Idols (Day 3.3)
December 1, 2009 by Christine
Filed under BF-Week 03
We’re facing obstacles at the Bible Cafe and it’s getting uncomfortable in here! This is the major point in our Breaking Free study where they enemy wants you to sway, turn back and leave the obstacles in your path. He’ll tempt you to judge others, sometimes even the book author or the scripture itself. The goal of the enemy is to throw you off course and take away your glory with God. God wants to do a mighty work in your life, don’t let the enemy get a foothold. (Beth Moore)
This may be the most challenging week yet. We’re looking in the mirror and facing our obstacles. Resist the temptation to run away and hide in your busyness. When the study becomes uncomfortable, spend more time with God not less.
Today we’re listening to City on Our Knees by Toby Mac
Prayer Requests
Let us stop today and pray for each person in the Breaking Free bible study. For those tempted to postpone breaking free, we pray endurance for the race. For those reaching dark depths of their souls, we pray a refreshing blessing from God’s presence. For everyone participating in breaking free, we pray freedom from captivity. May God continue to bless our study and our efforts at breaking free. Amen.
Beth Moore Quotes
- God purposely created us with a need only He can meet -Beth Moore
- Anything we try to put in a place where God belongs is an idol -Beth Moore
Today’s Scripture Verses
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6
Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit him nothing? Isaiah 44:10
Return to me, for I have redeemed you. Isaiah 44:22
I’ve wiped the slate of all your wrongdoings. There’s nothing left of your sins. Come back to me, come back. I’ve redeemed you.” Isaiah 44:22 (The Message)
Group Discussion
What was your response to today’s study with Beth Moore. Is there a significant moment in the study that captured your heart? Please share.
Breaking free,
You are so right, Christine – it is a difficult week with difficult issues to face. Seems like all day long I look forward to getting to my lesson in the evening and something always gets in the way; however, I am determined not to get behind and perservere because I want this for myself and I want everyone else in the Bible Study to be set free too. When I finally do get to my lesson the time passes so quickly and I feel challenged but quite refreshed – just spending time with Jesus. Also listening to Beth’s tapes is a real motivator – have listened at least twice to each one so far. Let’s all run the race and not let Satan be victorious.
I’ve actually gotten ahead on the study, and it’s really blessing me. It’s definitely worth setting time aside for.
Ok,this is a biggie for me, as I had replaced pleasing God with pleasing a person I dearly loved. This would have been at least alright to some extent had it been my husband, at least I think that God knows we love deeply and emotionally and that is why he put husbands in charge. We are to love them, and they are to love the Lord, and return that love to us. We are also to love the Lord, but I think we need flesh and blood to hold us, nurture and protect us. So, I think that he understands the route of that love is via humans. I may be all wet on this, but that’s how I see it. So if we choose to love a human and not a husband, then I think that love gets all confused. It becomes an idol, rather than a route to God. Two needy people who are both broken, but think the other can fill the void. When God said I needed to end that relationship it was devastating, and I sought out food to fill the void. This has been the year of great loss and great gain, if you know what I mean. I believe He is leading me to realize that only He can fill my voids, and not food, people, tv, or anything else. All those can be ok things and necessary things, but they also can become idols all too easily. God take control of my heart and life! No other God before you!!!
When we put people on a pedestal, the pedestal can tumble with the slightest jolt and we find ourselves empty inside. As parents, its often tempting to put our children on pedestals-unfairly expecting so much from them. Again, the pedestal falls, the child disappoints us, and we feel empty or lost. Yet one throne is built on a solid foundation and is never tumbled-the throne of God. It takes a constant effort to keep God alone on that throne and manage our feelings for humans as we demonstrate a healthy love for each other. Looking back at my dating years, once I sat on the throne, placed there by a boyfriend who worshiped me to a very uncomfortable level. I did not like being the center of his worship and seized my opportunity to jump off the throne. God needs to be on that throne, not me, not my husband or kids, not celebrities.
It makes me wonder if we place our illnesses on the throne too. Right now my back hurts and I sit on a throne of pain, nursed by attention from the doctor and my family. My illness becomes the focus of my day-relieving the pain, seeking help, even complaining about it. It seems I put that on the throne too! I have a visual image of a golden pedestal-and see past events, people and current struggles sitting on that pedestal. Is there any room for God in this image? Nope.
Thanks for making me look within Pam, I appreciate it.
I understand exactly what you are saying about your pain. When pain is the loudest thing in your life it is very hard to stay focused on God first. The enemy loves this I’m sure. I tried to deny pain for a very long time but then it got so bad my blood pressure went up, I had suegery, etc etc and now because I waited so long it’s become “chronic pain”. I loathe it. I was once a vibrant rushing from this project to this for God and now I feel happy that I could get out of bed this morning. Not sure if I’ve let it become my idol but it does interfere with my spirit and tend to anger me which is not good because I have never been a person to anger easily. The enemy goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour but he’s not going to be succeed because we know to whom we belong. Praying for a speedy comeback for you Christine.
Thank you Charmaine. What I’m discovering in the study is that anything can become an idol if we allow it. For some, its our children, people we love or even people we hate-when we allow then to become the center of our focus. Others find food, shopping, alcohol, drugs and sex as idols. The moment we become AWARE that someone or something is taking away our focus on God-then our healing begins. Beth is going to walk us through healing in the next 7 weeks of study-I’m so excited to be doing this with a group of supportive women, growing together in faith. Reminds me of a skydiving photo-we all grab hands together and soar!
I love the skydiving image! Yep my sisters in the Lord are holding my hand and I’m holding yours as we take this giant step of faith to Break Free from all that binds, even pain. I am so sorry for you both and the other sisters who are physically hurting, it takes so much of your energy. Yet, not ALL! because each day you are able to get online and share, or even just “get out of bed” and that is God at work in You! Blessings and love to you! He is there in midst of all our pain – we just have to invite Him in each time…focus – it’s all on focus. Eyes on Jesus, and not on circumstances.. tough stuff! I lose mine when I look back, or look around, and not on Him. Another song? “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace”
On Page 67 where it says, Never doubt God’s mercy. He asks one thing, “Return to me for I have redeemed you”. That’s encouraging to to me because I’m sure I give up on myself long before God would even entertain the idea but even if He did He still wuld not give up on me.
I have heard people say Oh, God doesn’t care if you have things as long as things don’t have you. I used to say oh, okay but now I think that’s just another way we self-deceive ourselves. Lately I have been looking at some things that I collect and I keep thinking to myself, “Did I really need that? And then I think I could have donated that money to the Rescue mission and it would have gone a lot farther than just me liking to look at something. To me that is probably an idol. If God keeps bringing it up to me then it most likely is something he wants me to deal with. I am accountable to what he reveals to me so I have to begin those steops of obedience. He chastises us because he loves us.And I think He wants our lives to represent His Son. The word says that we are Christ’s ambassadors. The Word isn’t easy but necessary. That’s how we “know” God.
“Busy”ness….maybe that sounds weird, but I think alot of times I “busy” myself & use all that time that could be better spent doing God’s work, praying, studying His word, sharing His love and grace….. It seems I make myself busy doing nothing, or at least nothing that truly matters. I think that can definitely be an “idol” What do y’all think?
Yes, i agree with you Christy! I’m on a mobile device so I can’t go into details, but I’m with you all in this study, just a couple days behind, uncomfortable, but determined! Thanks all for doing this with me!
There is an old saying about BUSYness….
B = Buried
U = Under
S = Satan’s
Y = Yoke
I have found that I will get caught up in doing things. “God’s Work”, Raising Teens, Work…..But even when I am doing good stuff….The enemy can turn it into BUSYness. Therefore creating an Idol of Time.
Idolatry … we all do it, whether we intend to or not. Pain. Illness. Children. Pastors. Churches. Gov’t leaders. Writing. Facebook. Twitter. Jobs. The list could go on …
The question is … at what point does something become an idol? Is it when you first get your feet wet? Nope. It’s when it encompasses your every thought. It’s when you spend more time in your day focused on whatever “IT” is than focusing on God. It’s when you get up in the morning and have to check your email, facebook, or twitters before you open your Bible and talk to God.
Can you tell I struggle with this? I think we all do. I am praying that God will “break us” from our idols this week and allow us to focus on Him first.
I’m with you on this, Carlyn!
At first I thought I don’t have any idols.. I don’t even know what an idol is? Till I read this about facebook and twitter. I am a slave to it and it all just became very clear! I was not aware and I was afraid I was blind to the obstacles in my life because after every study I was not seeing in flaws in myself ( can you say PRIDE!) Thank you for listing this as an idol, it has really opened my eyes!!! I prayed for the Lord to open my eyes and He did!!!
I agree with you. I wake up and head straight to my computer to check my messages, facebook, and twitter, I constantly think about doing my twitter updates and will even put it before my family and schoolwork! I’ve found technology and social networking has become an idol for me
I pray the Lord can release me from this and help me see it will not replace the love that can only come from HIm. Lord, help me to spend my time with you, give my family more attention and turn off the computer some days and just enjoy the creation you have made! In Jesus Name, Amen!
Idols are so difficult to see because we expect them to be huge obstacles in our path. Sometimes, its the little things that are the biggest obstacles to God’s path. Isn’t this study amazing LeAnn! I’m so thankful for God’s unyielding patience and love for us as His children.
i did this lesson but have been really busy these past couple of days that i can’t remember my thoughts on it. and i’m still two days behind. i went to the Women of Faith conference with Theresa and Danielle from this bible study group and i had the most AMAZING time. it was so great to meet these gals. it was my first WOF conference and if you’ve never been to one…i highly recommend you go.
now tomorrow i will be catching up on the last two studies i missed and should be right on track with you all.
Im OCD when it comes to taking care of the house, my veh, clothes, really anything that is material. So I spend a lot of time cleaning, washing, everything has to be in its place and clean. Through today study God revealed to me that I have put taking better care of those things that will not last, than I have Him and my relationship with Him. This will be hard for me. Praying for the strength of the Lord.