Overcoming Spiritual Alzheimer’s

“Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget…” — Deuteronomy 4:9

There is no greater affront that can be put on a person than to forget him.  We may oppose him… hinder him… attack him… even ignore him, but in all of these, that person is still in your thoughts.  But to be forgotten is the worse. As Job lamented, “My familiar friends have forgotten me” (Job 19:14). Sad! And David groaned, “I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel” (Ps. 31:12).

An atheist may deny God, but in his denial he is at least thinking of God.   It is far worse to simply forget God.  God said of His own people, “My people have forgotten me days without number” (Jer. 2:32).

The danger of forgetting God is an ever present possibility. If it happened to Israel after seeing all God’s mighty works, it can (and does) happen to Christians all the time. I’ve seen it.

What can we do to prevent it? The answer is found in our text—“Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently.”  To “take heed” means we need to be proactive—Steer and not drift. It is to be disciplined and not careless. It means to exercise your mind by MAINTAINING thoughts of God— “Keep thy soul diligently.”  Gardens turn to seed and weeds take over without careful maintenance and cultivation. Likewise, we must cultivate thoughts of God constantly. Otherwise the weeds of worldliness will crowd God out of your mind (see Matthew 13:22).

I recently read an article titled “Age-Proof Your Brain” by Beth Howard in AARP magazine (Feb/March 2012). The article said, “Alzheimer’s isn’t inevitable.”  The number one thing you can do to keep your mind sharp is exercise! “Working out helps your hippocampus, the region of your brain involved in memory formation.”

I believe the same is true regarding our spiritual awareness of God. We must maintain a spiritual regiment of meditating on God’s Word day and night (Ps. 1:3). As Peter admonishes, “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8).

So, what are you waiting for.  Exercise your brain in God’s Word.  Start by memorizing one of the verses used in this devotion. Keep your mind sharp and focused on God (Phil. 4:6-8).

Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God (Dt. 8:11).