The Cycle of Forgetting God (Judges 2:19)
Just as Israel began the conquest, they finished: they became proud, forgot God, and sinned. The greatest danger is not always affliction; often, the greatest danger is success.
1. The cycle of spiritual death
Before dying, Joshua left a strong warning: do not forget God (Joshua 24:15-16). However, trusting in our own strength by saying 'it will never happen to me' causes us to fall back. Communion with God is not on autopilot; it requires sensitivity to His Word and a constant attachment to His Presence.
2. How did this cycle prevail?
Pride usually comes at the peak of success. Truth be told, the weight of success is sometimes harder to bear than the weight of failure. Israel fell into sin, attracting punishment and executioners (Judges 3:12). The principle of sin is always the same: Whatever we do not conquer with the power of the Spirit will end up trying to conquer us.
3. When God ceases to occupy the center
Israel lived as if there were no King (Judges 21:25). Then, they asked for a human king and rejected God (1 Samuel 8:6-7). When you remove God from the center of your life, something else will take that place: material things, excuses, the ego. God hears the cry in affliction (Judges 2:18), but God's original design is not for us to seek Him only when pain drowns us.
4. Breaking the cycle definitively
Our spiritual life must be in continuous increase. The toxic circle of (sin > slavery > pain > cry > deliverance) must be broken.
Conclusion
Communion cannot be based on a simple fear of punishment or an empty religious ritual. We will give an account to God. The decision you must make today is this: It is much better to fight to maintain your intimacy with God every day, than to have to fight for years to climb out of a pit of pain that you dug yourself.