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1 Kings 9:8 (6/3/21)

Cheating on God

June 3, 2021

* Competing affections rob you of the power and blessing that could be yours if you stayed true to God. * Backstory - Solomon had just dedicated the Temple. * God then gave him an ultimatum. * “If you stay true, I bless and protect you. If you don’t, I won’t.” * PROBLEM - The biggest threat to the blessings of God are the blessings of God. * They can lure your focus away from Him. * When this happens, God will no longer be your ally but your adversary. * Vs 8 - The result of cheating on God is that everything you worked so hard for will amount to nothing and people will blame it on God. (Ravi) * This came true - Solomon cheated on God. * Vs 9 - They’ll see the results of your cheating ways. * Cheating typically starts in the mind, then it moves to the heart. * It starts with thoughts, then moves to desire. * Affectionate thinking arouses emotion and moves you in the direction of your affection. * This is what happened to Solomon - he loved God and had a heart for him, but then he became king and now he’s got a big calling to fulfill. * The next thing you know he’s focusing on his purpose (expanding the kingdom) over the Person (God). * So what do we do? * Jesus shows us in Luke 10:19-20 - “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” * Don’t get caught up in the blessings of God, stay caught up in the beauty of God. * How do you do this? Three keys: * 1) Spend time alone focusing solely on how amazing God is. * It’s not about “your” thing. * 2) Don’t fall in love with your gift, anointing, or blessing. * When you pray about your thing, think about it as your “assignment.” * It’s no different than anyone else’s. Just do your job. * EX: Me at C21 seeing the server in the middle of David speaking (made me lose conscious thought of myself). * 3) Remember it’s not about you, it’s about others. * Remove yourself from the equation so the transaction can be between God and others.