All Fall Down

“In that day I will respond,” declares the Lord. . . . I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’ ” Hosea 2:21-23, NIV

We can learn much about success by looking at failure. One woman in the Bible who failed and fell was Gomer. Why did she fall?

• She put sex above God: “Their mother has been unfaithful. . . . She said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my drink.’ ” (Hosea 2:5, NIV)
• She became ungrateful: “She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold—which they used for Baal.” (v. 8, NIV)
• She left truth and found a belief system that allowed, even encouraged her lifestyle: “ ‘I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot,’ declares the Lord.” (v. 13, NIV)

Are you seeing the seeds of any of these failures in yourself or in someone you love? Are you allowing your emotions, your hormones, or your dysfunctions to make your decisions?

Are you allowing resentment, bitterness, or anger to be unaddressed in your life? Are you walking away from truth because it is easier to follow a lie? Maybe you are just sleeping in, missing church today, but what about next week, next year? Maybe you are just thinking that the guy in your class, at work, or at your gym is cute, but how will you respond if he actually talks to you? Maybe you are just angry today, but how do you handle your frustrations day after day?

Most women don’t set out to have a hard heart; they just allow the callus to develop because they do nothing to stop it.