Are You Going Backward?

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”—1 Peter 5:8 NASB

Turning our backs on God can happen in so many subtle ways. Feeling the pull of things of this world, we can find ourselves drifting away from Him. The Bible teaches that He wants to see our faces and make sure that we are looking to Him and going forward, not backward. Going backward symbolically indicates that we are not facing God or the truth. This means that we are going in the wrong direction (and may not even know it). We go backward when we walk “in the counsels and the dictates of [our] evil hearts.” This happens when we fill our minds with the things of this world.

How easy it can be to form our opinions based on the content of the media, to become addicted to opinions expressed in social media, to pay attention to gossip, and to seek out advice from people not committed to God. We need to realize that God has a plan for our lives. He wants us to let Him direct our path. He wants us to seek first His kingdom, to fill our minds and hearts with His Word, and to spend time with Him in prayer. These actions help us go forward.

Incline your ears to God. Don’t hide or run away, but focus on Him. Don’t allow anything to distract you. Seek to go forward and follow His plan for you.

Reflection Question:What is currently distracting you from seeking God’s Kingdom?