Are You Guilty Of Idolatry?

The Scriptures states, "I am the Lord thy God, thou shall have no other gods before me." Jesus stated in Matthew 7:24, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

I personally believe one of the greatest sins affecting the church today is the sin of idolatry. An idol is anything we place ahead of God and His service. Many Christians are allowing things and people to crowd out their worship and service to the Lord. Are you the type of person that reads your Bible or comes to church only after everything else is done first? Do you spend more time on the Internet or wathcing television than in the Bible reading and prayer? Do you allow sports, recreation or some hobby to take precedence over your service to the Lord? We must return to our first love, Jesus! Confess and forsake all forms of idolatry. Be determined not allow anything to come before your devotion to the Lord.

Probing Questions For Personal Reflection

Ephesians 5:5 "For this you know, that no whoremonger or unclean person, or covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ."

Epehsians 5:12 "For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret."

"Have you committed any form of sexual immorality, uncleanness or perversions? Do you ever watch television or movies that feature immorality and violence? Do you make excuses by saying "There's nothing else to watch"?

Do you watch today's filthy talk shows that regularly joke about immorality and perversions? Do you fund Hollywood's poison by going to questionable movies or purchasing videos? According to Scripture, no one who does thes things can be truly right with God. Our society is utterly depraved and many believers have become conditioned to accept pure filth as entertainment. God is infinitely holy. If you would know His glorious power and blessings, you must reject sinful movies, magizines and entertainment."

Gregory Frizzell, Returning to Holiness (Fulton: The Master Desgin, 2000), 49.

IS IT A TRIAL OR A CONSEQUENCE?

I have been reading a book entitled, "When Life Is Hard" by James MacDonald. James is the founding and senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago. In-spite of a few minor disagreements, I have found this to be a very beneficial and enjoyable read. Below is an exert from his book that is worth reading.

When life is hard, always ask yourself this question, Is this a trial? or Is this a consequence? Take a hard look at your situation because the way out is different if it is a consequence. Consequences are the direct result of sin and the way out is through repentance. If you did wrong you need to make it right with God through repentance.

A trial is a completely different scene. You didn't bring a trial into your life. This is something that God has allowed. You didn't cause it, you didn't choose it, and you could do nothing to stop it. Remember: A trial is a painful circumstance allowed by God to transform my conduct and my character. God Himself allowed that into your life. 

Trails we embrace and learn from. Consequences we repent and turn from! 

From the Heart

 I am praying specifically this year that we would become a people of passionate prayer. The first step in praying passionately is coming clean before God. We all must commit to seeking spiritual cleansing together. My desire is that we would be a church that walks together in the power of God. God simply will not move if we allow unconfessed sin to remain in our lives. The Bible says, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me (Psalm 66:18). If we hope to experience God's power and blessing this year then daily confession is not an option. Remember, serious cleansing requires getting alone with God on a regular basis. My prayer is that we all will be faithful to ask God to search our hearts and reveal our sin. Ask God to give us broken hearts and contrite spirits over our compromise. It's time that we get down into the dust before God, with deep humility, and a forsaking of sin. Pray the prayer of the Psalmist, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). Agree with God about each need revealed in your life, confess each sin, with the willingness to make it right and forsake it. Praise God for being forgiving and correcting.

Cultivating A Heart Of Gratitude

Luke's account of the cleansing of the ten lepers underscores the human tendency to expect grace as our due and to forget to thank God for His benefits. Luke 17:17-18, ten men were healed of leperousy but only one returned to give thanks. Our propensity to forget is a mark of our fallenness. Because of this, we should view remembering and gratitude as a discipline, a daily and intentional act, a conscious choice we make. Gratitude is a choice, not merely a feeling, and it requires effort especially in difficult times.  The more we choose to do this, the more natural it becomes, and the more our eyes are opened to the little things throughout the course of the day that we previously overlooked. Make it a daily exericise, either at the beginning or the end of the day, to review God's benefits in your past, present, future, and give Him thanks. This discipline will be pleasing to God, because it will cultivate a heart of gratitude and ongoing thanksgiving.

The Reality Of Being A Sheep

In John 10:27 Jesus describes His relationship to His sheep. Jesus states, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them...." As this passage indicates, we are His by sovereign grace. The Lord might have passed us by in our waywardness, but in love and mercy He spoke. If He did not speak, the sheep would never hear His voice and never follow Him. There is nothing like His voice. To hear it is to turn and live.

Jesus also states, "They follow Me." This is a deliberate choice. Yes, we are saved by sovereign grace, but this does not negate the moral responsibility of man to repent and believe. To follow Christ is to renounce self and forsake all that would hinder the soul from abiding in His presence and obeying His Word.

We Are Sheep!

I find it quite humbling that Jesus referred to us as “sheep” in the Scriptures. If you know anything about sheep you know this is not a compliment. I was blessed to grow up on a farm where we were surrounded by a wide variety of animals. We had dogs, cats, cows, horses, chickens, pigs, goats, and sheep.  I would have to say, the most frustrating to take care of were the sheep. The sheep we had lacked a lot of common sense. I’ll just say it, they were dumb. For example, we would place our sheep in pens behind a high fence in order to protect them from predators, such as stray dogs and coyotes etc.. The fence was there for their own protection.  One day a sheep decided to jump the fence. As a result, it was attacked by our neighbor’s dog and died.  If it just would have stayed behind the fence it would have been safe.

Sheep are also defenseless. Think about it, sheep do not have sharp claws or long fangs in order to protect themselves. Without someone there to protect them they are defenseless and easy prey. Sheep also are prone to wondering. Jesus warned us about the wondering sheep in Luke 15. Just like the sheep I told you about above, if someone is not there to watch over them and guide them they will wonder into danger and will eventually succumb to death. A lot more could be said, but I believe you get my point.  Sheep do not know what’s best for them.

Jesus refers to us as sheep because we can be dumb. We really do not know what’s best for us. We also are defenseless spiritually. Sure we may be able to defend ourselves physically, but what about spiritually? According to the Bible we are all spiritually dead without Christ (Eph.2:1) and unable to do anything to save ourselves (Eph.2:8-9). We are also prone to wondering from the good path, the path of righteousness. As a result, we backslide and loose intimacy with God. We need a “Good Shepherd” and I am thankful that I have one in Christ. He is faithful to guide us in the path of righteousness if we will just submit and follow.