October 12, 2023

What kind of legacy are you leaving?

1 Kings 14 - 15:31

Parker Primrose
Thursday's Devo

October 12, 2023

Thursday's Devo

October 12, 2023

Big Idea

Wise leaders walk closely with God.

Key Verse | 1 Kings 14:14-16

"Moreover, the LORD will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today. And henceforth, the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger. And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin."

1 Kings 14 - 15:31

Prophecy Against Jeroboam

At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people. Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.”

Jeroboam's wife did so. She arose and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age. And the LORD said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus shall you say to her.”

When she came, she pretended to be another woman. But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with unbearable news for you. Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes, but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back, 10 therefore behold, I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone. 11 Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat, for the LORD has spoken it.”’ 12 Arise therefore, go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. 13 And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something pleasing to the LORD, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. 14 Moreover, the LORD will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today. And henceforth, 15 the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, 1 14:15 Hebrew the River because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger. 16 And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.”

17 Then Jeroboam's wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah. And as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.

The Death of Jeroboam

19 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20 And the time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. And he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.

Rehoboam Reigns in Judah

21 Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite. 22 And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 24 and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the LORD drove out before the people of Israel.

25 In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 He took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house. He took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made, 27 and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze, and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king's house. 28 And as often as the king went into the house of the LORD, the guard carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.

29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite. And Abijam his son reigned in his place.

Abijam Reigns in Judah

Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. Nevertheless, for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. The rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place.

Asa Reigns in Judah

In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done. 12 He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13 He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron. 14 But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD all his days. 15 And he brought into the house of the LORD the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.

16 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 19 “Let there be a covenant 2 15:19 Or treaty; twice in this verse between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 20 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah. 23 Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

Nadab Reigns in Israel

25 Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.

27 Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. 28 So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. 29 And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 30 It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the LORD, the God of Israel.

31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Footnotes

[1] 14:15 Hebrew the River
[2] 15:19 Or treaty; twice in this verse

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Dive Deeper | 1 Kings 14 - 15:31

In 1 Kings 14 and 15, we find a lesson on leadership that is far more impactful than any insight you'll find in a nearby book or podcast. The central conclusion? Successful leadership starts with an appropriate understanding of who's in charge. It's not you or I who sits on the throne, but God.

In these chapters, we see five kings crash and burn. Jeroboam (1 Kings 14:14-15), Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:22), Abijam (1 Kings 15:3), Nadab (1 Kings 15:26), and Baasha (1 Kings 15:34) are all clearly described as wicked and failed rulers. The common denominator among them is a misplaced understanding of authority: instead of recognizing God as the ultimate authority and submitting to His rule, they each put their own desires in charge and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. And because of their misplaced sense of authority, they lead the people of Israel and Judah into sin with them, centering the kingdoms on themselves and false gods rather than the one true God.

in contrast, Asa is the one king described positively (1 Kings 15:11), and the key difference is that he recognizes God as the ultimate authority and submits to Him accordingly (1 Kings 15:14b). Asa removes distractions that could pull God from being the central figure in the eyes of the people (1 Kings 15:12-13), and he restores a focus on God as the true ruler over Judah (1 Kings 15:14). Asa is not a perfect king. His shortcomings point to the continued need for the Messiah, but his faithfulness as a leader results in a restorative time for the people of Judah.

So, as we lead ourselves and lead others, the choice we must make each day is clear: am I in charge, or is God? Do I want to follow the King who is worthy of our submission (Psalm 47) and who desires what's best for us (Jeremiah 29:11), or do I want to put myself in charge and follow a path to destruction (Matthew 7:13)? I pray that we each make the right choice today!

This month's memory verse

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
 

– Proverbs 3:5-6

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think it means to recognize God as the King over your life?

2. Asa removed idols and negative influences that could distract him and the people of Judah from keeping God as their central authority (1 Kings 15:12-13). What distractions do you need to remove from your life to ensure you keep God on the throne of your heart?

3. Asa "brought into the house of the LORD the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts" (1 Kings 15:15) to re-establish God as the preeminent authority in Judah and to signify his own submission. What can you submit to God that you're currently holding on to for yourself (e.g., time, talent, career, etc.)?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Parker! Thanks for your excellent devo. I love this- “The central conclusion? Successful leadership starts with an appropriate understanding of who's in charge. It's not you or I who sits on the throne, but God.” Q1. Accept God as my King? Eventually, it’s a relief. The insane tyranny of self-rule becomes more evident the more I surrender to Him as God. Q2. Remove distractions? The first step would be to get myself 100% off the technology grid. No more email and texts. Right? Nevermind. What has had a huge impact was advice I got in re:gen; “change your playground, your playmates, and your playlist.” Q3. What to surrender? That one is easy. Time. Stephen Covey has a decision process I call “Big Rocks”. Here is a short video. It helps me see that there are only a few big rocks and they must go in first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV3gMTOEWt8
HS

Hugh Stephenson

I was born in 1958. As a boy I was very aware of various historical and current events. My mom and dad discussed them virtually every night. I loved reading the newspaper. I didn’t really understand a lot of the TV evening news and there wasn’t much on TV I wanted to watch outside of Saturday morning cartoons. Plus we had a black and white TV with only two channels available. The first event that got my attention was the Cuban Missile Crises. We lived on the salt marshes in between downtown Savannah and the ocean so my parents and their friends lined the floor of their attics with sandbags to protect against the potential assault from an invading Russian army. (I never figured out how sandbags in the attic would help.) Very frequently we had violent storms and had to shelter in the house. Hurricanes were a regular feature in late summer and the fall. But nothing quite got my attention like the picture of a bunch of Russians coming across the marsh to invade Savannah. Being now much more attuned to the news I loved to follow President Kennedy in the newspapers. I was struck by how different he looked than the other political figures. Probably the beginning of my “loss of innocence” came with his assassination. I was very confused by it. I watched every bit of the ceremonies around it. I’ll never forget the scene of his family at the burial site and the very young and very small JFK, Jr saluting the coffin of his deceased dad. The ensuing years had an enormous amount of turmoil. Bit by bit I began to see that there was something very, very wrong. But I couldn’t understand what it was. Why am I saying all this? Because…the beginning of the answer came many, many years later in the 1970’s when I first began to see developments that were very disturbing. Reflecting on those now help me understand 1 and 2 Kings. -My parents took away all my sister’s Beatles albums when this came out- “John Lennon said this- “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I'll be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first – rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_popular_than_Jesus#:~:text=%22More%20popular%20than%20Jesus%22%20is,be%20outlasted%20by%20rock%20music. -I can recall my parent’s outrage when The NY Times said- “God is dead”. https://www.nytimes.com/1970/04/19/archives/god-is-dead-and-religion-dying-the-encounter.html These two remarks reflected a direction for the culture that seemed way, way off to me. But when they changed the drinking age to 18, I got really interested. :) The slide continued for decades. It got worse and worse. I got the big picture answer as to the cause decades later when Amy and I came to Watermark. A key message was focused on many of these issues and offered this truth- “The culture is downstream from the church.” BOOM! A big part of my fall into addictions is that I had existential questions about God, life, meaning etc. It hit me that the church of my youth and adulthood offered no answers. The truth offered by that message opened everything up for me. ——————————————— Here is a reprise of my three big questions- -Who is God, -Who am I , -Why am I here? And then I was taught about the three big lies the culture was telling me- -God is not good, -His word is not true, -Sin is not a big deal The critical role of the church came into focus quite quickly. It was the church that abdicated its role and slowly began to tolerate and then to advocate more and more apostasy. As noted in prior comments, I must always consider how bread and butter issues affect attitudes- I reprise this key truth that I see bearing itself out again and again. Hard times create Strongmen. Strongmen create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create bad times. In my mind, David is the strong man. Solomon was initially strong. Then went downhill fast. By the time we get to Rehoboam we are at the “Weak Man” stage. And here we are. God’s people are not at war with sin and Satan. They have invited him into the house, temple, and altar.
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Hugh Stephenson

This link can help decipher all the back and forth of the Kings between Israel and Judah- https://www.gotquestions.org/kings-Israel-Judah.html These short notes are a great overview- “Jeroboam was a strong leader. He separated Israel from Judah and reigned a long time. Nevertheless his lack of commitment to Yahweh resulted in him and Israel experiencing discipline from the LORD. During his reign, Israel lost control of the area around Damascus that subsequently became an independent Aramean state. Ironically, it was this area that produced enemies of Israel for many years. The Philistines also recovered some of their territory and became stronger (cf. 15:27). Moreover Israel appears to have lost control over Moab about this time, because Judah, Israel, and Edom invaded Moab right after King Ahab of Israel died (2 Kings 3:21-27).[295] King Abijah of Judah also defeated Jeroboam in battle (2 Chron. 13:13-20). All these losses are evidence of God's punishment for apostasy.” Rehoboam's evil reign in Judah 14:21-31 (cf. 2 Chron. 12) "The narrator introduces a new format and style at this point that enables him to state the essence of a king's reign with an economy of words. The introduction and conclusion of the account of each reign conform to a fixed pattern with only slight variations. The following information is regularly given in the introduction to the reigns of the kings of Judah: (1) date of beginning of reign, (2) age at beginning of reign (not noted consistently at first), (3) length and place of reign, (4) name of the queen mother, and (5) a theological evaluation. The pattern for the Israelite kings is the same except that their ages and the names of their mothers are not given. The reign of each king, both Judahite and Israelite, is normally concluded in this manner: (1) summary of reign and referral to the royal annals for additional information, (2) notice of death and place of burial, and (3) name of successor."[296] "Rehoboam succeeded Solomon and reigned over Judah for 17 years (931-913 B.C.). Jerusalem was the only capital the Southern Kingdom ever had. In contrast to Israel's three successive capitals (Shechem, Tirzah, and Samaria), Jerusalem was God's chosen center for national life politically and religiously (v. 21). Rehoboam permitted the re- establishment of pagan worship as it had existed in Israel before Joshua conquered the land (vv. 23-24).[297] Perhaps the king's Ammonite mother was responsible for some of this."
GJ

Greg Jones

Parker, great ministries. Thank you for the outreach you lead in. Your role, Watermark’s role, they contribute greatly to individual lives and the general life of our greater community. One of the differences I see in what or who people would label as progressive or liberal pastors, (think Andy Stanley since he’s been mentioned here) and traditional conservative pastors, (think Al Mohler since he’s been mentioned here) is how they are processing the same Bible. Al Mohler is the president of Southern Seminary and trains pastors. Andy Stanley is pastor of a large GA who graduated seminary from Dallas Theological Seminary for anyone who might not be aware. They have a pretty long standing running feud. Just as an example of how they might process differently. When we say [In these chapters], we see five kings crash and burn. Jeroboam (1 Kings 14:14-15), Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:22), Abijam (1 Kings 15:3), Nadab (1 Kings 15:26), and Baasha (1 Kings 15:34) are all clearly described as wicked and failed rulers.” That is correct in these chapters that is what we see. And from these chapters we can correctly extrapolate The common denominator among them is a misplaced understanding of authority: instead of recognizing God as the ultimate authority and submitting to His rule, they each put their own desires in charge and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. And because of their misplaced sense of authority, they lead the people of Israel and Judah into sin with them, centering the kingdoms on themselves and false gods rather than the one true God. Here we are processing the Bible. Specifically we are processing these two chapters. In a broader reading of the Bible there is the Chronicles account of the these five Kings. Concerning Rehoboam there is this Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.’” Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is righteous.” When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. 2 Chronicles 12:5-7 And And when he humbled himself the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so as not to make a complete destruction. Moreover, conditions were good in Judah. 2 Chronicles 12:12 And And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord. 2 Chronicles 12:14 A progressive/liberal pastor would probably say, reading the Chronicles account of Rehoboam doesn’t make this “All (Rehoboam) are clearly described as wicked and failed rulers.” statement false. But what the statement doesn’t clearly describe is God’s, absolute, view of Rehoboam considering all of scripture. Therefore because Chronicles says “the king humbled himself and said ‘the Lord is righteous’” and “the Lord said ‘they have humbled themselves’” a progressive/liberal pastor (in this example case concerning Rehoboam) probably comes to a different final conclusion than ours today which is “centering the kingdoms on themselves and false gods rather than the one true God.” Because Progressive/liberals tend say Chronicles doesn’t shy away from Rehoboam’s struggle and because of the redemptive nature Chronicles brings to the treatment of the kings of Judah they would tend to have less of an absolute tone in their conclusion. Concerning Stanley and Mohler no links cited. If unaware but interested google them to get a broad perspective on both sides.
MS

Michael Sisson

Re: 1Kgs 14:13 1Kgs 14:13 (NASB) “All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam's family will come to the grave, >>>because in him something good was found toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.<<< What might have been? See 1Kgs 11:38. Re: 1Kgs 14:14 1Kgs 14:14 (NASB) “Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam this day and from now on. See 1Kgs 15:28-29 Re: 1Kgs 15:28-29 1Kgs 15:28 (NASB) So >>>Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. It came about as soon as he was king, he struck down all the household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam any persons alive, until he had destroyed them, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite,<<< A fulfillment of 1Kgs 14:14.
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Sue Bohlin

Super devo, Parker, thank you! I came to a bone-chilling full stop this morning when I read the blind prophet Ahijah's greeting to Jeroboam's wife (side note: What? Just one wife for a king? How refreshing!): "Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another?" Although this is not the main meaning or intent of the passage, I was struck by how perfectly this question gets to the heart of the whole transgender issue and provides a biblical understanding of it. There is so much pain, so much confusion, such deep "missing it" when people (especially children and teens) are not encouraged to embrace their good creation as God chose them to be, and they claim a transgender identity. They are "pretending to be another." When I checked Biblehub for other translations of the Hebrew, I was further struck by how well these describe the enemy's deception in this modern tragedy: "Why are you pretending to be someone else?” "Why this pretense?" "Why are you disguised?" "Why do you make yourself unrecognizable?" And the inimitable King James Version: "Why feignest thou thyself to be another?" The takeaway for people in 2023 is the same for Jeroboam's wife: God sees you as you truly are, as He made you to be; why not live in His light, in the light of self-acceptance and honesty?
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Michael Scaman

Ironically I just saw the movie 'The story of Henry Sugar" where the person could see even when blinded like the prophet here. On to better names than Henry Sugar which in the story is a fake name, There is such a similarity between the real names of the prophet and the son, Ahijah and Abijah. Abijah is God is my father and Ahibah means brother of the Lord. Who was Ahijah? The name similarity may cause a bell to ring in your head Where did I hear that before? Ahijah was the prophet that offered Jeroboam the 10 pieces of his torn tunic in his old age, the pieces representing tribes given by God to Jeroboam. Jeroboam may have named his son Abijah to sound a little like Ahaijah? Ahijah the Shilonite was a Levite prophet of Shiloh in the days of Solomon, as mentioned in the Hebrew Bible's First Books of Kings. Ahijah foretold to Jeroboam that he would become king. That does explain why Jeroboam would send his wife to Ahijah. Why was his wife in disguise? was it to hide from the people Jeroboam sent her to an old prophet? Was Ahijah the old prophet who lied to the other prophet who died? Was it to save from embarrassment as the King did things opposed to the message of the prophet of God. This account of judgement is a little like Saul going to the witch of Endor the night before he died. his death of a child worse as it's like the death of a first born with Pharaoh's child and other's dying in judgement of a hardened heart that turned from God. The account shows the bitter fruit of turning away from God. Ironically Abijah "my father is God" died for the sins of the land.
AL

Amy Lowther

1. God is higher than all of us and is cheering for each and every one of us. 2. I do not need to remove anything. I do need to make sure I study God’s Word and practice what I learn from God in daily life so distractions make sense. 3. Currently everything is submitted and surrendered to God.