Text: Isaiah 17:10-11
“Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.”
The attitude of a believer can tell if he has forgotten God or not. As we see in the text, when you are unmindful of God and do whatever you like, you have forgotten God. To be unmindful of God is not to care about how God feels when you are taking some actions, rather you behave as if you own yourself. This is common especially when many people begin to be successful. They begin to trust in their success than in the God that made the success possible.
It was why Moses warned Israel against such attitude of forgetting God because of success, saying: “Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;
Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swear unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish” (Deuteronomy 8:11-19). It always ends badly. A man of God, Pastor Simeon Afolabi, once described it as “wine of success”. It intoxicates people to be out of their minds and forget God.
In the text, we see the repercussions, that because they forgot God, their seeds that appeared flourishing produced pain and sorrow; nothing good could be harvested. The same thing is in our referenced scripture, where they were told that if they forget God because of wealth, their wealth will perish.
How do people forget God and be unmindful of Him?
1. They don’t pay tithe.
2. They don’t support the work of God financially.
3. They slack in their commitment to the things of God.
4. They no longer have time for prayers and the word of God.
5. They neglect fellowships.
6. They become proud and full of themselves.
7. God is no longer in their thoughts.
8. They become mockers of God in their attitudes.
The list is endless. But know that it does not always end well; it can be calamitous. The Apostle Paul admonished on this note: “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1Timothy 6:17-19). When we keep eternity in view, we would always be mindful of God and be consistently good.
Prayer:
Lord, don’t give me the riches or blessings that will make me forget you, in the name of Jesus Christ.