I don’t what to be this guy…

“In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” (Psalm 10:4)

…but I fear that I can be.

According to this Psalm, the self-reliance born from pride is expressed in two ways: refusal to seek God or think about him.

How often is this me: making decisions without consulting God? In the spiritual life, past success can be a barrier to present obedience. When I disconnect from the reality of God’s providence, I slowly start to take credit for the blessings in my life. When I’m in charge of my life, I don’t need help. I’m can’t be blessed because I’m not hungering and thrusting for righteousness from God because I have my own.

How often is this me: so preoccupied, so entertained, that I don’t even think about God? Distraction is an effective tool of the enemy: I’ll never ask God for help if I’m not even thinking about him. Without connecting to new mercies every morning, I become numb-natured. Clueless to the slow self-destruction in my soul and blind to the needs of others around me. The result is a life that’s stuck. It’s also,

Unmoving.
Unchanging.
Unremarkable.

Without spiritual disciplines, our heart and life cannot be devoted to him!
(More on this in a moment.)

It is shocking to see pride linked with wickedness. Pride can become a “safe” sin, easy to accept and easy to share. “oh yea, I don’t have it all together, I can be prideful.” Calling pride ‘wicked’ casts self-reliance in a brand new light, revealing it’s true ugliness.

Pride refuses to ask God for help because it’s never thinking about God. Cutting God out of our lives like this is wickedness.

How can we keep this from happening in our lives? We know it leads to trouble and pain.

We need reminders, simple ones. We need to reflect, without complication. We need to actively refocus our thought life. The particulars look different from person to person, because a spiritual growth plan can’t be carbon copied from one person to another.

But we need habits. Rituals. Regular actions that reinforce our identity in Christ. Creating and committing to personal spiritual habits are an essential if we want to keep from being wicked. Sure, the actions can become corrupted and meaningless.

That’s why I love God and his Word. He makes it very clear when my devotional life is lacking in some way: Am I thinking about him? Am I looking for him?