God-centered vs. Self-centered
The essence of sin is the shift from a God-centeredness to a self-centeredness. To know God’s will, we must turn away from self-centeredness. Look at it this way:
To be self-centered: life is focused on self, we are proud of self and your own accomplishments, we have confidence is in self, a dependence on self and our own abilities, seeking acceptance from the world and its ways, selfish and ordinary living.
To be God-centered: we have confidence in God, dependence on God and on his abilities and provision, life is focused on God and his activities, we have humility before God, denying self, seeking first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and seeking God’s perspective in all circumstances, holy and godly living.
In the Bible we don’t see God asking people to dream up what they want to do for God. The pattern is to submit, wait, watch and then join him.
Our goals for experiencing God, basically to know and do the will of God…
- I must deny myself and return to a God-centered life.
- I must reorient my life to God.
- I must focus my life on God’s purposes and not my own plans.
- I must seek to see from God’s perspective rather than from my own distorted human perspective.
- I must wait until God shows me what he is about to do through me.
- I must watch to see what God is doing around me and join him.
