Friday night my sons took me to dinner in the nearby city of Lodi for Mother’s Day. We had a wonderful time. On our way back to our car, we heard music from the Idol Brewery. My youngest son said, Mom, have you ever noticed Idol spelled backward is Lodi? I don’t know if the owner named his brewery with that in mind or not but the Lord began to speak to me about hidden idols.
A definition of idolatry is to give anything a higher value or place than God. What we value, we give our attention to. It can be anything, a seemly innocent or harmless thing. It can be fun or convenient. Giving too much attention to something can capture and displace God in our hearts. Take cell phones for example. They are convenient, yet some have a hard time turning them off, laying them down. They are on them even while in the middle of conversation with someone else. Now I could tell you the remedy is to turn them off or throw them away but that will only solve the physical problem. Idolatry is a heart problem. You can throw away the idol but you may still have a wayward heart.
The follow is a list of questions (not a complete list by any means.) They are meant to help you examine your heart. Read them over, take a few moments, wait on the Lord.
- What do you spend the most time thinking about? What consumes your thoughts?
- How much time do you spend reading and studying the Word of God?
- How much time do you devote to meditate on the Lord?
- How much time do you spend in silence before the Lord?
- Is there anything that robs your time with the Lord?
- Do you have a hard time stopping in the middle of something to spend time with the Lord?
What did the Lord say?
The good news is 1 John 1:9 says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
James 4:7 says, Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 5:6-9 says, Humble yourselves, therefore under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you. Be sober-minded and alert your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, stand firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.
The Lord loves us enough to not leave us wayward, but corrects and encourages us to draw closer to Him.
I would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment or email me at [email protected]
Rev. Denise Much
