Entertaining Idols

If we obsess over some issue in our life, this issue blocks our view of God and blinds us to the presence of Christ in our life.

We make an idol of the negative emotion we are consumed by and see nothing but this and other negative emotions.  This situation rules our life.

We are overcome by our trials and tribulations and lose our connection to God's Spirit within us. Anything other than God that commands our attention proves we are not dead in that area of our flesh.

God often gives us trials to reveal that we still carry idols around with us, and that they are taking His place in our life (2 Corinthians 3:18). The more we surrender these idols on the altar of God, the freer our life becomes.

When we step outside of God's will for us, surrendering to Him is the only factor which can restore our spirit and soul (Psalm 23:3). Then, God grace and mercy victoriously and tenderly transport us through every trial and temptation.

We gradually grow to realize that our humanity is dead to this world and that Christ’s divinity takes supremacy within us (Colossians 3:3). We want nothing more than to please Him with our life.

Eventually, our days are consumed by following God's Spirit's direction. We live in praise to His glorious name and His bountiful deeds toward meeting our every need.

The Spirit of Christ unifies us with the Trinity, and this union cannot be dissolved or separated in any way; although idols grieve God's Spirit and break our intimate fellowship with Him.

When we live and walk in God's divine presence, the issues of life no longer overwhelm us (John 16:33). We safely hide under the shadow of His wing (Psalm 17:8).

Prayer:

Father God, we each possess our own individual and personal distinction, even though You abide within every Believer. Our union with You, as the personal, living, omnipresent Lord can never be broken. Help us never to allow some idol of negative emotions to block You from our view or to draw us away from Your intimate presence.

Allow us to feel Your love, peace and joy flowing over us like a waterfall, refreshing our spirit, soul and body in this world that often frightens and overwhelms us. Remind us that Christ in us is a reality, and we can function in Your will through every moment of our day.

Thought for the Day:

Our vital union in Christ is begun in regeneration and completed through sanctification; in conversion we are declared justified and in sanctification we prove our perseverance towards righteousness.

Proof of God's Love - Part 2

 

God absolutely cares about us and the matters, which are important to us (1 Peter 5:7). He has our best interest at heart. God's discipline is a proof of His love for us (Hebrews 12:6).

He helps us to cast down the idols in our soul (2 Corinthians 10:5). I know that I have an idol in my life when my feelings get hurt and when other negative emotions start popping up in my heart.

If something irritates me, angers me or stresses me out, I can be sure there is an idol at the root of the issue, which I need to surrender to God.

Many times the issues, for which I am crusading, are best left as a matter of prayer, rather than trying to influence someone to accept my ideas or to act a certain way.

Another idol of mine is organization and schedules. I keep lists and calendars. I love order and proficiency. I feel secure and they keep me from forgetting appointments. They help me to have what we need, when we need it.

However, other people in my life are more impulsive and extemporaneous. They live a fluid life, and my need for order restricts them.

I had to surrender this idol to God and then learn to be more adaptable, flexible and spontaneous. This helped me to have more fun.

Of course, my ability to keep schedules helps us to stay organized, but I had to learn to be less inhibited and to lay down the idol of my need to attempt to control life.

God is also healing me from codependency. I am learning not to serve others by putting their interests and needs above my own to the point of depriving myself of the peace and joy of walking in God’s Spirit. ( http://www.amazon.com/The-Christian-Codependence-Recovery-Workbook/dp/1936451050 )

God is teaching me to live interdependently with other people and to hear His will for my involvement in their lives. Many times, the discernment He gives me is a matter of prayer rather than action.

Prayer:
Father God, I am learning to trust that You are faithful to restore balance and peace in our life​ in Your own way and time​. T​hank You for reminding me that You love the people I care about more than I do.

You have a perfect plan for each life, and You will work out everything in their life for their good (Romans 8:28). You may use me to help in some situation; but more often than not, You choose to do the work in their lives as I pray for them.

Thank You for the freedom from idols that You provide for us. Help us to walk in Your Spirit, so that we will not fulfill the carnal impulses of our flesh (Galatians 5:15-21).

Thought for the Day:

As we monitor the negative emotions, which disturb the peace of God in our soul, we can rely on God to reveal the issue at the root of them, so that we can lay down these idols at His feet. 

 ( www.theophostic.com )

Proof of God's Love - Part 1

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I love the discipline of the Lord, because I know it is a sign that He loves me (Hebrews 12:5-6). He points out idols, which I erect in my life; and He helps me to lay them down at His feet.

They are not obvious idols like money, addictions, covetousness or seeking other gods. They are sly, subtle idols, which usually stir up negative emotions in my soul.

For instance, I like everyone to be happy. I am tenacious and dogged, and I will move mountains to ensure that those I love are happy and content.

However, having everyone delighted and satisfied is an idol in my life. This state of sublime joy is impossible to attain through human effort.

I have to be willing for my family members to be unhappy and discontent, and to stop trying to fix things for them. I need to lay my family's happiness at Jesus' feet and allow Him to work out His will in their lives.

Another idol, which He recently exposed in me, is that I like having my ideas valued and taken to heart. I come up with good ideas, because of the analytical mind God gave me.

However, some people reject my ideas before they even hear my whole thought (Proverbs 18:13)​. They acclaim ideas, which other people have; but disdain most of my ideas. God delivered me from these idols and so many more.

The Lord only disciplines His children (Proverbs 3:12). This is a sign of His enduring love for us and that He cares enough to remove things from our life, which have a negative effect on us.

Prayer:

Father God, remind me to walk in Your Spirit and not to care if people receive my efforts to do Your will. They have issues of their own that You are working out in their soul. Their behavior and words are no real reflection on me.

I want to make a difference in people’s lives, but I do not want to walk outside of Your will. I lay down my need to help others and I commit myself to Your will for my life and theirs.

Thought for the Day:

Idols come in all sizes, shapes and packages; God will reveal them to us as we listen to His Spirit each moment of the day.

Too Much to Ask

Jesus does not require our adherence to His Word to penalize us, but because He loves us and wants to protect us. God knows about the unique idols in each of our lives, and treats us all individually. He encourages us to surrender to Him what means the most to us in our life. Maybe it is our high-powered job, a sporty car, a padded bank account, earthly security or even our possessions.

God loves us enough to free us from our bondage to these worldly idols. For instance, Jesus looked at the rich, young ruler and "loved him" (Mark 10:21). He revealed to this man the one thing in His life, which prevented him from entering His Kingdom. The only way to free himself from this curse was to sell everything and give the money to the poor; then to follow Christ for the rest of his life.

Sadly, the young man was overly attached to his worldly possessions and could not give them up. This was more of a commitment than this young man was willing to give. He chose not to obey Christ nor to live in service to our King, but to continue living with his worldly pleasures and riches.

God takes the place in our life of whatever we give up for Him. He blesses us in more ways than we can imagine, and He supplies all of our needs according to His glorious riches (Philippians 4:19). God is not concerned about what we own, but about what owns us. He yearns for a people who are in love with no one and nothing more than we are in love with Him (James 4:5).

Prayer:

Father God, we no longer belong to our self, but we belong to You as Your purchased possession, Your holy temple acquired by the blood of the Lamb (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16). We gradually learn that You are greater and more precious to us than anyone or anything on this earth. We look forward to spending eternity with You (1 John 2:25). We yearn for You like a deer longs for the water brook. Our soul thirsts for You; You are our living God (Psalm 42:1-2).

Thought for the Day:

The moment we take our eyes off Jesus and allow something or someone on this earth to be more precious to us than Him, we come under bondage to that issue, item or person.

Are Our Habits Helpful?

 

The habits we develop throughout life control our thoughts, choices and behavior. Some of them cause us to sow to the wind, and then we reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7). Others prevent us from trusting in God, since we think that we can serve Him in our own strength. Habits should not control our life. That's the job of God's Spirit.

God will reveal the habits in our life, which are idols, and give us the power to lay them down at His feet (Philippians 2:12-13). We relinquish our habits and follow the leading of God's Spirit each moment of our day. As we submit to God, we can resist the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7). We are no longer drawn to sin and bad habits, which destroy our life.

After Jesus rose from the dead, He "lead captivity captive" (Ephesians 4:8; Luke 16:19-31). He freed the Old Testament Saints from separation from God and led them into the heavenly realm (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27-30). Jesus is now our Advocate (1 John 2:1). He frees His New Testament Saints from Satan's deception and sin's temptation. He enables us to relinquish our habits good and bad.

We do not depend on good habits to accomplish God's will for our life. We live in the Spirit and we walk in the Spirit as we further God's Kingdom while we live on this earth (Galatians 5:16-25). We follow God's presence rather than human effort and habits. When God's Spirit abides within us, we are His children; and where He leads us, we will follow.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us to meditate on Your Word, to listen to Your voice and to walk in Your precepts. We no longer need habits when we have the powerful and active Spirit of God to shape our thoughts, words and deeds. Thank You for involving Yourself in every area of our life and for providing for all of our needs with Your glorious riches (Philippians 4:19). Show us where we fall short of Your glory and help us to walk only in Your ways (Romans 3:23; Deuteronomy 5:33). 

Thought for the Day:

When Satan takes our circumstances out of our hands, then we can cling closer to God. When we relinquish our problems to His care, He is better able to provide for us through them. - 1 Peter 5:7

Slow Down and Spend Time with God

The soul is the most overlooked aspect of our Christian life. Prior to salvation, we allowed our heart to advise us, control us and comfort us. This does not refer to our blood pumping organ, but our inner self of thoughts, choices and emotions - our soul (Proverbs 4:23, 15:13, 23:7; Matthew 12:34-35). This way of life is weak, at best, but all we had.

When we come to Christ, our spirit is Born Again, and we begin the adventure of living in and by the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:16-25). This is when we start to mistrust our soul, and rightfully so. However, we also ignore the needs of our soul, thinking that they are carnal and unholy. Some of our soul's demands are unrighteous idols, which we lay at the altar for sacrifice (Romans 8:6-7; 1 Corinthians 3:3).

Yet, many of our soul's desires are given to us by God, and He wants to supply them through His glorious riches (Philippians 4:19; Ephesians 3:16). We can nurture our soul by listening to praise songs, reading God's Word, learning a new hobby, taking college courses that interest us, making new Christian friends, planting a garden, exercising to trim down and raise endorphins, serving in the ministries of our church, planning a healthy snack to look forward to every day, joining Bible study classes, etc.

The most powerful way to nurture our soul, however, is to be a friend of God. It takes time to develop this relationship, but it is so nourishing to our body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Slow down and spend time alone with God. You will focus on the wholesome side of life, find peace and joy in the midst of negative circumstances and feel God's presence in each moment of the day.

Prayer:

Father God, Satan has his agenda for our life, and we merrily follow his lead until we come face to face with Your invitation to accept Jesus as our Savior. Satan's deception is no match for Your presence in our life. He fades into the background and loses the battles he wages for our soul. Your Spirit nurtures our body, soul and spirit as we follow Your direction for each new day. We love You and give You all the praise and glory for Your wondrous intervention in our life.

Thought for the Day:

God's Spirit transforms our soul into the image of Christ throughout every moment of our life. - 2 Corinthians 3:18