Faithless – Praying Pint

35.v. “They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one”

Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Psalms 14:1-4   The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.  The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.  They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.  Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the LORD?

Romans 1:28-31   And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.  They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,  slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,  foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

Romans 3:9-19    What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,  as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;  no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”  “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”  “Their feet are swift to shed blood;  in their paths are ruin and misery,  and the way of peace they have not known.”  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Ecclesiastes 7:29   See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Matthew 15:19     For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Ephesians 2:1-3   And you were dead in the trespasses and sins  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Jesus said, as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. In other words, the conditions of the world before the coming of Jesus will be like the conditions of the world before the flood: Exploding population, Sexual perversion, Demonic activity, Constant evil in the heart of man, and Widespread corruption and violence. (Guzik)

Abundance of sin was committed in all places, by all sorts of people; and those sins in their own nature most gross, and heinous, and provoking; and committed daringly, and in defiance of heaven. (Benson)

God saw that every imagination, or purpose, of the thoughts of man’s heart, was only evil continually. God is described as about to alter His visible procedure towards mankind—from being merciful and long-suffering, He was about to show Himself a God of judgment; and, as that impious race had filled up the measure of their iniquities, He was about to introduce a terrible display of His justice. (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown)

It was not only the actions of man that were corrupt and sinful but their very thoughts were corrupt and sinful. It is one thing to, at the spur of the moment, be tempted and sin, do wrong, choose poorly, retaliate, speak falsely, do harm, lie, cheat, etc……, but to have a mind that continually thinks about and how to execute sin upon sin is a deeper rooted issue. “Free Will” given to man allows each of us to choose to honor and glorify God or not. God’s Word is clear, man’s hearts and minds not only lean toward doing wrong but they will continually devise new ways to do wrong. How is a person to overcome this inherent evil resided inside of their heart and mind? Being inherent sinful what choice is there to follow? If our hearts and minds, are filled with only the desire to satisfy sinfulness, how is it possible to change this spirit of sin with us? With man it is impossible! With God it is possible. Redemption, salvation, forgiveness, = restoration. How is this possible?

God has placed within the soul of each person knowledge of Himself.
God has reached out to mankind through His Word.
God has demonstrated His power and might through creation and other works and wonders.
God sent prophets to warn, teach, convict, and condemn sin and sinfulness, and encourage righteousness.
God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to redeem fallen man from sin.
God sent His Holy Spirit to abide in those, who by faith, humbly confess, repent, follow, obey, trust, and rely on Jesus Christ.
God creates in these a new heart. They are born again, a new creation. The old is passed away, all things are new.

With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. There is no person so depraved, so far gone, or so sinful that this grace, mercy, and love of God cannot save and create a new heart, born again, a new creation.

If God has in some way softened your ears to your heart and mind to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and you find yourself longing for peace, joy, and hope in your life, turn to Jesus and humbly confess, repent, follow, obey, trust, and rely on Jesus Christ. In doing this God has promised to forgive your sin and give you a new heart and make you a new creation and fill you with the Holy Spirit who will guide and direct you on paths that will honor and glorify Jesus Christ.

34.p. ” In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe”

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Hebrews 3:12     Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

Hebrews 4:2    For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

Hebrews 4:6   Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,

Revelation 21:8   But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur

Numbers 14:11    And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?

John 3:18-19   Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

Psalms 78:22   because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.

Psalms 78:32    In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.

Proverbs 11:18     The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.

Jeremiah 29:13-14   You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the LORD,

Brethren, we call ourselves Christians; let us be honest with ourselves, and rigid in the investigation of the thoughts of our own hearts. Is there a wish for God there? Is there an aching void in His absence, or do we shovel cartloads of earthly rubbish into our hearts, and thus dull desires that can be satisfied only with Him? These are not questions to which any one has a right to expect an answer from another; they are not questions that any Christian man can safely shirk answering to himself and to God. The measure of our seeking is actually settled by the measure of our desire. (MacLaren)

Having one eye of our hearts and minds tuned into and seeking and desiring what the world has to offer, and having the other eye turned toward heaven will not find a place for things of God. The things of earth will eat away any desire and seeking that our hearts and minds would have for things of God. Whatever this world may shout loud and strong into the ears of any who would listen will influence their path in life and hinder any things of God from being heard or seen. The heart of man must want to see and hear things of God above what this world has to offer or they will blindly and deafly follow after what seems right in their own eyes and social norms.

Seek to have God open His Word and give you understanding, knowledge, and wisdom of His grace, mercy and love.

34.d. “Make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!”

Matthew 18:8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

Deuteronomy 13:6-8   “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which neither you nor your fathers have known,  some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other,  you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him.

Ezekiel 18:31    Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die

Romans 13:12   The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9    in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

Revelation 20:15    And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:8   But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

There are significant problems in taking these words as literal instruction instead of conveying an attitude. The problem is not only from the obvious physical harm that one might bring upon themselves, but more so in the problem that bodily mutilation does not go far enough in controlling sin. We need to be transformed from the inside out. Some people only keep from sin if it is easy or convenient to do it. Jesus warns us that we must be willing to sacrifice in fighting against sin, that nothing is worse than facing the wrath of a righteous God. It really is better to sacrifice in the battle against sin now than to face the punishment of eternity later. If I cut off my right hand, I can still sin with my left. If my left eye is gouged out, my right eye can still sin – and if all such members are gone, I can still sin in my heart and mind. God calls us to a far more radical transformation than any sort of bodily mutilation can address.

The meaning is, it is better to go to heaven without enjoying the things that caused us to sin than to enjoy them here and then be lost. The sense in all these instances is the same. Worldly attachments, friendships, and employments of any kind, that cannot be pursued without leading us into sin, be they ever so dear to us, must be abandoned, (Barnes)

It is more than implied in these scriptures that however strong the temptation(s), we are to abandon them with all urgency for everlasting eternal torment awaits those who do not. How many are lured away by a single look and allow thoughts of lust, hate, anger, or greed penetrate and reside in their hearts and minds, searing them, as it were, with a red-hot iron and forever leaving a scar on their soul, that, left unattended, will continue to fester and ooze more corrupt thoughts and actions into their life?

There is no honor or glory given to Jesus Christ when any temptation is allowed room in our hearts and minds.

33.y. “Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

You have to wonder if the disciples felt a hesitation concerning their own ability, and this is the reason they lacked faith. It is the bane of every person to infuse and confuse faith with their own ability. Faith alone, period. Not faith plus my ability – faith alone. It is hard to surrender or cause to die those feelings of reliance in (and on) self, and even more so when the object or desire of our faith relies solely on the will and grace of God alone. We read the rebuke by Jesus to the disciples and their true desire to understand why they could not cast out the demon from this man’s son. “If you have faith like the grain of a mustard seed” (very small – about 10x the width of a human hair). Jesus is saying, faith, when it is set apart from all earthly and self ability can accomplish anything and everything – in line with God’s sovereignty, purpose, and will. As I write this I also wonder how this true “faith” is grown, flourished, and applied. I believe it is when a person continues to grow in their walk with Jesus Christ. Day by day they continue to die to self and learn to yield and rely upon God alone. As we continue to seek and desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do it is then our faith in self-reliance dies and Jesus reliance grows. Scripture says God can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. Faith (no matter how small that pure faith is) in Him alone who is limitless will accomplish God’s will and purpose. We must also leave room in our faith for God’s will and His timing. The three friends of Daniel said, “Oh King, our God is able to deliver us from your decree of being thrown into the fiery furnace, but even if He does not we will not bow down to your statue.” There are times I am sure our faith is pure and in line with God’s Word, but is not in line with His will, purpose, and timing. In these times we must be content with our prayer being in the hands of our Creator.

8.r. “I warn you, as I warned you before”

Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Romans 1:29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

While John’s list is similar to those of Paul, it’s important to note that John begins with “cowards” and “unbelievers.” This appears to be an indirect appeal to all professing believers facing times of testing. John makes no distinction between those who deny Jesus under persecution and those who openly embrace pagan vices. Jurgen Roloff again writes, “In an effort to challenge the reliance of the addressees on their safe possession of salvation, John again makes it clear that, because of the magnitude of the promise received, the danger is all the more serious of being disobedient and faithless to Jesus. Whoever succumbs to it does not belong to those who stand in the Look of Life and is therefore fundamentally like God’s enemies, who stand in his judgment” (p. 238). This is not to suggest that the elect will fall away; rather it seems to be an affirmation that those who merely profess Christianity may expect to be exposed under the withering heat of persecution so that their true nature as unbelievers is made clear.

Phillips, Rob. The Searcher’s Guide to the Apocalypse:

8.q. “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Revelation 21:5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Today, He is with us in the Person of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We have His promise never to leave us or forsake us. We are assured He is preparing a place for us in heaven and that He is coming one day in power and great glory to fulfill all things. No, He has not abandoned us. Not by a long shot. But when the day arrives in which He brings the New Jerusalem down from heaven to earth, and He makes His home on the restored earth, we are to experience an intimacy with God not known since the days of Adam and Eve.

Yes, we still live in a sinful and fallen world, but the position of Christ at the Father’s right hand and the presence of the Holy Spirit as our guarantee of future resurrection and glorification provide the confidence we need to wait eagerly for Jesus’ return. Everything God touches He makes new.

Phillips, Rob. The Searcher’s Guide to the Apocalypse:

3.a. That he may turn again to the remnant of you

2 Chronicles 30:1 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month— for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem— and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly. So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed. So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”

Zechariah 1:3-4    Therefore say to them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 11:7    For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, Obey my voice.  Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.”

Jeremiah 44:16    “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you.

When you read God’s word do you look for warnings or just promises of blessings? They both go hand in hand. We are blessed when we commit to God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. We are blessed when we commit to honor, serve, glorify, worship, praise, follow, trust and obey Jesus Christ. God’s word speaks warnings and blessings but requires us to read it and want to hear it speak into our heart and mind. We get to choose if we hear it and allow it to permeate our heart and mind.

Time and time again we read of a generation of people and nations that either no longer seek God or they commit anew to seek and serve Him with humble heart and mind. Hezekiah saw the evil actions of Ahaz and what power the King had in leading people toward or away from God. He chose to commit to lead the people back to true worship of and commitment to God.

We need to be mindful of how easy it is to be lead away from God when our commitment is lukewarm. When we are lukewarm we seem to have an outward appearance of commitment but our ears are closed and our hunger and thirst for His speaking into and leading our lives is only with our lips and not with our heart and mind.

God knows and as well we know if our heart is being filled with an appetite and hunger for Him. We do well to examine our heart and what is residing in it. Commitment to honoring and living for Jesus Christ requires us to place Him first and always be mindful of our sinful nature and wandering away from Him. Staying in His word with a desire to be blameless and holy for the single purpose of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ will keep the door to our heart and mind open to hear Him speak and lead.

2.z. But they were the ruin of him

2 Chronicles 28:22 In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.

Isaiah 1:5     Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

Ezekiel 21:13    For it will not be a testing

Revelation 16:9-11   They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.  The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish  and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.

Hosea 5:15    I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.

Psalms 52:7   “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

There are times of testing from God. These times are for our growth in knowledge and understanding of our heart and mind. These times of testing reveal our deepest thoughts, beliefs, and intents within our heart, mind, and soul. God uses these, in love, to draw us into a closer, everlasting, and meaningful walk with Him. We come out the other side of testing with more reliance, trust, and obedience.

Ahaz was not in a time of testing. He was making decisions and leading people who willingly followed him straight into the wrath and anger of God. God is not mocked. What a man sows so shall he reap. You reap what you sow means you get what you deserve, whatever you put your time, talent and energy into is what you get back. You reap what you sow means you must eventually face the consequences of your actions.

When we are neglectful and complacent in our commitment, listening, and obedience to God the world and our sinful nature will fill this void with things that do not honor or glorify Him. It will fill us with promises of satisfaction, peace and rest but will never deliver on them. It will walk arm and arm, hand in hand with us into darkness, confusion, anxiousness, and proclaiming false hopes. When the light of Jesus Christ is all but a dim flicker in our soul we will make an intentional choice to either extinguish or to fan it into a brilliant flame. We will either repent and turn away from our wayward path or go deeper into darkness and apart from Jesus Christ.

Do not follow family, friends, colleagues, culture, or society into darkness. Make an intentional choice to humbly return to the Light of Jesus Christ and make this your heart, mind, and soul desire. Live in His presence every moment of every day. Keep the light of Jesus Christ held high to stay on the path of eternity with Him. Keep this light held high for others to see. Live in the Light of Jesus Christ. Keep thoughts and actions and words exposed to the Light of Jesus Christ.

142. For surely they will turn away your heart after their gods

1 Kings 11:1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.

Deuteronomy 7:3-4    You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,  for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.

Ezra 10:2-17   And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel.  Now then make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”

Malachi 2:11    Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.

Judges 3:6-7     And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.  And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.

patrick Mabilog; “Idolatry looks completely different today from what it once was. Whereas there was a time when idols were inanimate figures and statues, today they can come in various forms. Idolatry is an issue of the heart and can thus only be broken by a transformation of the heart.

God promises that through the power of the cross, we are now set free from sinful desires and can find meaning and joy in Jesus Christ where other things will only fail us in trying to provide that.

Idols are anything that takes God’s place in giving us fulfillment, satisfaction, security or significance. Many of the things that people have idolized — both past and present — are not necessarily bad things, but good things that take bad positions on our priority tree.

We are taught by the Bible to always put God first in our hearts. Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.“

We don’t have to yoke ourselves to another person to fall into the trap of serving other gods. Work, success, money, image, sex, materialism, and self-pride/worth are all paths this world offers us to take our eyes away from Jesus. These are not bad but when we distort their value and purpose they will seep in through every crack in our heart, mind, and soul pushing God away and their lies further in. They will root and lead us to make decisions that we would not have imagined making prior.

The minute we think we don’t need to be diligent with our time in God’s word, when we think we are in control and can coast through our prosperous life, when we think we are so strong that we would never fail, when we find it difficult to find time to spend with God’s word, When we think we are being good enough forgetting that it does not matter, when there is little difference in our lives and those who do not know God – these are all good indicators that worldly idolatry has infested your heart.

Recognize it, confess it, repent of it, and seek to place God first in all you do each minute of every day.

You meant it for harm

Psalms 119:153 Look on my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget your law. Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise! Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes. Great is your mercy, O LORD; give me life according to your rules. Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, but I do not swerve from your testimonies. I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands. Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love. The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

1 Peter 4:12–16 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad

Matthew 5:10–12 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward

1 Peter 1:6–7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory

Philippians 2:14–16 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life…

Trust in the word of God is forged in the real world, a world full of trials, troubles, persecution and those who wish us harm. “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”

One of the most potentially defeating aspects of being a Christian is wanting to be in control when things in and around our lives are out of control. It seems as though we take aim at that which is troublesome with our own mind, wisdom, power, and strength, when in fact, these trials and troubles are indeed not ours to fight. On our own and in our own strength we can do little to have lasting victory or any victory at all. Fear of the unknown outcomes seem to drive us to thinking we need to go it on our own.

God is in control even when things seem so out of control and we fear the unknown future. And, yet what trumps that fear and evil is knowing that, no matter what comes, God is in control. Waiting for His perfect timing and trusting in Him allows us to confidently say “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Being able to wait on Him is a testimony to faith, trust, hope and reliance in Jesus. He loves us. He wants what is best for us. He will never leave us or forsake us. He has plans and purpose for our lives.