Turning to God First

The Lord is constantly watching everyone, and he gives strength to those who faithfully obey him. But you have done a foolish thing, and your kingdom will never be at peace again.

2 Chronicles 16:9 (CEV)

You badly want friends, so you do whatever they are doing, even if it’s wrong. You’re getting bad grades, so you figure out how to cheat without your parents finding out. You feel guilty and awful about yourself, so you eat too much or too little, or watch too much TV, or hide out in your room all alone—anything to quit feeling sad.

Too many times, when we find ourselves weak and vulnerable, we look to all kinds of things or people for help, even if we know they are wrong or can’t make things better. We just want the problem to be over.

This is what happened to King Asa. For decades he did the right thing— following God and trusting him. He had seen God’s mighty power help his army demolish invading forces many times bigger than them.

But when another king stirred up trouble for Judah, Asa didn’t pray. He didn’t look to God for help. Instead, he decided to fix things himself. He took his money and God’s treasures from the temple and used them to pay off an ally to fight his enemies. While this helped him win that battle, his kingdom was always at war with others. This was the consequence he paid for not following God.

It’s important to always trust God and turn to him first. We can learn from King Asa’s mistake. Will you trust God to help you with the things you are going through right now?

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Heart check time! What are you currently struggling with, and need to trust God for? Take some time today to be honest with God. He is trustworthy!

PRAY

God, I get in worse trouble when I try to fix things without you. Help me to trust you.

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help you expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Please read...

1 Chronicles 16:11-12

Psalm 118:5

Proverbs 3:5-6

Philippians 4:6

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This devotional was written by Tonia Gutting for the Hero Squad Program of the American Bible Society. Hero Squad provides complimentary faith-based resources to strengthen and encourage Military families through God’s Word. For more information or to enroll your Military family, check out our website:www.myherosquad.org.