Is Our Culture Forsaking God?
Sadly, the answer to that question is “Yes.” That’s what my friend, Janet Thompson, says. She is the author of the newly-released book, Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten.
Janet says we, too, can forsake God without realizing it by forgetting the good things He has done for us.
I asked Janet to share her insights on my blog this week. Here is what she had to say:
Today’s culture is quickly forsaking and forgetting the goodness and power of our Great God. The Bible describes the potential destruction through all generations to people who forget God. The dangers are paramount.
If we don’t remember what God has already done, we won’t believe what He is capable of doing in the future. Memory builds faith.
We read the Old Testament and lament at how forgetful the Israelites were of God’s goodness. Every time He did something good for them, they started grumbling that they needed something else. And are we any different today?
The Israelites repeatedly rejected God, even though He:
- freed them from bondage and slavery by miraculously parting the Red Sea for them to pass through on dry ground,
- provided manna from heaven,
- guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night,
- never let their shoes wear out even after walking for 40 years,
- and He offered them a land flowing with milk and honey.
God was only as good as the next miracle or provision. A forsaken God.
Yet they were warned:
“But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. Deuteronomy 4:9 NLT
We wonder at how the Israelites could be so blind and ungrateful. Why couldn’t they trust that a God who provided and protected them in the past, would do the same in the present and future? But their memories were short. As often as Moses and God tried to help them remember, still they forgot. And at great sacrifice. The original generation freed from Egypt never got to see the Promised Land because they doubted God’s goodness. Even Moses wasn’t able to enjoy its beauty because at a crucial moment, he took matters into his own hands and forgot that God was in control.
We would never forsake God! But wait . . . don’t we forget too? God has done amazing things in our lives, but when the next crisis arises, we panic that He might not show up for us this time. Or when prayers are answered, we might take credit ourselves or offer praise to someone else instead of giving God the glory and recognition He deserves.
We never intentionally forsake God, but if we’re honest, we do unintentionally forget him. So let’s agree that forgetfulness will stop with our generation. We live in a world today that is quickly trying to eliminate God from the public square and even in the private domain. Christians need to help a lost world remember God and that starts with remembering Him ourselves.
In my new book Forsaken God?: Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten, there are suggestions for ways to remember all that God has done in your life and, then share that memory in your sphere of influence. One effective way is to share our testimony. As a Christian speaker, I give parts of my testimony every time I speak. “Feed my sheep” is my testimony of a time when God clearly spoke those words to me. When I said an obedient “OK,” He went on to reveal that the sheep were women and feeding was mentoring.
That was 20 years ago, and today God has taken Woman to Woman Mentoring around the world as women enjoy the blessings of being in Titus 2 mentoring relationships. I still stand in awe as I write that story, and every time I tell it from the stage. I will never forget how God used me to start a worldwide ministry, and I give Him all the glory for the blessing it has been to so many.
But you don’t have to be a speaker to share your story. Someone today needs to hear how Jesus changed your life. A hurting world needs the Christian world to tell them the source of our joy and hope. Mentoring is a great place to share our testimony to encourage others to know the Jesus of the Bible.
There are over 50 ways described in Forsaken God? to help remember God. Here are just a few:
- Taking pictures
- Journaling
- Reading our Bibles
- Receiving Communion
- Making a thankful list
- Joining a small group
- Sharing with children
What are some ways that help you remember God’s goodness?
(You can order Janet’s book at Amazon, Christianbook.com, and signed at her website.)
Janet Thompson is an international speaker, freelance editor, and an award-winning author of 18 books including Dear God, They Say It’s Cancer and Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter. She is also the founder of Woman to Woman Mentoring and About His Work Ministries. Visit Janet at: womantowomanmentoring.com. www.facebook.com/Janetthompson.authorspeaker, http://www.linkedin.com/in/womantowomanmentoring/ www.pinterest.com/thompsonjanet and https://twitter.com/AHWministries
