40 Days To Lasting Change By Kyle IdlemanExemplo

“Where are you?”

AHA begins with recognizing your current location. In one area or another, all of us are in the Distant Country. The Distant Country can be defined as any area of our lives where we have walked away from God. It may be that every part of you is living in the Distant Country, or it may just be a specific area of your life where you’ve left out God.

The Bible says that all of us will find ourselves in the Distant Country at some point. Isaiah 59 explains that sin is what separates us from God. And Romans 3 tells us that all of us have sinned. Sin is the vehicle that every one of us takes to the Distant Country. It is universal and has been since the beginning. Way back in the beginning, Adam and Eve found themselves in the Distant Country.

It wasn’t that Adam and Eve decided to set out for the Distant Country. It was one decision. One sin and the couple was running and hiding out in the Distant Country, overcome with shame, trying to avoid God.

We don’t usually think of Adam and Eve’s story as a happy one. It’s certainly marked with serious loss, regret, and pain. But don’t miss the beauty and hope too. You see, Adam and Eve’s sin wasn’t the end of the story. Neither was their attempt to escape to the Distant Country—or even the dire consequences that they had to face.

God didn’t abandon Adam and Eve. The most beautiful moment in their story is represented by a short, three-word question: “Where are you?”

God came looking for Adam and Eve. He knew they’d headed into the Distant Country to try to avoid Him, but He came after them. It was the beginning of God coming after you and me and every person who would ever exist on this earth. It was the beginning of His redemption story. It was the go point of the plan that would cost His Son’s life to restore us.

“Where are you?” God still asks us today. It’s an open invitation to return home.

It’s the beginning of our AHA, the awakening that will point us back home.

*Pause and identify areas of your life that could be described as Distant Country. Write down the areas of your life where God is not welcome.