Idolatry: Big word, small acts.

It’s January 4 — first Friday of 2013 — and God has already warned me of my idolatrous tendencies (or habits).

Listen to the Bible from 1 Kings 11:1-13

Solomon’s Wives

11 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. ² They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. ³ He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.⁴ As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. ⁵ He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁶ So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

⁷ On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁸ He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

⁹ The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.¹⁰ Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command.¹¹ So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. ¹² Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. ¹³ Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

Solomon was the wisest man EVER, the Bible says so, and yet he wasn’t immune to his own humanity. Idolatry is such  a big word, no saint would wanna be labeled “idolatrous.” Yet, the smallest acts, desires, and emotional whims that we do, long for, and cherish embody the word “idolatry” fully.

I hate to admit it, and I hate to confront it even more, but I am probably the most idolatrous person I know. God knows that, and I guess that’s why early this year He’s already cautioning me about it.

That’s the hardest part. I already know it. Like Solomon, I also know of what God wants for me — not totally, but I know the generals well enough. I know of the commandment that says: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3) I know myself well enough to know which things I do are undeniably idolatrous. And like Solomon, I have talked about holding on to God’s commands.

He exclaims this in the presence of his people in 1 Kings 8: 56-61 and says,

⁵⁶ “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel just as He promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises He gave through His servant Moses.⁵⁷ May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our ancestors; may He never leave us nor forsake us. ⁵⁸ May He turn our hearts to Him, to walk in obedience to Him and keep the commands, decrees and laws He gave our ancestors.⁵⁹ And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that He may uphold the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel according to each day’s need, ⁶⁰ so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.⁶¹ And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by His decrees and obey His commands, as at this time.”

I’m afraid of how the future might be for me. I really am. Though I should not be, I have to admit I am. I may not be as wise as Solomon, but I am wise enough to see what He wants of me — an undivided heart. I am afraid that like Solomon, despite knowing these, I would still go my way and break His heart.

It makes me wanna put a different spin on the statement “He that is in me, is greater than he that is in the world.” Right now? I’m convicted to declare…

He that is in me is greater than he THAT IS ME.

I am my worst enemy. I bet a lot of you saints out there feel the same way. It’s not that the enemy’s lies are powerful, it’s not that they have power over us beyond what we can deal with — it’s that we have decided to listen to and cherish those lies.

The spirit is willing but the body in indeed weak. YET in all these? We have to remind ourselves that WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US .(Rom. 8:37)

By the cross, by Christ’s sacrifice, by His power, by His love, and ultimately by His grace — WE CAN OVERCOME.

I urge you saints to admit your idolatrous ways. Search within and see where you are weakest. AND COMMIT YOURSELF TO PRAYER. We have no power aside from that which is ours through Christ — and we need to tap into that power EVERY MOMENT of our lives. Do not underestimate the power of prayer, and do not discount the need for total humility and submission. In prayer, we surrender ourselves and submit to His power and call for His will to be done.

Don’t get me wrong, I am in no position to say I have totally overcome myself. Nor am I in any way better than any of you — remember, I am the prodigal saint, I have a wandering heart that strays way too often. I am talking to you as a brother who cautions and reminds you of what I have been reminded so that together we will overcome.

I guess what I’m trying to say is:

1) Idolatry is a serious issue we better deal with NOW.

2) I am battling it, and I need your prayer and support. 

Honestly, I am thankful for the reminder. Very early in the year God has already cautioned me. I pray that I can hold fast to this reminder though. I pray that His mercy and grace be ever with me as I battle it out with myself.

Just remember, saints, it’s not about being religious and ritually righteous. It’s about having a heart that seeks to love and build a relationship with our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ who came to seek and save us who were lost.

God’s Chisel Remastered — the Skit Guys

“All I’m saying is, most of My children, when it comes to this process they just want to talk but they don’t wanna do the work. So do you wanna talk, or can I chisel? — because ultimately? You, and other people, need to see My Son.”

The Saint Communes: Listen, flee.

“Son, I’ve been telling you. You are not meant to confront temptations HEAD ON. As much as My salvation for you is complete and victorious — you still are in this world. Yes, you are a saint, you are My saint. But as you know, even as a saint, you still are HUMAN. Son, part of your humanity is your sinful nature. I’ve freed you from it, but I do not offer instantaneous change. You need to learn.What good is your perfection if you did not learn from the process?

I want you to learn, I want you to change, but I do not want robots. Son, you of all people should know how good having someone love you feels like. I want OBEDIENCE OUT OF LOVE. I do not need machines that I can program and reset when they mess up. I want people who would follow Me, choose to obey Me, and hold on to Me.

You, My son, are a saint. I’ve set you apart from the world to be ambassadors of My love on earth. And son, how do you expect to do that when you keep falling? I am not expecting you to be perfect, I know your limitations, and I know how to test you. Every time you encounter temptation, I provide a way out.

Son, I give fire exits to burning buildings, not portal guns that can zap you places. I need you to make the conscious effort of FLEEING. No son, a burning building cannot be salvaged by cans of fire extinguishers, you have to flee from it — you are not equipped to fight it. Your sinful nature always keeps you vulnerable to being tempted; however, My grace is sufficient for you. Turn to Me, I can help you. I’m the fire fighter that rushed to climb the burning inferno of a building you’re trapped in to save you. Just choose to take my hand and let’s go. No, no, no. How many times do I have to tell you? Stop trying to fight the flames. You cannot win, not at your current state. You are not equipped, nor trained, to fight flames of this intensity. Listen to Me, My child, flee.

Son, you will always be tempted. You cannot just sit around all day and hope to not encounter any. The devil is like a roaring lion, seeking those he can devour. Don’t be sitting duck! Flee at the sight of him! In cases like these, fleeing is not cowardly, it’s wise. Sure, in severe cases, even in the wild, some prey gets to overpower their predator. But for the most part, even if they can, they’d much rather run away — it’s safer, more efficient, and saves a lot of trouble. PLUS! It’s a guaranteed safe option for them. If you run, and you get caught — then fight. But if you fight and you realize the opponent’s too strong, can you still run?

Son, being bound by your sinful nature is like swimming with an open wound in shark territory. They will always be able to find you, so keep swimming! Don’t laze around and hope they don’t find you. FLEE! I will never leave you nor forsake you, and your battles can be won with My power. BUT, you have to remember, I am not your guard dog. I am your Father. I will protect you when I need to, BUT, you HAVE TO OBEY ME. Run when I tell you.   I’ve made it clear in a lot of ways in the Bible to flee from temptation, to flee from the devil. Listen to me, child. FLEE!

Look at every time you get caught by temptation because you did not flee and tried to fight when I clearly commanded you to run. Every time that happens, the enemy succeeds in destroying you, your morale, your well-being, etc. What’s worse? I am the only one who can heal you and make you whole again, BUT you feel so dirty and broken that you assume I would not want you anymore! Look at the LIES you’re vulnerable to when you give in to temptation, when you allow the prowling lion to get a hold of you. Son, he is full of hate, he is miserable — and he sees how happy you are in me AND HE WANTS TO DESTROY THAT RELATIONSHIP! Do not, My son, allow him to do that.

Listen to your Father. “

— Love, God

“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22)

Whatever it is that’s “pulling you away from God,” as a friend of mine once said, never allow it to take over you. Always seek Him, and He will always be there for you to find. And as the verse says, “along with those who call on the Lord” — we can all work together at this, to help each other find our way back to our Father, and to STAY with Him.

In Jesus’s Name, we HAVE victory!

The Saint Communes: Blessings

Read: Genesis 25: 29:34

(Link to the passage: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2025:%2029-34&version=NIV)

God made a covenant with Abraham (Gen. 17:19), for Isaac and his descendants — and that included Esau.

When Esau sold his birthright, he was holding God’s promise to his grandfather Abraham and then to his father Isaac in contempt.

–“Men of the Bible” (Sprangler and Wolgemuth, 2002)

Esau was not just carelessly giving away what to him seemed unimportant (Gen. 25:32), he was disregarding the covenant God has with his ancestors — a promise of blessing that could have been his.

I bet for a lot of us, we’d go like: “Okay, I won’t be stupid enough to let go of huge promises of blessings like that for any bowl of soup!” But have you ever thought of that “bowl of stew” as being something your flesh craves for? Like money, food, sex, fame, power, and the likes?

At that time, Esau was hungry. He only responded to his flesh’s longing. What about us? Do we always put His promises and blessings in front of our pressing desires? Think of the time you were really, really tempted to do something — something that is not glorifying to God and something that is rooted from ungodly desires?

Can we seriously say we have NOT committed Esau’s carelessness?

It’s easy to focus on God’s design, His plan, and His promises when we’re going through good times. But when we’re in danger of falling, do we hold on to the promises in-spite of the really tempting things that could gratify us immediately?

A lot of times, God’s promises and blessings seem so abstract, so distant, and so detached. Which is why, personally, it usually is so easy for me to disregard it and pursue my plans for my own gratification. When the cravings are too strong, abstract promises tend to fade into the background — no matter how great they are.

But we can counter this by always putting God first.

If our desire for Him is greater than our desire for anything in this world, the devil will not be able to entice us to stray from His love.

Make no mistake about it: God intends to bless you. … If you want to receive all good things God has planned for you, don’t be seduced by promises of pleasure or power that may tempt you. Don’t compromise your life in Christ by letting worldly desires smother your hunger for God. (Sprangler and Wolgemuth, 2002)

Saintly Identity

“Lord, remind me again and again WHO I NOW AM.”

Remind Me Who I Am (Jason Gray)

I just realized, I’ve been overplaying the “prodigal” part of my being a prodigal saint. What happened to the “saint” part?

Today, God reminded me saying:

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be my Child? The prodigal son only had to come home once — and that’s because he only left home ONCE. Didn’t you know that if anyone is in Me, he is a NEW creation. The old has gone, the new has come. Son, you’re not who you were anymore. You’re mine now. You’ve come home now. Start living as My son. You have to stop living like the wandering lost kid that you were, you’re back with Me now.”

Sure, I’ve made the choice to follow Him. I’ve always been saying that I would be letting go, that I would be obeying Him. But I realized, I haven’t been acting out what I’ve been saying. I feel so stupid right now. Imagine living in my Dad’s mansion and still acting like that homeless fool who left home years ago!

Nothing else matters if I lose my Christ-centered identity — I am nothing if not His son. My status as his beloved saint is what I should be holding onto now.

You only have to let go of the world ONCE and follow Him.

However, the choice to obey His every command, still has to be done daily. The prodigal son only had to make the choice of coming home ONCE; after that, he lived as a son in his father’s house — and we all know what living with our parents entail.

So to all you saints out there, make the CHOICE of coming back to the Father. He’ll take it from there. 🙂 His love is far greater than all our worries and doubts combined, and that’s all we have to hold on to.