“When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
Deut.6:10-12
I remember reading this for the first time as a new believer; as I read this passage I was struck by the statement:
“Do not forget the Lord”.
I wondered: How it could even be possible to forget God-the One from whom all the blessings came from?
After all God had brought the children of Israel through… but forget Him they did,
and it got worse as time went on.
The fall from God’s grace was devastating.
At times in my walk I have been guilty of this very thing.
Prosperity and forgetfulness- the direct correlation is undeniable.
But why? Instead of thanking God and praising Him continually as prosperity comes, the opposite can happen.
Prosperity and affluence can actually cause us to somehow think that we are in control;
since we are in control and may consciously or subconsciously think we don”t “need” God so desperately…
Our thoughts stray far from the One who blesses us with all good things.
It is adversity-the thing that drives us to our knees and causes us to seek deliverance from its throes that draws us to Him. We desire to be delivered from powerlessness-from danger, hunger, lack, and fear and to that end we seek Him.
But it shouldn’t be this way.
So what is the key ?
“Love the LORD your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deut. 6:5
Love.
The Lord told Moses and the children of Israel to love Him always-and He said it just before He said not to forget Him.
He told them to love Him above all else, regardless of circumstances, and this same scripture was echoed by Jesus and the first and greatest commandment.
Loving the Father is the key to safeguarding against the effects of prosperity, lack, or anything else.
So keep Him first beloved, front and center, squarely in the center of our hearts and minds.
As we do we will “forget to forget”.