A Jealous God

It's so easy to get wrapped up in the different elements of life. The ripping and running, work, church, friendships, relationships, the kids, I mean the list could go on and on. But just recently God had to remind me that He is in fact a jealous God. He showed me that even in the midst of the daily hustle and bustle we must make room for Him. And when we allow things to come before Him, it does not please Him and it pushes us further away.

I shared with you guys in my last blog how life has been for me. If you haven't read it yet, then uhmmmmm.... what are you doing? LOL I'm grateful that I've finally gotten some revelation on what I need to do moving forward to ensure I have less weeks like the ones I've been experiencing lately. Receiving direction from God was a sigh of relief for me because I honestly didn't know what the heck I needed to do to get things back on track.

Over this last week God has been dealing with me and all of my "things to do." I've asked God for years (literally) to remove the lazy spirit that has hovered over me for as long as I can remember, and He did just that. It has been a true blessing to just get up and go and not just talk about things I want to do and get done but actually getting up and doing those things! Let me tell you friend this new motivation has had me on the GO! Which initially is what I wanted, but this week, God had to show me I was beginning to lose my grounding.

Stay Grounded!

God revealed to me that the confusion I experienced these last few weeks stemmed from me putting my "things to do" ahead of my relationship with Him. He showed me that somewhere in the mix, my daily checklists became first priority, and my relationship with Him was only squeezed in the schedule when there was time allotted or I had an obligation to fulfill. I can honestly say these last few weeks God has not been invited in as much as He should have been. Yes, I still prayed, read my Bible from time to time, and studied but it was more so out of habit and from guilt, not because I had a true hunger to be in His presence. And let me tell you that is NEVER okay!

God had to remind me this week that although we juggle many responsibilities in life, our relationship with Him is the most important. Our duty as Christians, to worship, pray and study should come before anything else we feel like needs our attention. When we lose our grounding in God and put things ahead of Him, we will always find ourselves in a place of restlessness, confusion, frustration, worrying, among many other negative spirits. It's so important that we make time to spend with God, even if it means removing something from our "things to do." He deserves that from us and I can promise that those moments with God will be more than worth anything you could have sacrificed or missed out on. God is pleased when we make sacrifices to do things that edify Him. And anything you think you'll lack because of your sacrifice, He will give back to you!

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - Matthew 6:33

A Jealous God

If I didn't learn anything this week, I learned that we serve a Jealous God, and it really bothers Him when we put things before Him. I know it sounds wrong to consider Him to be jealous but I promise it's scripture and it's not a "bad" kind of jealous. God showed me this week that it literally pains Him to see us exalting something, or following things that take us away from His purpose for our lives. Deuteronomy 4:24, Exodus 34:14, Joshua 24:19 are all places in the Bible that talk about why He is a jealous God, and I encourage each of you to find time to read and gain deeper understanding.

In life, we have to strive to keep God at the center. I'm human, so I understand first hand how challenging this can be, but we've got to fight to do it. As the scripture states when we seek Him first, everything we could possibly need will be added unto us. Do you need rest? A babysitter? A friend? A new job? Peace? Love? Seek after God and He will surely grant the desires of your heart. Just be mindful to continue to keep Him at the center of each answered prayer.

Application

I hope today's blog is a reminder to stay grounded in life no matter how much the responsibilities seem to pile up. Maintaining your connection with God is key to overcoming many of the obstacles you may face carrying out those responsibilities. We serve a jealous God that wants what's best for us. Don't forget to let Him in!

Prayer

Dear God, I thank you for your reminder this week. I thank you for being a jealous God that won't just allow us to go astray without a fight. Lord I ask that you continue to keep each and every person reading this blog grounded. God I ask that you convict our hearts when we are not making time for you amid the hustle and bustle of life. Continue to give us the spirit to pursue you in all that we do. We thank you for all that you've done, all that you're doing, and all that you are going to do! Lord I ask that you bless Hidden Treasures and that you guide and cover us on our journey as we continue to Heal, Evolve, and Rise together! AMEN!