1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
People of God, consider what is worrying or preoccupying you. If we are too attached to the things of this world, we become overwhelmed. Don’t get too attached to something the devil can touch – everything apart from your heart – because your heart connects you to God. Emotional entanglements blind our judgment and blur our discretion. Your reaction to detachment reveals whether you are too attached to it.
In Genesis 36-41, Joseph passed through a challenging process before God’s promise was fulfilled and the incredible dream of his future greatness became a reality. He faced a refining furnace of humiliation – thrown into the dry pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused and imprisoned. Yet in prison he used what was in his hands – his gift of dream interpretation – to help others, and that became the link that took him to the throne.
Joseph had to be detached from the warm arms of his family to the cold arms of society, detached from closeness and material things, so he could be objective, not sentimental. If he had been disturbed by worry, deceived by wealth, or distracted by wants, he would not have been sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He remained fruitful even in unjust imprisonment.
If you are not sensitive to what God is saying in seeming loss or disappointment, because you are too attached to it, you may misinterpret God’s refining fire in your life. Remember, that disappointment may be to equip you for a divine appointment. What looks like rejection may be preparing you for divine selection. So allow God’s processing in your life and guard your heart – the only thing that the devil cannot touch.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, show me those areas in my life where I have become too attached to the things of this world. Give me the grace to guard my heart so that I can make use of resources without being used by them. In Jesus’ name, amen.