“Before the Lord God made man upon the earth, He first prepared for him by creating a world of useful and pleasant things for his sustenance and delight. They were made for man’s uses, but they were meant always to be external to the man and subservient to him. In the deep heart of the man was a shrine where none but God was worthy to come. Within him was God, without, a thousand gifts which God had showered on him.
But sin had introduced complications and has made those very gifts of God a potential source of ruin to the soul.
Our woes began when God was forced out of His central shrine and “things” were allowed to enter. Within the human heart, “things” have taken over. Men have now by nature no peace within their hearts, for God is crowned there no longer…This is not a mere metaphor, but an accurate analysis of our real spiritual trouble.”
A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) in The Pursuit of God, (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, 1982) 21-22.