It’s natural to move closer to God when times are bad. Every crisis pushes us back towards religion. What do you do when everything is going your way and you feel the urge to forget the God of the Earth? How do you keep your faith when times are good?
When times are good, we forget God.
“So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He [a]swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— 12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you 15 (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 6:10-15
God warned the children of Israel and told them that they would forget Him one day. It is natural for us to do this as humans. When times are good, we think we have everything under control. It is only once a crisis strikes that we remember how helpless we are to many of the circumstances of life.
As much as I advocate taking control of your situation and being in charge, there is still uncertainty in this world. We do not know how the world will be when we wake up tomorrow. And it is in the moments when the world acts contrary to how we think that we remember God.
So how do you have faith when times are good?
I – Get in the habit of remembering God every day.
Start your day by remembering who gave you all the advantages you have.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
James 1:16-17
If you have something good in this life, it came from God. You need to remember that you do not have any of your possessions or advantages solely because of your own merit. Now it is certainly true that we have to work for and earn things in this life. There is definitely a certain amount of responsibility that falls on us as men to get out in the world and pursue success. We need to work hard and focus on our goals. But all the while we must remember that God has the final say in this world. We can do nothing apart from Him.
It is our responsibility to work as hard as we can, but to also not forget that it is God who has allowed us to build an extreme work ethic.
II – Remember that at any moment, your fortune could turn against you.
There is nothing certain in this entire world. Do not put any trust in human beings or anything comprised of atoms.
Never become overly attached to any of the things that are in this world. Do not attach yourself to any of the material things you have.
There is a story of a man who had an immensely valuable teacup. However, as an exercise in stoicism, he behaved as if the teacup were already broken. Every day as he used it, he thought of it as already broken and destroyed. Then one day when it finally did break, he said “Ah, as it always was“. It was not a shock to him because he practiced detachment.
We must be the same way with our own material things. I remember when I purchased my first new vehicle. I engaged in this exercise so I would not become attached to it. Then, one week later when my wife was driving the car and someone ran into the rear bumper, I was not bothered at all. Because since the day I owned it I viewed it as totaled. So it was much easier to tolerate a small fender-bender since I did not overly value the vehicle.
You must get in the habit of viewing everything you have as already lost.
Act as if all your materials have been taken from you. Who are you without them? Only your character remains. And it is from that character that you can rebuild any of the wealth you have currently amassed.
III – Remember God early in your life, before you become successful.
6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is [a]loosed,
Ecclesiastes 12:6-8
Or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well.
7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
It is much easier to remember God during your success and when times are good if you are already in the habit of remembering Him. The earlier you can start this the better. Although it is never too late to start this habit, it will pay better dividends if you can install it earlier.
It is simpler to live a life centered around God as you build success than it is to become successful and then try to build God into your life. You will have better luck by placing God as the priority first than you would in trying to make Him a priority later on.
The priority principle applies to many things in your life. That which is the priority will get the most results. This applies in the simple laboratory of the gym. The muscles you train at the beginning of the workout and at the beginning of the week will get the best focus. You will be fresh and energized, ready to train them. Those muscles placed at the end of the workout and the end of the week will not be the priority. While they still are addressed slightly, they do not get the same benefits that the prioritized muscles get.
Your life is the same way. What gets your best energies and your best focus will be the parts of your life that improve the most.
Do not focus on things that are irrelevant. You must be in the habit of teasing out the most important aspects of life and focusing on them.
Follow those three principles to remember God when times are good. It is easy to rely on God when the world is crashing around us. This is why every terrorist attack in the United States causes the people to band together and remember God. Even the most secular, worldly people in the world will call on the name of God when the situation is dire. We cannot be those people. We have to remember God and focus on Him now while times are good. Do not wait for a crisis to have the proper focus in life.
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