Lessons from the Prodigal Son – Part 1

The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Luke 15:12

The Prodigal Son made two mistakes: 1) he rejected his father’s authority. The first step that gets you into trouble is the one that takes you away from God. Like the Prodigal Son, you leave home saying, ‘Give me.’ And if you’re fortunate enough to survive your own best thinking, you come back home saying, ‘Forgive me.’ God loves you. Everything you need, He has already provided! 2) he left his father’s house. The devil will do whatever it takes to get you out from under God’s influence and protection. He’ll put a restless spirit in you so that nothing makes you happy. Two areas he will work the hardest to generate discontent in are: a) your marriage. That’s why you constantly need to work on it. The reason there are weeds in your garden instead of roses is because you don’t spend enough time working there. Your marriage isn’t just a covenant before God, it’s a shelter for your passions and dysfunctions. Furthermore, that ‘other person’, who looks so attractive to you, has baggage, too. And when they move in, they’ll bring it with them! b) your church. Who feeds you spiritually? Who monitors your growth in God? Would you let your children stay home from school because they don’t like the teacher or don’t want to learn? Come on, be sensible! God says His Word is like ‘…a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces’ (Jeremiah 23:29). When the hammer of God’s Word falls in church next Sunday morning—you need to be under it. You should say, ‘I was glad when they said unto me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord”’ (Psalms 122:1).

Prayer
Heavenly Father, keep me in and around people who are there to help me grow in my understanding of You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen