Anything that Hinders

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV).

Anything that hinders us from enjoying heaven on earth has got to be eradicated! If idol worship was a main distraction for God’s people in the Old Testament, I’m pretty sure there are idols today - they just look different!  I’m not one to get into self-judgment or extreme introspection but I do want to remove obstacles that are blocking my path to fully enjoying my life with God and knowing Him intimately.  If there are idols, I want to know about them!

Part of loving God is obeying Him.  I once heard it said, “I don’t obey God to get God’s love.  But because I love God so much, it’s just in my heart to obey Him”.   In order to identify idols, it’s as simple as asking yourself, “Do I have to check with it/them/him/her before I obey God?”

When God asks me to stop fearing the future, I can’t say, “Wait a minute, I just have to check my job situation, it’s looking like my position may become obsolete, and I may not have a job by next year”.  When God asks me to give a generous gift, I don’t want to check in with the fear-idol, “Wait a minute I just have to check my bank account and see if I have enough left over”.  When God asks me to pray for my neighbor, I don’t need to respond, “Wait a minute, I just have to check my comfort level”.  When God challenges me to trust Him, it can’t be right to say, “Wait a minute, I better just check my plan and my five-year goal and make sure that we can get things done”. I’m sure you get the picture!

Forget your past and be done with the idols.  Anything you have to “check with first” is your idol.  Yes, we are full of wisdom, and we seek counsel and pursue righteousness, and we seek to respond to every situation in love.  Yes, we respect our parents, our families, the reality of a bank account and the value of a five-year plan.  But we don’t worship those things.  There’s a big difference!

Today is my day to demolish any argument or pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.  This is my day to say “Yes!” to God and to faith in Him.  I don’t have to check in with my circumstances, or check in with my feelings, I can trust God my Father as my wisdom, my confidante and my redeemer. He always has my best interest in mind!   I can enjoy heaven on earth because of my relationship with Him.

Have a great weekend!

Lots of Love,

Audrey Meisner