Remove your own idols

I think most believers have the intention of loving and serving God faithfully all of their days. I doubt any Christian plans on allowing anything to come between themselves and their Savior. There are things that pop up in our lives that take our attention, affection, and adoration away from God. These usually start out as thoughts, but eventually many people actually buy or build something that comes to represent this competing desire. While Satan is responsible for bringing evil thoughts our way, we are responsible for giving these temptations a place in our life.

Satan is our enemy, and will do things to keep you from God’s goals in your life. So we must fight him. God promised that if we submit to Him, and resist the Devil, he will flee from us. So sometimes we fight Satan. But in the overall scheme of things, this is barely a fight because God has already secured the victory. As a general rule, the enemy fights to keep you from God. When you fight the enemy, God is fighting for you. But when you do not fight Satan, and instead build up things in your life that compete with God, He will fight against you. I know… we don’t like to think that God would fight against us, but He does. He loves us that much. He is a jealous God, who deserves and desires our complete and true love.

You didn’t bring evil thoughts or doubt into your mind. They are from the enemy. So God is more than happy to fight for you and remove those things. He will move Heaven and Earth to clear your path. But God will not lift a finger to remove an idol you have raised up in your life. God didn’t build your idol. Satan didn’t build your idol. It is yours by choice. You built it. So He will not remove it. However, when you submit to Him, He will give you the power to destroy those things that are inhibiting your relationship. God’s people have always had to choose between fighting Satan or fighting God. Idols have always been an issue.

At one point God’s people had gone so deep into idolatry that He sent them away into slavery to bring them to their senses. The prophet Jeremiah records these words from the Lord, “’O Israel,’ says the Lord, ‘if you wanted to return to me, you could. You could throw away your detestable idols and stray away no more. Then when you swear by my name, saying, “As surely as the Lord lives,” you could do so with truth, justice, and righteousness. Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world, and all people would come and praise my name.’” (Jeremiah 4:1-2)

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