Jesus is the center.
He’s the focus.
When our eyes and hearts are full of HIM, everything else will “fall” into place.

When a person is struggling in their marriage, or with children, or with addictions or the pull of worldly glitter, it only exposes us for what we are apart from God’s loving Kingship in our hearts.

The answer is NOT to try harder, work more diligently, follow the rules better….

The answer is to STOP struggling in our own strength and give up on whatever we are holding close as an idol. Fall into Daddy’s arms and cry out for His help.

It’s what He’s waiting for us to do.

Once the relationship is restored, only then will we be able to know what to do.

As David said:

For You do not desire sacrifice; or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shall You be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar. Psalm 51:16-19

FIRST, we come to HIM due to the soul crushing realization that we will NEVER measure up, regardless of how hard we try. Even the most “righteous” of us fall far, far short of His perfection and the “better” we think we are, the harder our hearts become toward His gentle touch of healing.

Following the “death blow” to self, He will relieve us of our burden of playing God and will heal our broken hearts.

And ONLY after that will our “sacrifices”, or attempts at “being good”, be acceptable to Him.

Professing Christians need to be grabbing hold of wounded people and pulling, carrying and dragging them to Jesus to be healed. He came to heal the sick—–not force into the hospital those who think they are “just fine”.