Ten Ways to Avoid God – Zephaniah

 Did you ever try to avoid someone? They chose hallway “A” in school, so you chose hallway “B”. It was always uncomfortable to accidentally run into them somewhere. In the same way, a great many people are trying to live their life without any God that would “cramp their style”. Sadly, some of them began a walk with the Lord, and claim to know Him. In Zephaniah, God “bumps into them” in a hall and shares in a short oracle exactly what they are doing that is breaking the relationship down.

The book of Zephaniah is a judgment against two different people groups: 1) God’s people; 2) People that hurt God’s people. God begins with judgment on His own before He turned to judgment on those who took advantage of His people (that really upsets God!). The short book may be unfamiliar to many believers today, but it can be divided into four parts (with one of the parts split in half). The opening of the book is God’s Claim as owner of all the earth (1:1-3). The second part is addressed to God’s people and the ten ways they have tried to push God out of their way. This is divided into two sections: (1:4-2:3 and 3:-7). The article below focuses on these ten ways. The mid section of the book is about how God will deal with those who beat on His people (2:4-15). The final section of the book is God’s call to restoration for His people (3:8-20).

1. Fall in love with someone or something and make them more important to you than He is (Zephaniah 1:4-5).
2. Stop talking to Him (make up your mind about things without consulting Him in prayer (Zephaniah 1:6).
3. Follow leaders that imitate the world rather than follow God (Zephaniah 1:8).
4. Adopt superstitious beliefs based on pagan teachings (Zephaniah 1:9).
5. Teach and act like God will not really judge bad behavior – no matter what the Word says (Zephaniah 1:12).
6. Take advantage of others by spreading your dirty and rebellious spirit around to as many as you can (Zeph. 3:1).
7. Ignore the voice of God found in His Instructions from the Word (Zephaniah 3:2).
8. Withdraw from God out of mistrust that He knows what He is doing (Zephaniah 3:2b).
9. Overindulge in everything with no regard for the future (3:3).
10. Follow reckless spiritual leaders that are not careful about how they use the Word of God (3:4-7).

Do any of these sound like you? If they do, God offered a very brief prescription. First, set aside time to come to God and really talk to Him about the changes that are needed in your life. (Zephaniah 2:1-2). Next, seek God humbly – not demanding anything, not seeking anything but intimacy with Him (Zephaniah 2:3) and ask Him to meet you where you are. Stop avoiding Him – it won’t work!