PRIORITIZING GOD

When Cain allowed sin to take over his life, he set in motion a swift decline that ultimately led to his destruction by killing his brother, Abel. Genesis 4:8-12 says, "One day Cain suggested to his brother, 'Let's go out into the fields.' And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. Afterward, the Lord asked Cain, 'Where is your brother? Where is Abel?' 'I don't know,' Cain responded. 'Am I my brother's guardian?' But the Lord said, 'What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground! Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother's blood. No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.'" Cain committed the first murder in God's creation. It all began when he disregarded God and decided to live according to his own sinful will. He began to envy his brother, Abel, because God favored his offerings more than his. Cain's problem was not following God's way in offering sacrifices to God. He tried to worship God according to his ways, not God's ways. 

Cain's envy of his brother turned to anger that led him to be enraged and ended up killing his brother, Abel. The way sin works in our hearts can be in progression. It can begin in us by disregarding God's ways in our lives. When we put God out of our lives and do whatever we want to do, it can lead us to all kinds of sin. Or, when God become a secondary in our hearts and not willing to change to make Him a priority in our hearts, we will stray away from Him. Satan seeks to tempt us into putting aside God and making our desires our top priority. These desires may include our families, wealth, possessions, careers, relationships, spouses, children, or any other interests that we elevate above God. We must remember that everything good we have is a gift from God. Let us not allow God's gifts to become our priority. We must keep God as our number one priority. We must fulfill what we have committed to do for our God and trust God that He will work everything out. 

Cain ended up committing the first murder in God's creation because he began to disregard God in his life. We must examine our ways today to see if we are disregarding God in our lives. If we are disregarding God, we must repent and put God as our number one priority in life. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) What happens when I allow sin to control my life? Why can prioritizing my desires over God lead me to all kinds of sin? If I want God's blessing in my life, how should I live my life?

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for all good gifts that you have given me. Please help me to keep you as my number one priority in life, and not allow the blessings that you have given to be my priority in life. Please do not let sin control me, but help me to resist it by walking by your Spirit. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.