Idol gods?

No place for idol gods in our lives.

Exodus 20:3 - Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

When we think of idol gods the first thing that comes to mind is worshipping a bronze statute, or chanting, or some other ritual associated with idol worship. Our minds never focus on the things we hold dear to our hearts and often put before God.

The Bible declares God is a jealous God. He will not tolerate anything or anyone stealing His glory. He commanded that we should not have any other gods before Him. The reality is we can make anything an idol, and begin to worship it. How do you know when you start worshipping other things? Easily, because it interferes with your service to God, some people worship their possessions. They cannot pause long enough to go to the house of the Lord because they must stay at home and spend time with their possessions. It may be a money, house, car, clothing, furniture, relationships etc.

An idol god is anything that causes you separation from God, and it consumes most of your time. An idol god is anything you place before God or take the place of God in your life. An idol god is anything you feel you cannot give up if God requires you to give it up. Material possessions will pass away one day. The only security we have is in God and the gift of eternal life that He promised to those who believe.

God has blessed us with things to enjoy on this earth. It was not His intent for us to fall in love with the things of the world. Nothing should take the place of God in our lives. A good test to take to see if you are worshipping things is, if God suddenly asked you to give it up could you? If we are holding on to earthly possessions we must pray diligently and ask God to remove that hindrance from our lives. Ask God to reveal the things you have made into an idol in your life. Nothing is more important than our everlasting covenant with God. 

Deuteronomy 4:24 - For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God

Tired of the Struggle?

God is our refuge and our strength a very present help in trouble Psalm 46:1. We do not have to struggle with anything in our lives we can surrender totally to God.

This poem is a personal reflection of my years of holding on to unhealthily situations, relationships, and strongholds in my life.

I made the wrong assumption that I could not surrender them totally to God! Through my healing, I learned that once I was tired of going through the struggle, I discovered that God was waiting all the time for me to commit my will to Him completely. You too can make the choice to stop struggling and surrender! 

I’m Tired of the Struggle

The stronghold in my life prevents me from accessing you;

The flesh craves satisfaction, and the desire haunts me too.

Why can’t I escape the one thing that holds me down?

It keeps my life off balance, it surfaces when no one’s around.

Like an eagle that doesn’t realize his potential to soar high,

I too neglect the power I have; I give into the lie,

I know God is mighty. He will deliver if I allow Him too.

I feel trapped inside a box. I don’t know what to do.

I am tired of the struggle; I am tired of the pain;

When I yield to temptation, what have I really gained?

Paul spoke of a distraction, a thorn in his flesh;

It’s amazing how certain things keep you from success.

I want true deliverance, not a temporary fix;

I’m tired of the struggle; I am tired of Satan’s tricks.

It’s hard to see beyond where I am;

I’m tired of the disappointments of letting myself down.

I want to be happy, experience peace, the long and lasting kind,

So why do I allow this stronghold to continually attack my mind?

The outer-court experience is not fulfilling my need,

Especially when the inner court is where I long to be.

God, please help me overcome because only You can;

No one else can deliver me, so I will not trust in man.

-Patricia Brower

Learn to embrace patience; as we wait

Isaiah 40:31 - But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

What is it about us that cause us so much agony when we have to wait? We get so tired and impatient when we don’t get instant answers to the problems that we face in life. But if we study the scriptures we will find that God moves at His own pace and according to His Will.

God teaches us valuable lessons through the waiting periods in our lives. Just because He does not answer us in the way we want, does not mean He will not answer us at all. When we read about how long some of the people in the bible had to wait, our waiting seems insignificant. Like the children of Israel, who endured so much pain under the bondage of slavery? They had to endure so much until God said enough is enough I will bring deliverance to my people. The woman with the issue of blood suffered twelve long years. Job during his affliction had to wait and endured loss of family, friends, and possessions before God decided He would heal his body. We don’t have to look too the bible to find people who have waited for seemingly forever for their situations to change.

Some of us are still enduring but we have not lost hope that God will deliver us. The word of God teaches us to wait on the Lord and be of good courage and He shall strengthen our heart Psalms 27:14. In our time of transition God will give us strength to persevere. He will pour into us daily His spirit so we can stay in the race. During our waiting we must dwell on all that is good. We must cast the “what if’s” from our minds. Ask God to reveal to you the lesson He wants you to learn while you wait. Maybe He wants patience to be perfected in you so you can be whole and entire wanting nothing James 1:2-3 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produce endurance. Do you agree that every time you face a trail you are stronger than you were before you went through the test?

You are better equipped to handle the next obstacle because your faith increased. God’s grace is sufficient although we can’t see the end result we know the end result will be victory through Jesus once again!