“And fasten your

thoughts

on every glorious

work of God,

praising Him

always!”

(Phil. 4:8b-9 TPT)

“Device-ive Living”

by Debbie Allen

In this day and age, we don’t have to look too far to see that we are living in a divided nation. Once, we proclaimed the beauty of the freedom we walked-in, our hearts acknowledging God’s Truths and His Glory in the ways we lived-out our lives in our homes, as well as how we walked and talked before others, including our God in Heaven. We knew and understood the depth of what it means to stand united as, “One Nation under God, indivisible…with Liberty and Justice for all.”  Now…from sea to shining sea, not only is the Nation of America divided on multiple levels, but we as a people are extremely divided… right down to our hearts, minds, and spirits.

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“Now, from sea to shining sea, not only is the Nation of America divided on multiple levels,

but we as a people are extremely divided… right down to our hearts, minds, and spirits.”

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 God created each of us with the purpose of making a difference in this world.  From birth on, every human being enters into this life fully equipped and divinely wired so that we might touch and change our world and the people around us for good, and in a way that makes God Himself ‘Look Bigger.’ A way that reflects His Truth and Ways back into the world. But as I sat in the car on the way to breakfast one morning, inching along in the heavy traffic on a busy highway… I saw the world’s all-about-me ways in full force all around us.  Road rage, driver’s flipping each other off, horns blaring, cars crossing multiple lanes in spite of double-yellow, warning lines painted on the road; and countless accidents waiting-to-happen due to the carelessness of drivers, whose eyes were more focused on their cell phones than the road up ahead of them. It seemed that the drivers in vehicles all around us had a different set of rules to drive by.  Rules of their own…rules reflecting the exact opposite of what the signs and lines painted all along the highway were guiding them to do.  Common courtesy and common sense were both out the window…and with them, the safety, security, and order that comes with driving down a highway strictly, governed by the rules of the road we were once taught to adhere to…or else suffer the consequences.

There was a period of time in history when people chose to become their own authorities in their lives. Without any regard for the lives and security of those around them, everyone acted according to their own opinions of what was right and wrong. The Bible documents this period of time in the book of Judges:

“There was no king in Israel in those days, and every man did what he thought was right.”

(Judges 21:25 LAB)

The results of living in this time period in Israel ended in unmatched mass chaos…and it would be foolish for us to think it will be any different for those of us living in our own culture.  Too many in this day and age are looking only to satisfy their own selfish agendas for living life…instead of seeking the morals, standards, truths and convictions that God designed and knows will provide for, and sustain us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually throughout our lives. Well known author and pastor Tony Evans puts it this way:

“The Lord calls people to submit to His Agenda, not to attempt to honor Him with their agendas.”

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“The Lord calls people to submit to His Agenda, not to attempt to honor Him with their agendas.”

–Tony Evans–

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Whatever goals and accomplishments we’ve scribbled down for ourselves on our own human agendas in life…should never supersede the Perfect Agenda of our All-Knowing, All-Loving God…Who, in His Wisdom, created each of us on purpose and with a purpose; already knowing what’s best for us concerning every facet of our lives, and the ways we were designed to live them out before the eyes of a watching-world!

All of us were ‘made in the image of God’…but only those who choose to walk the path of His Grace and Forgiveness, become His children; those He asks to carry His Light (Jesus) out into the ever-growing darkness of this present world. To be His Light Bearer means embracing God’s Wisdom…not our own. To be constantly searching for, inquiring after, and walking-in the ways of unwavering faith; trusting God, no matter what paths He sets before us in life. Leading with a Perfect Heart and Genuine Love, God calls every one of His children to be faithful, obedient followers who trust their Father to lead them into all the right places…and in all the right ways. Throughout our entire lives, God honors this level of whole-hearted trust in Him; with the Promise of His Presence walking beside us… Providing, Guiding, and Protecting us without fail.

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“God Leads with a Perfect Heart and Genuine Love. He calls all His children to be faithful, obedient followers, who trust their Father to lead them into all the right places…and in all the right ways.“

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But…the lawlessness and reckless behavior I observed all along that stretch of highway that morning on the way to breakfast, reflected anything BUT wholehearted trust. We are fast becoming a culture that shuns the very thought of anyone or anything telling us how to live our lives…or even drive our cars. We love the idea of complete independence; and yet, so easily allow our cell phones to imprison our thinking patterns and influence our behavior; every waking moment of the day.  It seems to me our cell phones have become our god…NOT the Living God, but one driven by Artificial Intelligence. Think about it.  Our cell phones are currently one of the greatest obsessions of this age. They allow us a way to connect and communicate to others without being there…to meet face-to-face without being face-to-face. We give and receive hundreds of directives to guide us through our day.  We have come to heavily depend on our devices to help us find our way in this world and to unknown places and limitless destinations, all using Artificial Intelligence to do so. No one dares to make eye contact anymore because all eyes are focused on a scrolling screen. Even our emotions are being replaced by the use of 3,782 man-made emojis available to us now in 2024; instead of enjoying a personal conversation, sharing between hearts through the five senses God originally equipped us with, in order to help us cultivate and deepen the personal relationships we come to know throughout our lives.

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“Our cell phones have become our god…NOT the Living God, but one driven by Artificial Intelligence.”

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Though I know there is an endless amount of good that can also stream from the devices that are such a huge part of our everyday lives…the ways we immerse ourselves in this device-ive lifestyle our culture so intensely embraces; must be entered into with caution and wisdom. God never intended for Google or A.I. to be the all-knowing, ever-present sources we retreat to when we have questions and doubts…or just need to hear another’s voice speak into our life’s circumstances. The sound of God’s own Voice was always meant to fill that void in our lives. I can’t even imagine trading away the gift of being able to hear the Personal and Tender Whispers of my God deep down inside of me…for the man-made, compassion-deprived, robotic sounds of A.I.’s voice passing over my ears. It would be like being offered a huge slice of the deepest, darkest, richest chocolate cake ever made…and then settling instead for a turnip!

My ride to breakfast that morning on that chaotic stretch of highway, still stands out in my mind as a warning. It was a clear indication to my heart of the reality of mounting chaos, blatant lawlessness, and encroaching darkness that is fast consuming us as the divided people and nation we have become. Instead of making God ‘look Bigger’ before others by choosing His Ways, Truths, and Morals for living our lives…our culture is attempting to remove God and His Ways completely from society. Though ridiculous…that thought weighed heavy on me as we exited the highway for breakfast. But not for long. I looked up into that blue October sky to see a gigantuous Cross formed out of a cloud and a jet stream. The beauty of it stretched out over that chaotic highway, presenting itself to me in that moment as God’s timely and very personal Message for a culture so deeply immersed in following its own selfish ways. The Message that came with it was this:

And God said to His people:

“Stand at the crossroads.

Now, consider your ways

And ask for the ancient paths.

Which is God’s way?

Walk on His Path, and you’ll enjoy

A resting place for yourselves…

But they said, ‘WE WILL NOT.

THAT’S NOT THE PATH WE WANT.’”

(Jeremiah 6:16 TPT)

How frightening it is to think that any nation in history would ever speak those last haunting words to the God and Creator of all things! Knowing that history never fails to repeat itself, I pray we choose to seek to become the nation and people who learn to consider our selfish ways…and turn to repent and embrace the Wisdom of our God in our lives and nation before it is too late. Will you pray with me?

HEART TRAPPINGS PRAYER:

Our Father in Heaven… Thank you for Loving all of your creations; both the ‘chocolate cake lovers’ as well as those who ‘settle for turnips’ in this life. Your Cross stood so high in the sky that day to me, like the Hands on a Cosmic Clock…warning us that time is running out in this world. Yet, You will not force anyone to choose Your ‘Ancient Paths’…but for those who do, it’s the difference between spending eternal life with You in Heaven and spending eternal life without You in Hell. The hearts of those who love You are depending on You.  You are everything we need. Help to keep us walking in Your Wisdom, and steadfast in Your Ways. Forgive our sins, as both a people and a nation.  “Love us, God, with all You’ve got—that’s what we’re depending on! For our hearts shall rejoice in You, because we trust in Your Holy Name” (Psalm 33:21-22).

In Jesus Name we pray…AMEN.