Short Term Memory.

2 Kings 13:3-6
And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Syria and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael. Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them. (Therefore the LORD gave Israel a savior, so that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians, and the people of Israel lived in their homes as formerly. Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin, but walked in them;

Last month, I returned from taking classes down at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. While there, the library was virtually my pit stop in between classes. Within the library, on the second floor--encased in glass, was the actual Bible used by the preacher Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892). Known as the "Prince of Preachers," Spurgeon became a pastor at the age of 19 in London.

In the passage of 2 Kings above, we read the story of Jehoahaz. Jehoahaz was the son of King Jehu--the man who wiped out the notorious royal family of Ahab (remember the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal...that happened under Ahab's reign). It is clear from Scripture that Jehoahaz (though an evil king) knew where to turn when things started going bad. Yet, as soon as God provided help, Jehoahaz and the rest of Israel would turn back from following God.
Many times, we too have short term spiritual memories. God works wonders on our behalf. We see marvelous salvations, Eternity 2008--where God fills the sanctuary, and missions trips. We see God move in lives during retreats and such. Then, faced with real life situations, we forget our God and react in the flesh. We are carnally-minded. God is forgotten and we revert back to our own way of doing things. The sickest thing is, we start believing that our hands "have wrought this victory." We deceive ourselves into self-aggrandizement. "Glory be to me," we say.
Charles Spurgeon died at the age of 57. He left a spiritual legacy that continues to live on till today. Life is way too short for short term spiritual memories. See the glory of God, and trust God to take you to higher heights tomorrow. No turning back!