I often read at night and when I wake the next morning feel like I have been thinking on what I read in my sleep. I truly believe the Lord uses the Holy Spirit in our sleep to reveal things in our subconscious state. Two books that have become a part of my nightly routine this week are Idol Lies by Dee Brestin and So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore, talk about a triple blow to the head and heart, try reading your Bible followed by a good dose of these are your idols followed by and this is why you are insecure! There may be many blogs to follow on idols and insecurity! But this morning a few thoughts have been running through my head and I just wanted to jot them down, possibly to continue to mull and ponder over, or possibly to provide others thoughts the Lord desires them to mull and ponder. So here goes nothing...
Idols...wow...they are not necessarily the golden fat guy sitting in the nail salon. They run deeper and cut harder to many of us. All morning I have been questioning "why?" Why do we think the Lord is not enough? Why do we think what the Lord has provided us is not enough? Why do we think the Lord does not know what we need, when we need it, and is faithful to fulfill all the promises in His Word? Why do we think the Lord is not in control and we are? This is a vicious cycle I see in the lives of believers today. We break an idol and claim another, we turn away from one sin only to seek another, we draw close to the Lord then draw closer to man. Idols....wow, we all have them, we all at some point let them have power over us. We break free from the penalty of sin through the saving grace of our Lord Jesus and we fall to the power of sin through the lies and deceits of satan, when we are given the ability and the weapons to break free from the power of sin!!
We have an older car older phone older television, we want something newer and nicer. We have a job and can provide for our family, but we want a more secure and "satisfying" lifestyle. We have just what we need but we desire what we want. We have money but we want more. We live in the upper percent in the world with a roof over our head shoes on our feet food on our tables a car in the driveway but we are not satisfied with what the Lord has given. We want out of debt not to be able to give more but to get more. We have a coffee pot at home but it isn't as good as the place that shines down the street or the place that the country is running on. We have clothes but we have not bought a new outfit in a year. We get a raise, we deserve to treat our self to something nice. We have a degree, we have a graduate degree, but we want more, we want to keep pursing for the sake of pursuit. We have a great church, but we see a "greater" church over there. We have a church that serves the community but we want a church that serves us. We want to find community where we are comfortable not where we are uncomfortable. We want to seek the easy not the hard. We see programs and what we can gain and not outreach and what we can give. We are single we want to be married. We are married we want to have children. We have teenagers we want an empty nest. We have an empty nest we want grandchildren. We have grandchildren we want to have a quiet home again. We have a quiet home we want our children back. We are single we want a boyfriend or girlfriend, we have a boyfriend or girlfriend we want a spouse. We have a spouse we miss our friends. We have a best friend but we want someone else. We have a few friends we want other friends. We have friends that are married but we want friends that are single. We have great friends but we seek others and find newer better friends. We have a beautiful spouse but we seek the beautiful person down the hall. We are given compliments by our parents but we would rather have compliments from the guy/girl at work. We are encouraged by our best friend but we would rather be encouraged by our other friends. We are prayed for by some and we share to some but would rather share with someone else because we know they do not "know" us therefore they will not "convict" us. We are healthy fit and able to exercise and workout regularly but we are not satisfied with our abilities and we work harder spend more time at the gym or in front of the DVD. We know our body is healthy but we let a number define us. We place more of an emphasis on our time in the gym than in the Word. We know that we will find community and comfort in exercise and desire that over the alone time and comfort in the presence of the Lord. We turn on the television and turn off our ears to the whisper of the Lord. We fill our schedule with time with the godly and not with time with THE God. We look for the things that will bring us joy happiness and comfort and not seek joy happiness comfort in the One Thing that is the source of joy happiness and comfort. We look for the people that will allow us to do the most have the most "fun" be able to spend the most time and not rest in who the Lord has provided and find contentment in them and contentment in HIM.
The list could go on and on and on forever, and to emphasize none of these in and of themselves are necessarily bad. We need food, clothing, shelter, transportation, money, friends, community, church, a healthy body....but when we take these and place them above the One who is the Source the Provider of ALL things, we have made an idol. And what will happen is we become stuck in a cycle. The Lord will rip away the things that are causing us to stumble, the Lord will bring us to rock bottom, because He is a jealous God, He desires that in us and through us He is glorified. He is also the Lord of second chances, of third chances, and there will be times were He gives us a "do-over." He will place us in almost the exact situations we were placed in previously and He is allowing us the opportunity to go through this situation the right way, the way He desires. He can bring us back to the exact place we were before and it is our choice how we will proceed.
"Idols drive us to make foolish choices." (Dee Brestin, in Idol Lies) We are given choices daily, what idols are driving us to make foolish choices? Has the Lord placed you in almost exact situations to allow you the chance to "do-over" and if He has are you truly placing yourself in His will or have you replaced one idol for another? Idols....we all have them but we can all be set free.
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