Three Questions That Will Help You Identify The Idols In Your Life

Did you know the Bible gives some precise instructions on when we are to FIGHT and when we are to FLEE?

But you, O man of God, FLEE these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. FIGHT the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called, and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. - 1 Timothy 6:11-12 (NKJV)

The first verse instructs us to FLEE, and the very next verse commands us to FIGHT. So, which is it, fight or flight? Both. Sometimes, God intends for us to get in the ring and fight. Other times, he intends for us to run in the opposite direction. Over the next few weeks, we will evaluate God’s expectations of us in these regards.

Looking at it again, Paul said, “FLEE these things….” What things? If you choose to read it, you will discover the list is quite specific in 1Timothy 6, but Paul also gets very direct in some of his other writings regarding what we are expected to flee. Idolatry is one of the things that he speaks of specifically to the church at Corinth, “Therefore, my beloved, FLEE from idolatry.” (1 Corinthians 10:14 NKJV) Don’t stick around. Don’t put on your boxing gloves and fight with it, just get moving. Get out of there! Flee from it!

In our day, hearing this term, IDOLATRY, we might think that Paul’s exhortation doesn’t apply to us in this modern world, but that's because we lack context.

First, let’s look at it in a New Testament setting and then our present day. As revealed in the New Testament’s Book of Acts, at the time Paul was preaching and teaching, there was a great deal of pagan idolatry in the world. Each city worshipped its favorite god or goddess and built shrines around its idols for worship. So, for instance, when Paul went to the philosophical epic center of the ancient world, Athens, he observed that it was overly inundated with idolatry.

The idolatry of ancient societies was facilitated through worship that sought a pathway to receive such things as beauty, power, and money. When you evaluate that list of things to pursue, it becomes evident that modern society is not fundamentally different from ancient cultures. Today, we still bow perpetually to BEAUTY, POWER, and WEALTH.

A great lesson in learning to flee idolatry is that we must realize, one doesn’t have to visit a paganistic shrine or burn incense to a false god to become an idolater. God speaking through Ezekiel informs us, “Son of man, these leaders have set up idols in their hearts.” (Ezekiel 14:3 NLT) Based on this statement by God, Tim Keller provides the commentary, “The Bible teaches us that the human heart is an idol factory.” This principle is why so many people will sacrifice so much to obtain beauty, power, and wealth.

Grasping the truth that Idolatry can manifest in anyone’s life, each of us must evaluate our lives to see if it is time for us to flee personally. Thankfully, Keller’s book, Counterfeit Gods (which influenced many of my thoughts on this subject as a whole), provides an excellent survey for understanding, “What is an idol?” So, we can better know when it is time to flee!

An idol is:

1. Anything more important to you than God

2. Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God

3. Anything you seek to give you what only God can give

Keller, Timothy. Counterfeit Gods . Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Idols can rise in your life in the form of a relationship or anything that rules your thought life and overly consumes your imagination or creative energy. An idol can be almost anything that is elevated to an improper status in our hearts! Even an addiction can be a form of idolatry. One clear example of a potential idol from the Bible’s teachings is money as it can also take on divine attributes in our lives, “...Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.” (Colossians 3:5 NLT) According to this verse, a greedy person is no different than someone who worships false gods! So, we learn, God views idolatry as something more than that which we associate with statues, shrines, and incense.

As we referenced before, Paul further exhorts, “But you, O man of God, FLEE these things and PURSUE righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6:10-11 NKJV)

Notice in those verses, we are told to FLEE one thing and PURSUE another. Run from idolatry to God! We are to FLEE from idolatry and PURSUE the things of God.

The reason we can fall in love with pursuing Jesus passionately is that He first loved us. He loved us so much He gave His life for us! But too often, we take His love for granted and become complacent in our relationship with God. To maintain spiritual success, it is imperative that we always put God first and never lose our first love. This approach helps tremendously with overcoming the temptation to elevate idolatrous behaviors in our hearts.

I find it helpful to think of it this way:

F IRST

L OVE ____________over

E VERYTHING

E LSE

FLEE from idolatry by NEVER putting anything above your FIRST LOVE! According to his own word, only God is entitled to own that spot; your First Love (Ref. Revelation 2:4).

As you run from idolatry and towards God, remember this point of worship, it is impossible to topple the idols in your life without denying yourself. You will always have to lay some things down in order to flee the idols in your life. But, don’t get discouraged -- it’s an ongoing process because there will always be another thing to lay down! We are human and the world has a way of reeling us in unexpectedly. You will constantly need to make sure that you are putting your First Love first by giving Him your whole heart, mind, and soul.

Paul took idolatry so seriously that he went as far as to encourage us to take a spiritual inventory every time we partake of the Lord’s Supper, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:14–16 NKJV)

It’s impossible to experience a “common-union” with God and simultaneously bow to the idols that tend to take an elevated position in the desires of our hearts. So right now, stop what you’re doing. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you examine your heart. Is there any idol that needs to be toppled over? If so, don’t delay. Knock that idol down and flee! Arrive at the throne of God’s presence and go all in, once and for all!

There is so much more that I have to share on this subject that I believe can be helpful to you in your pathway to being an all-in follower of Jesus Christ. You can find those insights in this message, Is It Time to Flee?

You can view the message in its entirety at this link: https://youtu.be/3lPq1kmvYZQ

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE | MESSAGE NOTES

You Can’t Miss This One Thing That Will Bring Wholeness to Your Life...

Do you look like what you’ve been through?

Does your marriage, business, or bank account look like what it's been through?

Does your walk with God look like what it’s been through?

Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well (whole).” Luke 17:12-19 (NKJV)

Leprosy is a disease that causes horrible skin sores. One of the symptoms of the disease is reduced sensation of touch, leaving a feeling of numbness and a "pins and needles" sensation over the affected body part. Due to these sensations, it was typical for someone suffering from this horrible illness to rub and scratch at the sores until parts of their body fell off. A leper could lose his nose, ears, or fingers and toes, yet not even fully realize the loss until another body part was gone. The result of this wretched cycle left most lepers disfigured. (References drawn from medicalnewstoday.com).

Often when you see leprosy mentioned in Scripture, it is a type and a shadow of sin:

• The same way LEPROSY works in the physical, SIN works in the spiritual.

When sin begins to function in our souls, it has a way of numbing us to its consequences, and we stop feeling the actual repercussions. Sin can cause us to lose things in our lives without us realizing it. Leprosy tends to disfigure people, and so does sin. Sin will mar your life, relationships, and things that you value the most.

Are there parts of your life that are disfigured? If so, there is a possibility that you have allowed sin to run undiagnosed in your life, and any disfigurement you see could be a direct result.

Another important observation, leprosy is contagious, but sometimes it lays dormant within a body for many years before manifesting symptoms of the disease. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the disfiguring disease breaks out across one's body. This pattern is the same in sin. You can hang out in sinful environments for years before sin reveals EXTERNALLY what it has been doing INTERNALLY. The result is that the disfigurement may appear seemingly overnight, but it was on a path to manifestation many years before the damage was visible.

In the Scriptures above, we see that Jesus is the answer for leprosy. The lepers seek Him out for restoration and healing! JESUS gave these ten men clear commands to follow, and as they began to walk out His commands, they were healed. Through Jesus, the lepers were cleansed entirely of their disfiguring disease! But, only one out of ten came back to Jesus after receiving the cleansing.

One leper returned, worshiping and praising the name of Jesus. He gave Him all the praise and all the glory! His heart was full of gratitude for what Jesus had done for him, and that Word of God had a cleansing effect in his life. That which was once an issue was no longer an issue. The struggle was concluded!

Jesus looked at this one who had returned and said, “Arise...your faith has made you WHOLE!”

That’s an important statement from Jesus. Because during the first encounter with all ten lepers present, Jesus’ command facilitated a way for them to be CLEANSED. This time, engaging with the only leper that had returned to worship Him for His goodness and grace, Jesus states specifically that the man will be made WHOLE!

For a leper, there is a difference between being cleansed and being made whole. A leper that had been cleansed would no longer have an issue with leprosy, but anything he lost due to leprosy remained gone. However, if a leper were to be made whole, he would receive a restoration of everything he lost. For example, if leprosy cost him his nose, he would get his nose back. The same goes for any other physical extremity that he may have forfeited to the disease.

1. A CLEANSED leper would be set free from any struggle with his disease BUT remain disfigured. He would look like what he had been through.
   

2. A leper made WHOLE would be set free from his struggle AND no longer disfigured. He would NOT look like what he had been through!
   

Walk out the commands of God’s word and be CLEANSED but return to God daily with the revelation of worship if you want to be made WHOLE! You need your peace and joy restored. So return to the feet of Jesus and worship Him!

The revelation of worship can change your life. You can be made whole! You don’t have to look like what you’ve been through! Yet, evidently, very few people are willing to walk out the truth of the revelation of worship because -- of ten lepers who were cleansed -- only one was made whole. The reason...only one was willing to return and worship Jesus fully!

Will you BE THE ONE...The one in your family, church, small group, business relationships? Be the one who returns and lays at the feet of Jesus in worship with a heart of overflowing gratitude!

If you worship Him, you will experience God’s restoration ability! He will put you back together! He uses foolish things to confound the wise and weak things to confound the mighty! All you have to do is worship Him.

• It is great to walk out the Word of God and be cleansed as you go, but -- if you want to go to the next level with Jesus -- you first must fall on your face and worship Him.

Maybe, right now, you sense an unction to do just that; fall on your face and worship Jesus. Do it! Be the one! Choose to worship God without restraint or inhibition and watch as the things that were lost to the leprosy of sin are restored in ways that coincidence can not take the credit.

From a heart of repentance, thankfulness, and gratitude, speak this proclamation over your life:

The work of His grace and blood in my life are more than enough to overflow my heart with praise!

I do not look like what I’ve been through!

I’ve been made WHOLE through my worship.

JESUS CHRIST has completely restored me!

I invite you to view a message on this subject in its entirety, “You Don’t Look Like What You’ve Been Through”. Within it, I share some personal stories of God's restoration power that I believe can be a great encouragement to you.

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE | MESSAGE NOTES

God Is...LOVE

Beloved, let us love one another for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God for God is love. -1 John 4:7-8 NKJV

Are you becoming a more loving person? If not, you may be missing the most important part of being a Christian, because God is love we must love abundantly too. We are to love God with our whole heart, mind, and soul, because if we do not, Satan can steal our hearts away from the love of God.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him. - 1 John 2:15

John warns us not to be in love with the things of this world but love God. How much space is God occupying in your heart compared to other things?

Nothing is better for a man that he should eat and drink and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw was from the hand of God.

-Ecclesiastes 2:24.

Do a full evaluation of what you love, is it your car, your house, your boat, a particular person, your family, your garden, sports, a job, music, money, sex, or status. Remember where your treasure is, so is your heart. We live in a beautiful world, and we are to enjoy these beautiful things and enjoy our lives, but we must be careful not to let these beautiful things replace God in our lives or become our idols.

The love of God will change you...it will change your identity. We live in a world where many people are going through an identity crisis. They no longer know who they are, and it is creating a regression in our nation through division, anger, hatred, separation, tribalism, blaming, and victimization. So many people feel good and behave badly because they have not accepted the love of God in their lives. They do not know they are children of God, extravagantly and abundantly loved. Being a Child of God is the only identity that matters because every other identity will pass away.

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God. -1 John 3:1

God’s love is given lavishly to His children. We will never truly be able to understand the depth of God’s love, and nothing can separate us from the love of God. We are children of God not because we love Him, but because He loves us. God does not want anyone to perish eternally but desires every one of us to have a born-again experience.

By this, we know love because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay our lives down for our brothers. - 1 John 3:16

Godly love equals obedience. Love is not a feeling, it is an act of will. Love obeyed must be displayed. We are meant to be ambassadors of God. We show our love to God by our actions, practices, giving, keeping God's commandments, and loving others! You can express the love of God right where you are. It starts right within our homes, our neighborhoods, places of employment, and local churches.

For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.-1 John 5:3

Because God loves us we must love others. If you are feeling like you have been struggling with loving God or loving others lately I invite you to watch this message by Dr. Terry Swan, Cross Training, out of our God Is… series. It will transform the way you think about God’s love.

“Love is more caught than it is taught.”

- Dr. Terry Swan

I invite you to view this message from Dr Terry Swan, God Is...LOVE, in its entirety at this link: https://youtu.be/I6I9cB90Fng

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE | MESSAGE NOTES