Practical Atheism

I was reading Stephen Charnock's the Existence and Attributes of God today. I have read most of it, but started from the beginning today. Right off I was reminded of practical atheism. Basically it is that atheistic principle in all of us naturally. Naturally everyone knows there is a Creator, no matter how much they hate it and deny it. But there is also a natural inclination to a type of atheism that is not ultimate atheism. It is practical atheism...and Psalm 14 describes it. "The fool has said in his heart there is no God." The term for God refers to God's government, or to put it in practical terms, God's awareness, care, and governing of our lives. We do many things we would not do if we really believed God was truly there seeing it combined with truly believing He is all the Bible says He is. Anytime we sin, we are acting out this practical atheistic principle. The fool says in his heart, "God is not really concerned about my actions here." The fool says in his heart, "God does not see what I am doing." The fool says in his heart, "God will not hold me accountable for this sin." The fool says in his heart, "God does not care if I sin." To strip God of this attribute is to ungod God and consequently deny His true existence. We, in those moments, replace Him with a false god, we exchange the truth of God for a lie. God help us in 2010 and beyond to say in our hearts, "There is a God who sees all I do, cares about it, holds me accountable for it and will deal with it." And thank God for His mercy on us who have put our faith in Christ for the forgiveness of this weakness in our souls.