Says Who?
Day 20: Freedom From Functional Atheism
[1] The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is none who does good.
[2] The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
[3] They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one. (ESV)
-Psalm 14:1–3
Today we hear a lot of voices telling us conflicting messages. It’s up to us, the listeners, to figure out who has the most authority. Who is a trusted source? Whom should we listen to?
The Bible tells us that we will never naturally want to listen to God. We prefer to listen to ourselves, other people, the world, or Satan. We don’t like the idea of an all-powerful, sovereign, creator God—the One who made us, and to whom we owe all things. His Word will stand forever, whether we believe it or not.
Every human being is tempted to live as an atheist—the way of life that denies God’s existence and authority and power. Atheism attempts to give humans credit for what God has done; it denies that we are completely weak and unable to live without the power and grace of God.
What holds the atoms together that make up all matter? Why did your heart just beat, and you took that next breath? Why are your mitochondria producing energy for all your cells that you need to survive? How did your intestines extract nutrition from your food? Why is our solar system running predictably well, and life is maintained on planet earth? All these things are sustained by God and could shut down in an instant.
Even people who say they believe in God can sometimes live and act as if God were not present or active in their lives. Functional atheism takes over when we fail to live in line with God’s Word, specifically the Bible. We need to receive God’s Word with meekness in order to have a harvest of faith, righteousness, and peace—peace with God and the peace of God permeating our lives.
Let’s ask God to change our functional atheism into complete dependence on Him. We can’t live the Christian life on our own. We need the Word, the Holy Spirit, and the Body of Christ. Let’s receive the Word humbly, meekly, like soft soil receives a seed which can then grow healthy and strong. Start your Bible study with this prayer, and you will see God do mighty things in your life.
Heavenly Father, I confess that I am just like the fool of Psalm 14:1, because my heart would rather listen to itself than to You. Help me to surrender to You, to submit to Your Word, and to allow You to be the Judge. There are hard things for me to understand in the Bible, but Your Spirit will reveal to me what I need to know if I come ready to receive, obey, and worship. I remove myself from the judgment seat and I put You and Your inerrant Word in the rightful place of authority over my life. Let me sense your joy and delight in me, Your beloved child, because You love me just as much and in exactly the same way that You love Jesus, my Savior and Lord. Amen.
TL;DR Summary:
Day 20. Freedom from Atheism
Lie: God is not involved in human lives. God doesn’t even exist.
Truth: God is intimately involved in every aspect of every human’s life. We can’t live without God. God is speaking to us through His Word, creation, and people if we will listen with humility.
World’s pattern: Throw off God, live free without God. You can live better on your own. You decide what is good and what is evil, not God.
Kingdom pattern: God is real, and has shown Himself in His creation, His Word, and His people. Humble listening will reveal that He is seeking people out, and that He is good. Our greatest joy is God’s presence in our lives, which we receive by faith in Jesus Christ.
For Further Study: Read Luke 4
Luke 4 gives many examples of Jesus’ authority. List the things Jesus has authority over. Ask God to help you give Jesus all the authority over your life.
The devil tempts Jesus by planting seeds of doubt as to God’s character, and the trustworthiness of His Word. Where have you been tempted to doubt the trustworthiness of God’s Word? Jesus withstood the temptation because He knew His Father. Ask God to help you know Him and trust Him better.
Jesus read Isaiah 61 in the synogogue. When He mentioned their lack of faith as the reason why He hadn’t done many miracles, they were filled with wrath and tried to stone Him. Do you think God values humility and dependence on Him? How can you grow in your humility and dependence on God? Are you filled with wrath at God for not acting on your behalf? If you ask Him to help you, He will heal your heart and increase your faith.
End your time by worshiping Jesus for being the same yesterday, today, and forever. We can’t live without Him, and why would we ever want to?
For more on dependence on God, watch this podcast: