits:

Isaiah 51:13 KJV 1900

13 And forgettest the Lord thy maker, That hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; And hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, As if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor?

This is a small sampling of dozens of scriptures warnings against forgetting God, forgetting his works and forgetting his covenant.

There can only be one conclusion: We are very prone to forgetting God. Or else why else would Jesus say this:

Luke 22:19 KJV 1900

19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

The Lord is telling us to partake of communion so that we do not forget. so that we remember his love for us.

Now the reason why we cant seem to imagine forgetting God, is that there is a difference between our understanding of the word.

It sound ridiculous to us: This idea of forgetting God because we think that it means that the knowledge of God is lost. Like we drive past a church and think, “Didn't i go to church at some stage? “

Thats not the kind of forgetting that scripture is talking about.

It is far simpler: Forgetting God is when you exclude God from your thoughts, actions and decisions.

when you make a decision with God, When you entertain a thought without God, when you do anything without first consulting God, enquiring of God, or seeking to honor God - you have forgotten God.

Why would anyone do that?

Before we answer the why, let us first make sure we have the diagnosis correct. How do you know if you have e begun to systematically and habitually exclude God from your life?

1: Spiritual Apathy.

Romans 12:11 KJV 1900

11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

When you forget God, you forget God’s Word soon after. Apathy for God and the things of God sets in. You become lazy towards your spiritual growth and disciplines. You are to lazy to study the Word in a real and meaningful way, you are to tired to spend proper time in prayer and intercession, Church seems like such a bore and you run out of money to tithe.

Spiritual Apathy is a huge waring sign that you have begun for exclude God from your everyday live.

2: Relational Decay:

2 Samuel 12:9 KJV 1900

9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

David Forgot God, and as a result he ruined his family, Uriah’s Family and His relationship with God.

When you forget God, your close relationships with other begin to crumble. Forgetting God can tear apart marriages, it can destroy friendships, it can tear about families.

You need to look at your relationships with the people you care about. Are they falling apart? has strife replaced peace? Has nastiness takes the place of nurturing?

When you forgot God, exclude God from your life - you automatically exclude Him form your relationships with others as well.

3: An increase in Fear and Paranoia.

This is a simple one:

First Jesus says that if we abide in Him, His Spirit will abide in and us and cause us to bear much fruit:

John 15:5 KJV 1900

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

That Fruit is the Fruit of the Holy Spirit:

Galatians 5:22–23 KJV 1900

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

One of those fruit is Peace and Gods word says:

2 Timothy 1:7 KJV 1900

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

a + b + c = d: An increase in both stress and fear is a clear symbol of a lack of abiding. in Christ.

I mention Paranoia because irrational fear is manifestation of wickedness.

Proverbs 28:1 KJV 1900

1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: But the righteous are bold as a lion.

In other words, fear over nothing. Fear of the non existant. fear over things that are simply not true.

when someone is chasing you - be afraid. But to be afraid when no one is chasing you, no one is actually attacking you - its just your perception - that is a sign that you have forgotten God.

Why would you do that?

Why? What would cause any sane and rational christian, saved by faith, to exclude God from their daily lives?

Well Scripture tell us that there are only 3 causes for forgetting God - iff you have the symptoms i just discussed, then one of these 3 is the cause. You must be ready to ruthless root out this cause.

1: Easy Living

Deuteronomy 6:10–12 KJV 1900

10 And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12 Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

When life is good, God is forgotten. This is why Jesus said it is harder for a camel to go through th eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. Riches make us less dependant on God. And is it not ironic that riches are what most people ask God for?

So we have to ask: Is your life bliss? Are you rolling in the money? is your marriage like the bradey bunch? Are you children just the most delightful, helpful, well manners little angels? 2 things: Firstly: We hate you, and get out - secondly Be very careful.

If this is not the cause of your neglect, well then there are 2 more:

2: Idolatry

Judges 8:33–34 KJV 1900

33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. 34 And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:

Let us make sure we have an accurate understanding of Idolatry.

Idolatry is when you fashion a God of your own creation - It is when you exchange the truth of God for a lie and serve the created thing, rather than the creator.

Perhaps the single greatest contendor to your love of God, is humanities love of money. Jesus warned us that we cannot serve both God and Money.

Another idol that million of people bow-down to is the idol of sexual Immorality. Lust, fornication, adultery, pornograthpy, sexual fantasy and 50 other shades of sinful greyness.

What about the idol of substance addiction? Alcohol, cigarets, pot, and the more powerful stuff. “But pot is legal now pastor” - The christian does not care about what is legal, the christian cares about pleasing God - who commands us to remain sober.

Are you a pothead, a porn lover or a money coveter? maybe. Repent if you are, but if not? well then, im afraid that if the first 2 are not you, then its time to look at the mirror.

The Third and final cause of forgetting God is:

3: Pride and Stubbornness.

Nehemiah 9:16 KJV 1900

16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,

1 Peter 5:5–6 KJV 1900

5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Pride is the sin that cause Lucifer to forget his place and rebel against God. Pride was the reason Adam and Eve disobeyed and forgot God’s command. Pride was the reason Peter forgot Christs warning and denied Jesus 3 times. Pride was why King Saul thought he did not need God and forgot the ark of the covenant.

So which one is? Easy living, Idolatry or Pride? What has caused you to forget your first love?

Revelation 2:4 KJV 1900

4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

God has a challenge to each of us today.

Jeremiah 3:19–22 KJV 1900

19 But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me. 20 Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord. 21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the Lord their God. 22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God.