The Disease of Spiritual Amnesia

Opening

I will be in the book of Deuteronomy this morning, chapter 8 if you want to begin turning there.

I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving holiday, and ate lots of food, I know I did.

Today I want us all to think about something that can happen to each one of us without us even realizing it… Forgetting God.

It has happened to everyone. Maybe when you’ve had something that is a blessing in your life like an answered prayer, a healing, a blessing, or maybe a promotion at work. But you know as we go on through life, we tend to start thinking “Well I guess I made that happen,” or forget entirely to thank the One who made it possible.

People in all times have struggled with this, so don’t feel alone. Even the Israelites struggled with this too. In Deuteronomy, God warns Israel to “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God...” And He warns us today. Because forgetting God is not a lapse in memory, it is a spiritual problem, and one we need to fix.

I know we read it this morning, but I want you to listen carefully to this Scripture, and let God speak to your heart. Psalm 103:1–5 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Now that we have reminded ourselves of the blessings that God gives, lets see what God commands us to do in response.

Gratitude is Commanded

In Deuteronomy, Moses is giving several speeches before his death, and before the children of Israel enter the promised land.

The book was meant to remind the new generation of Israelites of their history and a reminder to keep God at the center of their lives once they entered the promised land.

When Jesus was tempted in the desert by Satan, He quoted Deuteronomy each time to thwart Satan.

It is also one of the most cited in the New Testament as it is quoted or alluded to at least 200 separate times.

Most people discard the Old Testament as books that do not matter that much today, but it is still a relevant book, even in our time. If Jesus can use it, so can we. It is the word of God after all.

Let us read God’s word to see what insights we may take from this book today.

Deuteronomy 8:10–14 “And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,”

God is clear, He doesn’t mince words; Gratitude is not optional—it is commanded.

And if you notice the context here, He isn’t talking about gratitude only in the times when we lack, or when life is difficult. He is talking about the times after we have “eaten and are full,” after we are blessed and comfortable, or after we seem to be secure in life.

You see, being secure or blessed is a really dangerous season in life. Because as we accumulate blessings, it is easy to believe a lie of Satan. We begin to think that we made it happen ourselves, or we can try and take credit for what God has provided. This is what God has warned against: forgetting Him when life is good.

George Whitefield puts it beautifully, he said, “I am ashamed I can do no more for Him, who has done so much for me; not by way of retaliation, but gratitude.”

We don’t thank God to repay Him, or somehow earn His favor—rather, our gratitude is a response to what He has already done in our lives.

Have y’all ever noticed that when you give a kid a Christmas gift, they start to unwrap it, and then before they are done they’re already looking for the next one? Or in a day or two the new toy you bought them gets thrown to the side for something else? Kids don’t do it because they are trying to hurt you, they are doing it because the new and shiny is more exciting than the old thing. But realize we do the same thing with God. We get one blessing and unwrap it, and before we have even experienced all the joy and wonder with the one blessing, we cast it off and ask for the next. We forget the one who gave it.

That is why we need to understand what Moses was reminding Israel of, that gratitude is commanded and intentional, otherwise it disappears.

So, by understanding that gratitude is commanded, we can begin to see the opposite danger—what happens when we forget God.

The Danger of Forgetting

Returning to the text we read that Deuteronomy 8:11–16 says, ““Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.”

Notice that God is telling the children of Israel not to forget Him. He lists several things to not forget. Don’t forget Him when you eat and are full; the Israelites feasted on manna from Heaven and were ungrateful. They complained about it a lot. It is kind of reminiscent of when you don’t have much money so all you can eat is Ramen noodles, I am not even sure that its real food, but God provided it so I can’t complain.

See, forgetting God is more than just having a memory lapse—it carries with it serious spiritual consequences.

William Law said that “For as thankfulness is an express acknowledgment of the goodness of God towards you, so repinings and complaints are as plain accusations of God’s want of goodness towards you.”

When we forget God: Pride will creep in because we begin to think “I earned all this myself.” Anxiety will grow because we begin to rely on ourselves instead of God. Sin begins to become easier as obedience to God fades away. Idolatry begins to creep in and take root as we begin to just trust what we can touch, see, or feel, rather than focusing on the Creator.

William Wilberforce wrote that “Ingratitude sickens the heart, and chills and thickens the very life’s blood of benevolence.”

Ingratitude can harm not just our relationship with God, but our ability to love and serve others as well.

Even with all the miracles that the Israelites witnessed, they still complained at the first inconvenience, just like we do. Most people will have everything going great until they go out and their truck won’t start, or some bill comes due, or a kid gets sick. We see God working all the time, yet, just like the Israelites, we forget in a matter of days.

Think of it like a phone’s battery. If you have ever forgotten to charge your phone you have experienced what it is like to have that battery drain until its dead. Well, forgetting God works the same way. You start out with a good charge because you had charged it the day before, then as the day goes on it drops down and you sit at about 50%, then you start getting nervous because its lunchtime and you’re at 30%, and then about 2:00 you get the dreaded “LOW POWER MODE” flashing on your screen, and then finally your battery dies. See, forgetting God doesn’t just happen overnight. It doesn’t even happen after a couple of days. Rather, it is a gradual and slow process.

While a dying phone is just a minor inconvenience—forgetting God can make you spiritually vulnerable.

See, neglecting God does not mean that you are being intentionally rebellious to God, but it is what causes the power loss, and eventually spiritual drift.

I know that all of this sounds negative, but I tell you that there is good news; there is a better way to do life. The good news is that remembering God produces the opposite effect—in fact—it will restore the soul and renew our hearts.

Remembering Restores Our Soul

Deuteronomy 8:17–18 says, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

See, remembering God will restore: Humility, because we see God as the source of all blessings. Hope, because we trust in God’s Faithfulness. Joy, because gratitude will flow naturally when we recall the good things He has done. And last, Obedience, because a remembered God will inspire righteous living.

Gratitude can best be compared to opening an old photo album. You begin to look at the memories, your hair evolutions through the years. I mean I went from bowl cut to buzz cut to no cut. But it is a sentimental experience, and it tends to warm the heart. As you begin to feel that, gratitude comes in for the life you’ve lived and the blessings over the years, and your perspective on the future begins to clear up. And you begin to remember how good God has been to you over the years, the people He has brought and taken in and out of your life.

And that is why remembering is so vital to restoring our souls. Just like the gratitude and joy we feel looking at the photos, gratitude can pull us back from the edge of despair, refocus our hearts, and remind us who God really is, and more importantly what He has done.

If we need a picture to hold on to of how powerful gratitude can be—and how quickly it can be forgotten, Jesus gives one of the clearest examples of gratitude in the Scripture. It happens in Luke 17:11-19 when 10 desperate men cry out for mercy, lets read it.

Luke 17:11–19 says, “On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.””

This Samaritan gave thanks to Christ for what He did. He could have joined the 9 and forgotten God, but we see that he instead turns back to give the worship due to Jesus for healing him.

Psalm 145:8–9 reminds us that, “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.”

When we remember God, we begin to see His character, and as a result it will shape our hearts.

Charles Hodge wrote that, “The love of God is infinite, eternal, immutable, sovereign. We can love him because he loved us. It produces gratitude, delight, zeal, filial reverence, obedience. It elevates the soul above the creature. It purifies all the affections. This is the legitimate effect. Where God is understood, and where his love is really enjoyed, these effects follow.”

Nothing bad ever comes from thanking God for what he has done. As 1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

By remembering God we can transform even our every day life into an act of worship.

Remembering restores our soul, but how can we prevent our hearts from drifting even after we remember? That brings us to the power of thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a Defense Against Spiritual Drift

Most people think of thanksgiving as just a holiday where we eat too much and visit with family. The fact is that its not just a holiday—it is a daily spiritual discipline that will protect our heart from spiritual drift.

When we deliberately recall God’s goodness, we will guard ourselves from pride, anxiety, and forgetting the Lord.

Now I don’t know how many of you have to wear glasses, and Lord knows, I forget to most days even though I probably need to, but the attitude of Thanksgiving works like putting on glasses. If you have ever been to the eye doctor where they pull down that device that always makes me think I am more blind than I am, and they flip through the different lenses and ask which one you can see through the best, you will understand what I mean. If your glasses are off, you will see everything as a blur, but once you get those glasses on, you can see like when you were younger.

Gratitude is the same way. Once you put on the gratitude, everything comes in to focus. It doesn’t always mean that you will gain new circumstances, but it does mean that you get new sight, you won’t forget what God has brought you from, and what he is bringing you into.

This is why gratitude, like glasses, is not optional for the believer—rather its transformational. Few people captured this idea better than William Law, who argued that thanksgiving doesn't just respond to our blessings—it creates them.

He said, “If anyone would tell you the shortest, surest way to all happiness, and all perfection, he must tell you to make a rule to yourself, to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you. For it is certain that whatever seeming calamity happens to you, if you thank and praise God for it, you turn it into a blessing."

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Notice the scope of what we should be giving thanks for: In ALL circumstances. Gratitude cannot be selective—rather, it is a spiritual heart posture. It shapes every part of our lives.

In practice, thanksgiving will take many forms: some of us may journal our blessing, some of us may pray prayers of praise to God, some may share their testimonies with others, or some may pause in the middle of their busy days to remember God’s faithfulness.

Proverbs 3:5–6 tells us to, “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.”

Thankfulness will keep our focus on God’s guidance rather than our own plans.

If gratitude can keep our hearts from drifting, then the question becomes: how do we live this out practically, day by day?

Closing (Application and Invitation)

First we can demonstrate daily remembrance: we need to make it a habit to thank God each day. Psalm 105:1 tells us, “Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!”

Reflect on the faithfulness of God: Ask yourself “Where have I forgotten God?” or “Where have I taken credit for areas that God has blessed me?” Psalm 77:11–12 encourages us: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.”

Share your testimony: Tell someone about a blessing or answered prayer because it strengthens your faith and the faith of those around you. Habakkuk 2:2 instructs, “And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.”

Let gratitude drive your actions: Serve, give, and obey in response to God’s goodness. Remember the story of the 10 lepers, return to God in thanksgiving—demonstrate your gratitude through action.

Maintain spiritual balance: Gratitude fuels both contemplation and service. Romans 12:1 reminds us to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” True gratitude will be expressed by your surrender and obedience.

We can see that gratitude is not just a practice—it is life changing. But we must respond to God personally.

***MUSICIANS MAKE READY***

Imagine that you have forgotten your anniversary. Not because you don’t care about it, but because life has hit you with all kinds of things and made you too busy to remember. It doesn’t feel any better to your spouse when you forgot, but see the hurt doesn’t stem from just forgetting the date, but from forgetting the relationship and the years you have spent with them.

When we neglect God, He feels much like the spouse neglected in that situation. Gratitude is how we keep that relationship with God alive, its how we keep it central to our walk with Him.

Understand that while neglect wounds, gratitude heals.

But I want you to see church that forgetting God is so much more than neglect—it is sin. It separates us from Him, even in the midst of blessing.

But do not fear, there is hope. God has made a way to restore your heart. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, died for our sins, and rose again to offer forgiveness and new life. What more could we ask for? What greater gift do we require to demonstrate our thankfulness?

Today, if you realize that you have forgotten God, taken credit for your blessings, or lived as if He is not the center of your life, I have good news, you can repent. You can turn to Him. Confess that you need Christ and trust in His forgiveness.

Romans 10:9–10 tells us that, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

If you want to receive Christ today, I encourage you, come to the alter, pray with me, and from that moment on, you will begin a new life in Christ. If you need to pray or want to repent for ingratitude, come and pray, don’t let this moment pass.

I want you to know that this altar is not a place of shame—its a place of restoration. It is the meeting place of God and man. Imagine what He can do for you today.

And as you listen to the music during this time, commit yourself to living with hearts of gratitude, never forgetting that God is in every blessing, and you need to allow Him to guide your life. Let this thanksgiving be more than just a meal—let it be a turning point for hearts that are fully devoted to the Lord.