May 11, 2020
Word of the day: 3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 7:3 NKJV
Is this verse speaking to you? There are a lot of foreign Gods ahead in our lives or other things that are interfering with God being number one in our life. It can be money, success, material goods, pride, and anything that is an idol that is taking God’s place. That can include addictions and cars. Samuel is telling everybody in this verse to get rid of these foreign gods. We have an issue, we complain about it, but do not want to change our ways by doing what he requires of us. But some people may not understand the gravity of worshipping other gods. There comes a time where somethings don’t feel right. It is essential to rely on your friends that are spiritual that can walk you through and allow you to understand why you are feeling empty or incomplete. Repentance plays another role in improvement. Remember, Israel got punished for worshipping other gods and not putting God before other things.
Upon further studying, these idols can include thoughts or desires. Having icons can interfere with the sole purpose of God and your family. You can worship a person, but not God. You can do the same with thoughts you wish can happen or pursue your dreams without thinking, but not focus on God. Throw these away and turn to God. Why does God criticize and give punishment for idols? Well, worshipping or idolizing other gods violated the first two commandments. Exodus 20:3, you shall have no other Gods before me. Exodus 20:4, You shall not make any graven image or likeness of anything that is in heaven above, that is in the earth, or that is in water under the earth. God urges us to follow him because we do not know when we will move on from this earth. Stay encouraged to follow him, and don’t let anything interfere with you following God.
As Pastors, we should not let the number of church members, programs running, and the number of buildings be an idol. That is a sign of self-sufficient and less sensitive to the needs of God. The Devil will do anything to make sure to offer you the world and idolize him. As Jesus said, “Away from me, Satan!” The world is here to make sure we worship them. Let God be the person to worship. He has more to offer than Satan and the world.
Father, thank you for today. I pray we can come to you and worship you and not material things that are out there. It is tempting to do that, but you have more for us in permanent pleasure. Temporary pleasure is not enough, and most of us will be depressed. I pray for wisdom and guidance to get all of us to you and not worship other things. Thank you for our fellowship. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
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