May 31st
“ 5 I am the LORD , and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, 6 so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. 12 It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.” Isaiah 45:5-6,12 NIV
These verses are good reminders about who gives true help and true power for breaking whatever strongholds are in our lives. God was quite clear in the above passage about the fact that he is the only God in existence. God is the only source of power that decisively breaks the power of sin and the devil.
Idolatry is a common temptation that comes in many forms. An idol can be anything that draws our attention and devotion away from God. While people may not be physically worshipping things carved out of wood or stone these days, they could easily be worshipping things in their minds and hearts. Money, sex and power are common idols the people fall to all the time. For example, pornography takes many people down the road of sexual idolatry. One glimpse of an unforgettable sex image leaves us with a memory that we could idolize and lust over for years to come.
As Christians, we must understand the seriousness of idolatry from God’s perspective. Consider this sobering passage from Revelation 21:6-8:
6He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
It behooves us therefore to ensure that we are not allowing anything to become an idol in our lives. God is a jealous god, and does not take kindly to half-hearted devotion. He is also a merciful god, and will help us get rid of the idols and restore Jesus to the throne of that part of our lives. (see Sexual Idolatry for more info)
Questions for further thought:
How did God initially respond to the Israelites idolatry with the golden calf following their deliverance from Egypt? (Exodus 32:7-10)
What is it about pornography that facilitates idolatry? (Romans 1:22-25)
Prayer:
“Heavenly Father, I praise you for creating the heavens and the earth. I praise you because you are the one and only God. Thank you for granting me salvation and peace with you through Jesus Christ. If I have committed idolatry in any way, please forgive me for it. Please convict me of anything that I still need to confess and repent from. (Pause and wait for the Holy Spirit to show you; then confess and repent on whatever he shows you) Please lead me in making you Lord of every area of my life, and never turning back to any of my former sinful ways. Thank you, Father! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”