Good morning
Here’s today’s Holy Nougat
“So be careful not to break the covenant the Lord your God has made with you. Do not make idols of any shape or form, for the Lord your God has forbidden this.” Deuteronomy 4:23 NLT
In one of my favorite childhood hymns, the poet speaks to the matter of idolatry by offering to sacrifice the things he cherished more than being in God’s presence
The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee.
Have we ever been guilty of giving any single thing continued priority over God. Or been preoccupied so much with … to the detriment of our relationship with Jesus? What and where have we caught ourselves prioritizing over God’s provision? The answer to those questions may help shed light on a potential idols we have entertained.
Having caught ourselves in the act of idolatry; our next recourse is to accept the truth of our actions. Not justify or defer guilt. For, when we are honest enough to own what we have done; we are on our way to repentance and transformation.
Crying out to God often restores our relationship and grounds us to the extent that we are able to rise above the lure of the obsession. But it is not always easy. An idol does not become an idol with one sinful act. And, though we might not have intentionally given it priority over God’s will, it would have over time been imprinted in our spirits even on a subconscious level. So, we may need to hold ourselves accountable – like an alcoholic with a benefactor – and invite God to intervene, as with besetting sins.
It is possible that the lure of the old idol overcomes our best intentions. We confess again, asking God to cleanse us anew and -where necessary – reveal the root cause of our idolatry.
Let’s not get it twisted. We often feel as if confessing our sins is futile as God is too upset to hear or forgive. Or that repentance is worthless since we are likely to repeat our sins. That’s a lie straight from hell! God’s desire is to keep us secure in grace, and is therefore ready to forgive us when we confess.
Finally, if we are serious about our transformation now, we should examine ourselves and also ask God to reveal where the idols are. Then we begin the process of repentance, restoration and redemption.
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In and for Christ’s love
