Please don't let me copy that mistake

I am so thankful that the Word of God is pretty raw and what we call 'warts n all'...
It never shies away from the issues we face. Good and bad.
God never hides struggles in some vain attempt to portray our living by faith as easy.
God, for His own reasons, shares the struggles of others in His Word to actually help us...

I read again this week of a cool king in Judah's history.
Well he stated out as a cool king and somewhere along the way forgot about God, forgot who gave him the role, forgot all the ways God likes to help when things seem impossible.
Seemingly full of his own accumulated experience and self importance he decided through his actions that he didn't need God quite same.

Asa lead Judah against the odds in the beginning of his reign.
Enemies more skilled and numerous pretty much guaranteed his countries downfall.
So Asa cried out to God. God rescued him.
His kingdom was firmly established and things went great for a long time.

Some years later another enemy came against them in a similar manner to the time before.
Did he cry out to God? No. He used his wealth to try and buy off the struggle.
Was God happy with that strategy? No.
In fact it signalled the end of his reign.

All Asa had to do it seemed was do what he had done before.
Have a total reliance on God...

You and I can learn from this cautionary tail (actual true story).
No matter how great your life has become. No matter how long you have doing this 'Jesus thing'.
Never and I mean never loss you total reliance on God.
It is not weakness or a sign or immaturity.
It is in fact the best way to navigate your entire life following Jesus.

Something to think about...