Enthroning God Dethroning Idols

The Lord urges us to keep as the apple of our eye His commands. To bind them to our fingers! Write them on our hearts! To “say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and call understanding your nearest kin.” Why? Because they will keep us from falling prey to soul destroying seduction. [1]

Throughout the Bible, the word, “harlotry” is used as a metaphor for idolatry. [2]

The opposite of keeping as the apple of our eye God’s commands is to look in other directions for spiritual sustenance. Those other directions neither save nor satisfy our soul. The Lord compares the one who gives way to the lure of other directions to a dumb ox being led to the slaughter. To an unsuspecting bird on whom a trap is sprung! To a mighty warrior defeated by a greater opponent! The Lord says of the spirit of harlotry, “Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death.” [3]

Only the Lord satisfies our soul. I see many boasts on Facebook about the flesh being indulged but few posts about feeding the soul. Fill up on the Lord, and you won’t crave the things that are bad for you. What are you seeking? Whatever you feed grows stronger. Feed your soul the Word of God. Feed your soul by joining the Lord in prayer for people. He reduces harmful cravings.

Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to preach Christ to the people in Samaria. As Philip preached many believed in the Lord. The Lord also casted out demons from people and healed paralyzed and lame people through him. The result: “There was great joy in that city.” [4]

When one man needed help with understanding a Bible passage, Philip took time to explain it to him. Afterwards, that man said to Philip, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” He asked Philip to baptize him and Philip did. Did Philip stop with that success? No, “he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.” [5]

“To love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission
The spring from which our service overflows
Across the street or around the world, the mission's still the same
Proclaim and live the truth in Jesus’ Name.” [6]

The Lord is leading me to pray for the peoples of the nations that we would love the Lord our God wholeheartedly, with all our souls, minds and strength. And that the Lord would grant us spiritual discernment to identify pretenders (idols) to the thrones of our hearts, and to dethrone them in loyalty and preference for loving the Lord our God.

[1] Proverbs 7:1-5
[2] Leviticus 17:7, 20:5-6; Numbers 15:39; Deuteronomy 31:16; Judges 2:17, 8:33; 1 Chronicles 21:11-13; Psalm 73:27, 106:39; Proverbs 5-7; Isaiah 1:21, 23:17, 57:3; Jeremiah 2:20, 3:1, 6, 8; Ezekiel 6:9, 16:15-59, 20:30, 23:3-5, 19, 30, 43-44; Hosea 4:10-18, 5:3, 9:1, Nahum 3:4; Romans 7; 1 Corinthians 6:15; Revelation 2:20-23, 17:1-2
[3] Proverbs 7:27
[4] Acts 8:4-8
[5] Acts 8:26-40
[6] Song by Steve Green