Funny, But Wrong

Robin Williams might have been a very funny person but he got it wrong with this quote:

Self-reliance is the key to a vigorous life. A man must look inward to find his own answers.

One of the most clever tricks of Satan is to get each of us to look anywhere but to God. He knows that when we look to God (upward) we find truth, freedom, and hope. If he can get us to look behind us or inside of us then we will become consumed with comparison and ultimately lose sight of our real purpose, which is to glorify God through our life and witness with the gospel!

Look at Hosea 13:6

6 When they had pasture,
they became satisfied;
they were satisfied,
and their hearts became proud.
Therefore they forgot Me.

Everyone has choices to make each day. One choice is to continue giving God praise and thanks for what we have received. Another choice is to recognize how we arrived at our current state of abundance and peace. God did it. We did not. A third choice is to remember God. The temptation will be to forget God and focus on yourself. If we do then we have made the inward shift and fallen into the trap of Satan.

What are the characteristics of the shift? Here is a list of 10.

1. We display our products.
2. We dismiss prayer.
3. We desire tradition.
4. We dilute the Gospel.
5. We detract evangelism
6. We divide rather than unify.
7. We demand our own way.
8. We demonize opposing views.
9. We demoralize the next generation.
10. We destroy hope.

The alternate path is found in Hosea 14. Take a minute and read it, won’t you?