Who do you serve?

The Word is the truth. The truth, the inspired Word of God. The Bible is the Word. The Bible gives the best advice on the planet. It's full of life-bringing encouragement, as well as honest, love-motivated warnings. Such as:

Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

--  1 John 5:21, NASB  --

 



 

Another translation (Living Bible) simply states it as:

^"Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. "

 

IDOL in the Greek: heathen god, false god.

IDOL from dictionary.com:

any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or

devotion...or an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.

 

Look around at this world. Name some "idols". Money? Homes? Sports, sports figures? Bands? Look at the walls in your home. What is your kids' room postered with? What is your money going to? Your time? Who is your allegiance going to?

 

Got addictions? To your phone, your computer, FB, Pinterest, porn, alcohol, drugs, steroids, shopping, eating?????

 

What or who do you serve? Do you please your spouse above God? Does your child rule over you? What about your job? Do you sacrifice your well-being and time with your family to be #1 at your job?

 

How is your health? Stress levels? Is there any indications that your life is imbalanced? Going to work with hangovers? Lying to your spouse on where you are, where the money is going?

 

How's your kids' life? Do they have time to play and be a kid, or are they practicing 'til dusk that sport you think will pay for college? Is your kid stressed out?

 

Folks, stress, dying relationships, confusion, chaos, health problems, sleep deprivation...the list goes on and on that indicate their are idols in our lives.

 

Don't think money is an idol? Look at your car? Overpriced? Look at your home, could it house 2 or 3 families? I've heard people justify chasing the dollar to 'give'. The woman in the synagogue gave her last coins and Jesus remarked that she gave more...she gave out of her necessity. Is your car more than a small home on the bad side of town? Yea, it's overpriced. Give more! Spend less, give more. Give out of necessity, give until it hurts....IF you honestly believe that you are chasing money to give more. Here's a challenge: Never drive something that costs over $500/mo. and the difference between your current monthly payment and the $500 - GIVE IT AWAY!!!! Do the same with that house payment! Or whatever high priced idol your money and time is serving!

 

Don't think food is an idol? I live in Kern County. #1 for highest rate of obesity in California. 65% of Americans are obese. Hello, FOOD IS AN IDOL. People turn to it for comfort...instead of the Lord! They spend gobs of money on a ridiculous SMALL amount of food at a fancy restaurant. I've had the food...it's salty and I'm still hungry when I leave. I'd rather have a ham sandwich or salad from my kitchen!

 

What else? Sports. Either watching or participation to the point that you have no relationship with people or your spouse, your family. Drugs and alcohol - the overconsumption that is wrecking your marriage, your kids' lives, your health, your work performance. One word: IDOLATRY.

 

My perspective has always been that these kinds of idols are what people are turning to and trying to fill the God-sized void in their lives and hearts with. What if you spent 1/10 of the time you spend doing your favorite, idolatrous activity with God? What if you spent 1/4 of that time??? Think life could be different?

 

James 1:27 says: Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

 

The world is filled with idolatry! There's even a show 'American Idol' on television. Kids who know more about a sports figure than Jesus Christ! Commercials blasting idolatry from the idol-box itself, the television.

 

Am I being harsh? I just want to see this world turned upside down for Jesus. And it starts when we stop worshipping ourselves, our possessions, our achievements and start WORSHIPPING THE TRUE GOD!!!

 

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him

must worship in spirit and truth.”

--  John 4:24  --

 

 

"....worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh..."

--  Philippians 3:3  --

 

Heck, the first commandment from Exodus is: DO NOT WORSHIP ANY OTHER gods!

 

It's in the Old and New Testament. So what should we do?

 

Guard ourselves and lay down our false gods and idols. It's time to worship the only one true God!! 

You say you 'believe' in God, but do you...really?

Do you ever feel God’s heart? The tumults within your soul that burdens you to the point of tears. Intercession flows out as a result of connecting with the broken heart of God.

So many around us are stumbling over our judgmental attitudes, materialism, greed, vanity, lack of integrity, and so on. Many times, we look no different from the ‘world’.

We are called to be different than the world, to be a city set on a hill. Our words are to be life-giving and bring freedom to the hearers.

We need more discipline in our lives. Our society is going down in history books as a lazy, materialistic generation. How can this be when we have the Bible as a compass on which direction to live?

We have to read it and live by it. Period. We have to do what Jesus is calling us to do. Despite what we want and would like to do, we need to do what we should do. And the Bible contains the instructions.

We have to become students of the Word. We have to read it and put it into action. This is the roadmap to the center of God’s will for our life. How can we say we believe in ‘God’ when we don’t spend time with Him?

May you take the time to spend with Him. May you take the time to study the Word on what God calls you to be and do. May you come into a full revelation of the purpose for your life. It’s more exciting than anything this world can offer…and what you do for God will remain forever, it will remain when all other things are singed in the fire.

 

What God does lasts forever,

so let Him use you to change the destiny of this generation.

Got "STUFF"?

We've all got "STUFF"? Don't we?

Some more than others. Men and women have different kind of STUFF.

Why do we gather so much STUFF? Don't think I'm talking to you? Read on...

To Women:

Look in your closet...seriously, how many pairs of shoes does one person need? And then some have a purse to match the shoes...or just a giant collection of purses. Right?

Some have a giant collection of jewelry. Some fancy/expensive...some costume.

Some have a knick-knack collection. Or some just never let go of anything and have a home full of clutter. You go get more stuff when you don't even use what you have...right?

Could stuff = clutter?

To Men:

Really, how many i-products do you need? At some point they all do the same thing right? What you can do on the ipad, you can do on your iphone...and what you can't - you can do on your mac...right?

And how much sports memorabilia do you need? Guns? Vehicles: truck, jet ski, boat, atv, etc.? You can only drive one thing at a time...why do you "need" so many of the same thing?

ALL OF YOU:

Look in your cars - stuff! Look at your offices - stuff! And then...look at the stuff YOU are collecting for your kids - YIKES! (I am guilty too!)

When you feel like the walls are closing in on you...do you ever think to stop getting more stuff? And get rid of some? (Remembering not to replace it?)

Here's my concern and question for you:

What is the void that we are trying to fill w/ all that stuff?

• Voids in our lives.
• Voids in our relationships.
• Voids in our marriages.
• Voids in our spiritual walks. 
• Voids in our career.
• Voids in our children (that we could've prevented had we not been collecting stuff). 

When we turn to STUFF, collecting it, searching/shopping for it, trying it on, trying it out...our minds are distracted away from what we are lacking within ourselves...and  with those around us.

If you're a 'victim of stuff-itis' - listen to this:

But whatever things were gain to me,

those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

More than that, I count all things to be

loss in view of the

surpassing value of knowing

Christ Jesus my Lord,

for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,

and count them but rubbish

so that I MAY GAIN CHRIST!

 (emphasis mine) - Philippians 3:7, 8

My challenge is for you to go look at all your stuff. Look at what you have. Look at the duplicates. Look at the 3 pairs of brown boots...besides the buckle, are they really that different? Besids the size, is your ipod much different from your nano?

Now before you start acquiring more of stuff...and more expensive, and more elaborate stuff...I want you to stop and...

• Look at your heart.
• Look at your relationships.
• Look at the things in your life that may be void of peace, joy, and completeness.

Search until you find what is truly lacking in your life and go to God about it. Get to the root of it. Could the real answer be that your life, heart, relationships are void of CHRIST.

And I'm not just talking to those who don't even know Christ...I'm talking to the ones who do, but instead of having a rich, life-giving, powerful relationship with Him...you're turning to stuff for fulfillment instead of Jesus..who said "Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest..."

The STUFF will never be enough. You think: if I just get this, if I can just buy that, if I can just drive this, if I can just go there....the list goes on and on and on..."IF I CAN JUST________________, then ___________."

No - if you can just GAIN CHRIST in all His splendor...then you will _______________.  Do a study John 15 for more self-discovery.

Discontentment is expensive and never fulfilling. Go to God to fill that void that your are attempting to fill with stuff. Then and only then, will you be satisfied, content, fulfilled, and complete.