Scripture in Action

Aneel Aranha is an author, preacher, and evangelist who has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people around the world. You can find a huge selection of his reflections, articles, sermons, songs and other resources on his app.

Apple App Store: https://aanet.click/iOS

Google Play Store: https://aanet.click/Android

All Episodes

Scripture in Action

Day 175

September 01, 2025 • Aneel Aranha • Season 3 • Episode 175

0:00 | 20:49

Discover how God's refining process works through 2 Chronicles 28, 2 Kings 17, Psalm 66, and 1 Corinthians 7, learning to remain faithful and content in whatever circumstances He ordains.

Day 175 – The Danger of Also

2 Chronicles 28
2 Kings 17
Psalm 66
1 Corinthians 7

There's a word that quietly ruins a life with God, and it's the word "also." Ahaz appears one last time in 2 Chronicles 28, and it doesn't end well. He loses battle after battle, sacrifices his own children in the fire, and then, in a painful line, becomes even more unfaithful to the Lord in his time of trouble. He appeals to Assyria and gets trouble instead of help. Then he starts sacrificing to the gods of Damascus, reasoning that if they helped Aram, they'll help him too. Second Kings 17 tells the northern kingdom's whole story in one chapter and gives its verdict without softening it. All this happened because they had sinned, though the Lord warned them again and again. Then comes the sentence that names the disease exactly. They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods. Psalm 66 sings from the opposite posture. You refined us like silver, we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. Paul, writing about marriage and singleness in 1 Corinthians 7, keeps circling the same center. Whatever situation you're in, live it out before the Lord. Together, these passages remind us that God wants undivided devotion.

Underneath it all lies a single truth. God has never asked to be added to a life. The word that destroyed Israel was "also," and the word Paul keeps reaching for is "undivided."

What does this look like once the day begins?

First, Ahaz turned to whatever seemed to be winning. Name honestly where you've done the same. An approach, an authority, a source of security you picked up because it seemed to be working for someone else.

Second, follow Psalm 66. Tell one person today something specific God has done for you. Not a general statement about His goodness. An actual event, with details.

Third, take the situation you keep treating as temporary. The job, the season, the status you're waiting to escape. Do one thing today that treats it as the place the Lord has assigned you.

As you go through your day, remember this. God will not settle for being added. He isn't asking for a place on your list. He's asking for all of you, and He's worth every bit of it.

Thank you for joining me today. May God give you an undivided heart, a story worth telling, and contentment right where He has placed you. Until tomorrow, live what you've read and let it shape all you do.