What Are Your Idols?

What are your IDOLs?

This last Sunday, as our Pastor was carefully embarking upon the book of Revelation, he began his sermon talking about the meaning of "Idols". In a biblical world the idea of Idols usually pertains to golden calves and false Gods because let's face it, their diversions at that time were minuscule compared to the temptations we face today. He went on to explain what an "idol" actually is. I'm paraphrasing here, but what I took away from his sermon is the idea that an 'idol' is anything that diverts our attention away from God. It is any 'thing' or 'person' that we place our adoration upon, an adoration that rightly belongs to God.

Of course most of us were thinking of the usual diversions of this world: sex, money, vanity, buddha, krishna, science, fame, status, etc.... You know, the usual topics of those things to avoid worshipping as they are false gods. But he went on to explain that this world is so filled with the enemy's delusions that we have inadvertently fallen prey to worshipping concepts and doing so in a feeling of righteousness because they are deemed 'acceptable' by this world.

He listed many things that we fall prey to in our idol worship:
Job Security
Career Status
Sports
Retirement Funds
The type of car we drive
The type of house we live in
etc. etc. etc.....

It really got me to thinking. There is so much deception in this world. The enemy would have us believe that keeping our bank accounts padded would justify not helping a friend or family member. The enemy would have us believe that our job security is more important than being present in the lives of our spouses or children. The enemy would have us believe that our 'devotion' to a particular sports team would justify our anger or hatred towards someone who roots for another team. The enemy would have us believe that we can fully rely on manmade institutions such as banks and IRA's to give us a stable and comfortable retirement. The enemy would have us believe that if we lived in a big house in a 'nice' neighborhood that we would feel so much happier and safe. The enemy would have us believe that if we just had that 'perfect' job we could be so much more secure and happier in ourselves.

But here's the truth. ALL of these things are lies. Everything within this world is temporary and fleeting, including us. "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." James 4:14. Nothing within this world is reliable and nothing within this world should be counted upon. Our 'rock' of stability lays in one place only. WIth God. He is the creator of all and He has the final say in everything. He IS a jealous God, "(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth" Deut 6:15), and you can be sure that when He sees us turning our focus away from Him and towards the many idols of this world, He will teach us a lesson.

I believe firmly that the state of this nation is a direct result of this idolatry that has been building for quite some time now. The crash of the stock market was inevitable due to the building greed and focus upon status and power. When will we learn? How many times must a nation that grows in power crumble before the world begins to understand that GOD is the source and if we do not place our thanks, our reverence, our focus upon Him then what was given will be taken away.

Our God is known as the 'great equalizer'. He has much compassion and he has a great deal of patience. He is SLOW to anger, but He DOES get angry, and I must say that I do not blame Him. I too get so angry with myself. Even in my knowledge that He is the source and the provider, I often find myself being led astray by this world into worldly concepts. About a year ago I had a conversation with someone regarding Buddhism. I told them that I did not feel comfortable condemning the teaching of Buddha because I did not know much of his teachings and I believed that his teachings brought many people great comfort.

So, that night before falling asleep I asked God if it was okay to accept the 'good things' that came from Buddha's teachings, you know, like a 'self help' kinda thing. BOY, did God answer my question! I was sort of taken aback by the intensity of the answer because the question was asked quite lightly. I do not want to graphically describe what I experienced because I do not like to think about it, but I will tell you, and anyone who will listen, that entities like buddha are of the enemy. They are Deceivers with a capitol "D". They are constructs made specifically to divert our attention away from God. I can say with ALL certainty that God is QUITE jealous when we place our hearts and minds upon other idols such as buddha, krishna, and most especially human beings. If any man says it is appropriate to worship him, then he is of the devil. Even our precious Jesus told us, " "You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve." Matthew 4:10. He did not demand our worship, only our belief and acceptance.

We are firmly warned:

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God." Exodus 20 4-5

As I dig deeper in my own self reflection and consider what my idols might be, I am alarmed by how easily I am led astray by this world. One might consider 'compassion' to be a good thing, and yes, to a point I would agree. But, when our concept of 'compassion' bleeds into the area of blind tolerance of towards false idols in an effort to be 'politically correct', then we have a problem. The truth is that it is never going to be easy to disappoint this world because we love and care for one another. But the real question is, do we care more about the feelings of those here on earth? Or do we care more about what God says is truth and what He feels about us?

Here is a list of my idols that I must contend with:

Television
Fashion
Weight/Health
Education
Job Status
Shopping
Food
Sleep
Peacefulness/Quietness
Being 'Right'
The Appearance of my home

I'm sure there are many more. But these are things that I truly need to consider and wonder why they have taken such a high position in my life. No wonder our Father is so jealous. My heart and my time are so divided, and He often receives the short end of my heart, time and energy. Could I have it any more backwards???

What are your 'idols'?

God's Amazing Little Creatures...

Ever since I was a child I have felt a very strong bond and connection with most animals. It has been my experience that animals that are usually skittish around humans usually find their way over to me quite quickly. I must admit, it is something that I have enjoyed a great deal.

In Job we read, "(12:7-10 KJV) "But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind."

To me, animals are such an amazing gift to us. It is my knowledge/belief/understanding, that they are directly connected to God and do His bidding when He commands them.

My sense of the preciousness of the animals came long before I read and understood this passage in Job. I've often felt such a strong connection to God through these wonderful little creatures. Their love for us is so unconditional and so persevering. I am always amazed by the loyal dog who keeps returning to the owner who treats it so poorly. Humbly crawling back with only the desire to love and be loved. Their simple nature is overwhelming and humbling to me.

I've had a few amazing experiences where animals are concerned. When I think of them I almost always cry because, to me, these experiences were very close encounters with my Lord being brought to me by the loyal little heart of a pet.

I have many stories, but one especially warms my soul. We have a very large, very fluffy, and very masculine black cat name Mojo. Mojo is a very special cat to me. He does not have the warmest of personalities and has been know to bite (that's a whole other story), but there is something almost regal and peaceful about him. He comes only when he wants a pet or two and then he's off to his favorite place, our bed. I don't know if I would call him aloof, but I would say that he does work on his own terms and timing.

About five years ago we had just moved to Norther Virginia from California, leaving behind friends, family and a brand new home. We were living in a apartment with the minimal necessities. We had two bedrooms, one of which I had set up as an office with a little table for my jewelry making supplies, notes, mail, computer, etc.... Most oftentimes it was just Mojo and me while Austin was away at work.

One day I was feeling particularly blue. I was missing home. I was feeling very isolated and alone. There were issues going on with my birth family that was hurting me deeply and all I could do was cry. The sadness I was feeling was so overwhelming. I saw no purpose for my being there and had no one to turn to. I remember so clearly this feeling of hopelessness filling me up and the tears beginning very deep within my soul, slowly working themselves out of me, to flow like a stream.

Here I was, sitting on the couch in the middle of this barren living room, silently crying and feeling so much sadness, when out of the corner of my eye I saw Mojo run past me towards the spare bedroom. I didn't really give it thought. Moments later he came jogging out of the guest room with something in his mouth. I couldn't really tell what it was and was sort of taken aback because he is not one to go and fetch things and certainly never brings them to me. He came trotting straight for me and dropped what he was carrying at my feet. For him, this behavior was very unusual, so it really caught my attention.

I leaned over to see what he had dropped at my feet and was dumbfounded! Out of all the miscellaneous junk I had on my table, including his favorite ribbon!, he had found a handmade angel ornament that my sweet Aunt Barbara had mailed to me. It was made of wire with fabric glued to the front and feathers attached to the wings. When I realized what it was and picked it up and held it in my hand, THEN the waterworks began!

I knew at that moment that my Lord, my sweet sweet Father, had sent me a sign of comfort. My hunch is that one of His angels whispered in Mojo's ear and told him what to do. Even to this day I am in disbelief that this happened. Now, if Mojo had brought me one of his multiple mouse toys, that would have been understandable, but this was different. It was purposeful. And it was specific. In fact, I am still perplexed as to how he found that ornament. But, I do know with all my heart and soul that God was showing me His presence and letting me know that I did not need to be sorrowful or lonely. That He was present, all is well, and that I am loved. I am never, ever, ever alone.

Thank you Father. And thank you Mojo for listening and obeying. ♥

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." (Psalm 150:6)

And LIGHT shall overcome darkness

January 16, 2009

Darkness and Light….

The Holy Spirit paid us a visit yesterday in such a phenomenal way. I feel the need to record this event so that I remember it correctly and fully.

Yesterday afternoon I was on the computer most of the day working on several projects for the Women’s Retreat. For some reason I was feeling especially close to the Lord and was feeling the desire to hear His word. I discovered, by chance, that the RBC website has streaming recordings of the Living The Passion sessions, so I started listening to them.

I cannot remember what it was that triggered the thought, but something the speaker said made me take into consideration the concept of “darkness” and “light”. I was thinking lightly about it when a visual came into my mind. To the left was a vertical rectangle of blackness and to the right was a vertical rectangle of whiteness. As I was considering this image in my head, I could see the light (or white) side slowly begin to encroach on the dark side. What I could ascertain was that the ‘light’ was actually taking over the ‘dark’. The dark not only was defenseless, it was inert. As the light slowly rolled over the dark I realized that it was not ‘covering’ the darkness, it was filling in the void. The darkness was simply a ‘non-presence’ and the light was the ‘presence’.

It then dawned on me that the darkness cannot overtake the light. Only the light can fill and cover. Where there is light, darkness cannot exist. It is not the other way around.

It was an interesting visual and thought, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the absence of the Light of Christ in our souls, our lives, our hearts, etc… is not an overtaking of evil within us, but a ‘choice’ we make to refuse the love, the light, and the presence of God in each of our daily actions and decisions. WE make the choice to step away from the light of Christ, to disconnect ourselves from the Holy Spirit, by choosing sin.

Mind you, this visual and thought happened in a matter of moments and then I was off thinking about other things.

Later that night, my husband and I were laying in bed reading our books. I had just finished reading a paragraph in a Christian fiction book called “The Shack” that directly addressed the concept I had been thinking about earlier. In the story, a man named Mackenzie who is being entertained by God himself, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, all of whom are in the human form. He is working in a garden with Saraya, (The Holy Spirit), and Saraya is trying to explain to Mackenzie why both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ things exist on earth.

She says, “Mackenzie, evil is a word we use to describe the absence of Good; just as we use the word darkness to describe the absence of Light or death to describe the absence of Life. Both evil and darkness can only be understood in relation to Light and Good; they do not have any actual existence. I am Light and I am Good. I am Love and there is no darkness in me. Light and Good actually exist. So, removing yourself from me will plunge you into darkness. Declaring independence will result in evil because apart from me, you can only draw upon yourself. That is death because you have separated yourself from me: Life.”

I stopped reading after this paragraph and was reminded of my earlier thoughts about the absence of darkness and presence of ‘Light’. This paragraph so perfectly fell in line with what I had been considering earlier in the day.

As I lay there thinking about this paragraph, my husband mentioned that he had not had a restful sleep the night prior. When I asked why, he told me that he had woken up around 2:30 am and was thinking about a passage from John. He shared with me what the passage said. He quoted this line:

"5. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

From John 1:1-5
1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2. The same was in the beginning with God.
3. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.
4. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

My husband said that he kept thinking about the line “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (NIV translation). He said he could not stop thinking about this concept; that the light could not be comprehended by the darkness and that we, as believers, have the ability to welcome the Light in.

For me, this is one of those moments that I live for. Here the Holy Ghost has made himself so clearly present. Arranging this amazing moment of like minds working on the very same subject at the very same time! All I could do is turn to my husband and say, “Funny you should say that!” with a happy grin on my face.

We went on to have a wonderful discussion about the Light of Christ and how we have a choice as to whether we allow His Light to come into our full being, or not. When we choose to turn the light away and live by our own wills, we fall into the darkness of disconnection with the source of life, “GOD”.

John 3:16-21
16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

When I read the passage above, I understand that the ‘condemnation’ that John is referring to IS the disconnection to the ‘source’, the ‘light’ of Christ. In essence, our punishment for the refusal to accept the light of Christ into our hearts and souls, IS disconnection from the ‘Light’ and therefore darkness. In essence, WE are the ones creating our own punishment by our choice (free will) to cling to sin rather than cling to the love of Christ.

18. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

“And this is the condemnation”. To me, this line is pivotal. The condemnation, IS the disconnection from the light. “He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already.” In essence, we choose our paths in this lifetime. We can choose to live in worry, pain, sorrow, envy, longing, hurt, betrayal, vengeance, mistrust, anger, bigotry, fear, gluttony, ignorance, pettiness, judgment, etc… etc…. etc... and be promised a destination of further sorrow due to our choice to disconnect with the Light of Christ.

OR, we can choose to live fully in the Light of Christ, casting all concerns for ourselves aside and trusting fully that the Lord will carry us through and provide:

Matthew 11:28
28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

1 Peter 5:6-7
6. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

I cannot help but think of a video I watched a while ago about a man who died and then came back to life. He was a non-believer before he died. His experience was so powerful to me and his testimony has left an indelible mark on my heart. What he described as the darkness and void is the perfect description of the full separation of man from God. But, ultimately, we can see through his testimony the ultimate love and compassion of God. He does love us and wants us to find our way to the Light of Christ.

You can see his testimony here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGpxfoF3SYg&feature=related