Temptations continually surround us to put up idols before the one True God. These idols can be ourselves, they can be a loved one, a wife, a husband, a pastor, a friend. They can be money, a career, even ministry. They can be lust, sex, pornography and infidelity. Anything that you place above God that causes you to sin against Him is an idol a/k/a a false god in your life. I just read a post from a young brother who struggles with pornography. Although he has made his struggle public I will not name names, but merely use his situation as an example. He illustrated his struggles in a rhyme where he is crying out to God. In one stanza he wrote that he is tired of dealing with it, and later on he says he is hooked on the excitement. He knows the Word, yet isn't applying it. He is caught up in his flesh, and whether he realizes it or not is choosing to serve lust over serving God. This is just as bad as Solomon serving the false gods Ashtoreth and Baalim. Though the brother mentioned above may not be bowing down to Buddha or Vishnu, he is being led of his flesh which is very dangerous. This was actually the very sin that caused Solomon to serve these false gods, his heart was turned to his 700 wives and 300 concubines who persuaded him to set up altars in the high places to worship idols. This was just a manifestation of what was already in his heart, for even before the altars were erected, his heart had been turned to the false gods of lust and perversion.
God is calling us to serve Him and Him alone. He wants our total devotion. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the company of people you love, the material blessings of God, and even intimacy with your spouse - however when your life begins to revolve around these things instead of Jesus Christ and you find yourself meditating on them rather than the Word, it's time to check yourself and place that devotion back on the LORD. Our God is a jealous God and will not have idols placed before Him. He will either move the idol out of your life, or move you for disobediently serving something other than Him.
Examine yourself today. If there is anything in your life that is distracting you from focusing on Jesus, repent and ask God to deal with it. It can be something as small as your favorite television show or something as big as pornography. No matter what the issue, the LORD can and will deliver you. He is waiting with His arms wide open to receive you. To cleanse you of your sins, to blot out your transgressions, and to remove every iniquity in the secret places of your soul.
We have all fallen short, so no matter what you have done it is time to repent. Punishment for even the smallest sin is eternity in hell separated from the manifest presence of God. Only in Jesus Christ can we receive reconcilation to the Father, who is waiting for us to cry out as David did in Psalm 51 after he sinned against the LORD. So let us meditate on the following passage and ask God to cleanse us and make us holy as He is holy:
Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
Deliver me from the guilt of _________ (insert your sin here), O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
No comments:
Post a Comment