Drifting

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Drifting

Genesis 3 and 4
Hebrew 2:1-4
If we don't listen, we will drift from God. If we're in a boat and don't operate the controls, we will naturally drift. It's the same with our relationship to God-- the currents of the world naturally push us away.
Ways of drifting:
1. Doubting God's will and purpose, and doubting what He's doing.
  - Romans 8
  - Suspecting God instead of respecting Him.
  - Watch out for this thought-- God is better to others than to me. Satan works to blind us from the fact that God can take the worst looking situation and turn it into the best situation (Red Sea ring any bells?) Satan works to convince us that God's ways are oppressive and too strict. Do we think like Job or Job's wife? (Job 2)
  - Satan is our enemy-- 1 Peter 5:8; John 8:44
  - The "God, why can't I..." Syndrome is a good example.
2. Believing that we need more than God and that what He's provided isn't enough.
  - God is good, but you need more "stuff."
  - God + something else...
  - This causes us to lose intimacy with God
  - Hebrews 11:24-26-- Moses believed that God was enough.
3. Placing meaningful relationships above loyalty to God.
  - Adam placed Eve over God.
  - We always try to justify this (just like Adam tried).
4. Trying to conform God to our standards and wants.
  - Cain and Abel-- the difference in them had to do with the kind of lives they were living.
  - Jphn 7:24
5. Resisting God's correction and reproofs.
  - Clinging to sin.
  - He disciplines those He loves.
  - He shows us the truth about ourselves.
  - God has a lot of ways to try and bring us back to Him-- remember Jonah.
6. We begin to eliminate righteous reminders.
  - A lost person doesn't want to be reminded that he or she is lost.
  - When we let Christ's light shine, it makes people uncomfortable.
  - Cain eliminated a righteous reminder.
  - Think about the Prodigal Son (Luke 15).
  - Godly people are particularly irritating when we're drifting.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 –