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Fan the Flame - Unintended Consequences


****This article is a continuation from the Fan the Flame article called "Christ In All". To fully understand this continued conversation, please make sure you have read "Christ In All" first.****


Colossians 3: 11 “...Christ is all, and is in all.”


As discussed in the previous Fan the Flame article, Paul teaches Christians to keep Christ in the center of all aspects of a person's life - work, family life, recreation, hobbies etc. Instead of telling someone to put God #1 in your life, Paul doesn't differentiate between what we would called the sacred or secular aspects of life. As a matter of fact, Paul wouldn't even accept the idea that there was a secular aspect of life, since Christ is supposed to be in all. In his teaching, there is no hierarchy with Christ, and therefore, no priority list where God is placed first.

Today, I want to think through the unintended consequences of saying God is my number one priority in life, since many people do currently operate this way. Let's just play this prioritizing out. The "God as #1" mode sounds great and seems noble, but what if God isn't actually #1?

Do you struggle with areas of sin in your life? ...lies, hypocrisy, arrogance, foul language, sexual immorality, jealousy, anger?

If you are trapped in a particular sin, does that mean that God is no longer #1 in your life?

And if God is no longer #1 in your life, who is?

Well, there's the question. The Bible clearly shows that the fallen angel, Satan, is God's enemy with humanity.

Before I go on, let's go on a bit of a side-trek together. How do you perceive Satan? Do you perceive Satan to be the opposite of God or the antagonist of God - the "anti-God"?

Satan is a fallen angel who at one time served under God. Positionally, Satan is not on equal terms or rank with God. If you think of Satan as the antagonist or anti-God, you are elevating Satan's status to more than it is. He isn't a god simply coming from the "negative" side of things. He never held that position or power - ever!

But, if a person is caught up in a particular area of sin in their life, they will often struggle with their prioritizing mentality. If they are trapped in their sin, they may experience guilt, condemnation, regret, or view themselves as insignificant to God. They know that because of the sin they've allowed in their life that they are failing God.

And then what happens to the list of priorities where God was once #1? It's not only that God has dropped off the list, He has often been replaced with the idea that Satan is in His place. Satan becomes #1.

Now, I don't know of too many people who would actually verbalize this, but internally, this is what they think and feel. This thought can be crippling and long lasting. The sense of guilt that accompanies "letting God down" can actually drive a person even further into hopelessness, regret, and despair. It can become a downward spiral.

With the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul sets out to make it straight. Christ is "all - and in all". As so often happens with God's word, it seems like such a simple concept to build into your life - include Christ in all aspects. But the reality is that this concept reveals the layered blessings of following God in all that you do. The unintended consequence of prioritizing God as #1 is that the potential for Satan to exist as #1 is now present because of our struggles with sin. Neither God nor Paul wants Satan to have that status, power, or fame. He doesn't deserve it.

We need to get our minds right about how our faith in God should be lived out in our everyday lives and recognize that Satan should never be given the kind of power that some give him.

God is so gracious and kind. He knows us to our very core, and because he does, he left us God's word to understand how to live our absolute best lives - free of guilt from sin and living with purpose and conviction.

If you find yourself in that place where remorse, regret, and sin have been given too high of a position in your life, simply turn to God and ask him for forgiveness. He is ALWAYS there with you and for you. He delights in seeing his children live freely and wholly in all that he intended them to be from their first breath of life. And once you've been forgiven, choose to walk your life like Paul says, "Christ in all". Why? Because the crushing effects of sin will NEVER EVER be given the priority that they once held.


May God richly bless you today as you seek his path in your life!


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