The Sacred ChaseBài mẫu

Heath Adamson: The Sacred Chase Devotional Day 4 “Getting to a New Normal” Our world, and our individual lives, can suffer and fall short of God’s great promises when what is inferior, unhealthy, dysfunctional, and ungodly becomes “normal.” The Devil does an amazing work behind the camouflage of normal. What we tolerate, we provide space for, and, like an incurable disease, it will wreak havoc on our very souls if we are not careful. Apathy and lack of soul-awareness can distract us. How? They convince us that our experience is as good as it will get. We settle and slow down or even stop our pursuit of God’s reality in our lives. When we tolerate such inferior ways of living, we adapt to a new normal. What we think is balance can actually be a slow, spiritual fade. To live a life soaked with heaven, the counterfeits of God’s promises need to go. The sacred chase requires us to take what we believe, overcome apathy, and make the next courageous step. This may mean closing the door to sin, changing the way we think by seeing life through God’s eyes, realigning our priorities, or making hard decisions. It means we pause and become self-aware of our need for more of heaven’s reality in our lives here and now by paying attention to our soul. Have you devoted yourself to success in the world’s eyes only to find that, deep inside, something needs your attention? Have you tolerated anything in your life that unfortunately has become normal, and now you are beginning to see a downward spiral in your life and relationship with God? The author of Hebrews promises, “We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Heb. 3:14). To renew your confidence in Christ, start by being authentically you before God. You do this by exposing, in prayer, what it is more comfortable to hide. Whenever you worship God regardless of your feelings, the “real you” emerges. Picking up your Bible and reading until peace settles over you, even if it takes an hour or more, is a response to who you truly are. Be “you” and watch His grace captivate your heart. His goodness will summon you to a better way. And someday a Heaven-soaked life on earth won’t seem that abnormal after all. What would it mean for you to position your heart in such a way that God’s best becomes your new normal?