Distracted from God by Self

I had a second chance. The choir sang “Take My Life,” and I knew it was a call to me.

The first time I heard that song I was attending Happening #1 in Alabama. It was at that moment of hearing that song that God pulled me aside. I felt Him in a way I had never before. I became consecrated to Him. My life was changed and I was fully committed to my walk with God.

– For a season.

I made the easy switch from consecration to preservation, and had no idea I had even made a move. I looked up one day and recognized that all of my day had become focused on me. They were not flowing in ceaseless praise to God, that is for certain.

I stood there and listened to the words of the song sung by the choir and my entire being stirred. “Take me, Lord.” I felt it crying out.

I spent the next few weeks making God my focus. I began to pursue God with humility and hunger. I wanted to be fully consecrated to Him once more. His words poured over me again in the midst of my seeking. “I never left you.”

He took me – that day I knelt down next to my bed and prayed to be one with Him. I just quit living like it. I got smarter. I got more educated. I got more involved in the world. He became an afterthought instead of the focus.

Staying in the Consecration

– Remember. Every day I need to invest time to remember how God has worked in my life. Keeping a prayer journal AND recording the answer to the prayers can be a great way to remember.

– Praise. Every day I should praise God for the big, for the little, and for everything in between. Praise lifts my heart. It ignites my spirit. Praise shines the light on God (which means I am not shining it on self).

– Pray. I will never be connected to someone with whom I am not spending time sharing. God is not bored by my conversation. He delights in the prayers of His people. Prayer IS conversation, so talk to God.

– Share. Often and to all who will listen, share the blessings of God. Share what He has done in his life. Ask others to share with you what He is doing in their lives. Sharing God’s blessings ignites a flame of rejoicing.

I still slip now and then, from that place of fully consecrated to God. The world throws a lot at me to make certain I do slip. I now understand that my journey is not determined by me – and I am thankful for that information because I have managed to get lost on way too many occasions. God started my journey. God directs my journey. God finishes my journey. I just have to “Follow the Way.”

Be blessed,