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Transcript:
Hello, this is Walking in Step with God, and I am Steve McDonald.
In today’s message, we examine the pros and cons of putting off things in our lifestyle that we know are detrimental to our walk with God.
In recent messages, we have discussed the risks involved with walking in the ways of the world instead of walking in the ways of God. We have discussed the importance of asking God to reveal to us the areas of our lives that need attention to fully realize and experience our blessing and anointing. We have also discussed how we approach acting on God’s guidance and instruction. We have examined the importance of not putting off important things in our lives.
Today, we will combine the takeaways of these messages and drill down into the notion of what may be the biggest lie in our lives; When we say to ourselves, “I have time.”
Let’s discuss 3 reasons that the thought “I have time” is a lie when it comes to changing our ways to prioritize our walk with God.
Let’s continue in our discussion about 3 reasons why the thought, “I have time,” is a lie when it comes to changing our ways to prioritize our walk with God.
Before I get started, I want to make something clear. Not a single person on earth is perfect and free of sin. You are not perfect. I am not perfect. Today’s discussion is not about the isolated times that you and I have a moment of sin–intentional or not. Today’s discussion is focused on behavior where we are actively staying at arm’s length from God with the notion that there is plenty of time to get around to being closer to Him.
As I have explained many times, the ways of the world that do not honor God and God’s blessing cannot–and will not–co-exist. We either intentionally seek out the ways of the world and find ourselves distanced from God, or we intentionally seek out God’s ways and find ourselves distanced from the world. It is a choice each of us must make each day.
So, let’s jump into 3 reasons the thought “I have time” is a lie.
Let’s continue in our discussion about 3 reasons why the thought, “I have time,” is a lie when it comes to changing our ways to prioritize our walk with God.
Before I get started, I want to make something clear. Not a single person on earth is perfect and free of sin. You are not perfect. I am not perfect. Today’s discussion is not about the isolated times that you and I have a moment of sin–intentional or not. Today’s discussion is focused on behavior where we are actively staying at arm’s length from God with the notion that there is plenty of time to get around to being closer to Him.
As I have explained many times, the ways of the world that do not honor God and God’s blessing cannot–and will not–co-exist. We either intentionally seek out the ways of the world and find ourselves distanced from God, or we intentionally seek out God’s ways and find ourselves distanced from the world. It is a choice each of us must make each day.
So, let’s jump into 3 reasons the thought “I have time” is a lie.
#1 Your actions may keep you away from your plan God has orchestrated a perfect plan for each and every one of us before we were even conceived. He has planted gifts in us that many have yet to fully discover. When putting off moving away from the world and toward God, we also put off gaining an understanding of the aspects of our lives that have been perfectly planned.
This is not to say that we cannot seek out and pursue our interests, hopes, and dreams. It is simply to say that God knows a perfect plan for us that keeps in mind all of the gifts He has planted. More than likely, you have already seen a glimpse of the aspects of yourself that you know are unique and special.
Wouldn’t you like to know all of the gifts God has planted? Wouldn’t you like to know the plan in which God uses all of your gifts? What God has in mind may or may not be what you had in mind for your life, but it will most certainly blow the socks off of anything you could have planned on your own.
#2 You are missing out on God’s blessing When we find ourselves dwelling in the ways of the world and all the comforts created by man have to offer, we are tempted to partake in activities that do not honor God. Given that God’s blessing cannot co-exist with these activities, here are some of the ways you may be missing out on God’s blessing.
Spiritual blessings include the perfect guidance and wisdom that can only be derived from God’s Word. God’s Word provides guidance, direction, and wisdom for every facet of our lives. Stick around to our Going Deeper With the Word segment to dive deeper into this type of blessing.
Material blessings include favors and gifts from God that result in financial blessings, as well as material blessings. He provides us with what we need and blesses us in abundance. I can personally attest that the closer I leaned into God, the more I saw favor and increase in my material possessions and salary. I most certainly do not lack anything I need and have plenty of the things I want.
Undeserved and unsolicited blessings include blessings from God that we hadn’t even considered, such as unexpected favor from your manager at work. God keeps you protected from evil deeds on a daily basis. God will surprise us simply out of love for us as we seek to focus on our relationship with Him.
Stick around to our Going Deeper With the Word segment to dive deeper into God’s spiritual blessings.
#3 You are subject to the wilderness of the world When we dwell in the ways of the world, we will find ourselves in the wilderness that the environment of the world creates. I have observed this time and time again when people have a choice to lean on God or lean on the world, and they decide to lean on the world. Subsequently, they find themselves subject to the randomness of the world, versus the steadfastness of God.
This can also be commonly observed when we are facing a situation where we must choose to wait on God or take things into our own hands. God rewards the faithful and those who put their trust in Him. When we take things into our own hands, we may find ourselves dealing with obstacles and complications we had not anticipated due to the randomness found in the wilderness of the world.
Wrap Up
In today’s message, we discussed 3 reasons that “I have time” can be a lie when we know we are walking in the ways of the world that do not honor God and we choose to continue doing so. We discovered that as we stay at arm’s length from God, we can very well be missing out on His perfect plan for us. We discussed that we can miss out on any number of God’s blessings for our lives. We also discussed how walking at a distance from God may place us in the wilderness of the world. In other words, the world places us in circumstances where we are subject to the randomness that life without God creates.
Are you someone who says to yourself, “I have time?” I want to encourage you to reconsider. You never know what tomorrow may bring and tomorrow is not promised. I would recommend you not go another day without the fullness of God in your life. The things that the world offers are temporary, but a relationship with God lays the foundation for a life with Him for all eternity.
Are you interested in discovering more about the guidance offered in this message? Learn more in the companion article Going Deeper with the Word: The Greatest Lie of All: “I Have Time”
