Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way. Proverbs 3:5-6 GNT
A few years ago, a pastor was visiting with fellow Believers in China. They were sharing about praying for one another, when one of the men from China said, “We are praying for our Christian brothers and sisters in America because we believe we are handling our persecution better than you are handling your prosperity”. Do you think they were right? Has our prosperity caused our hearts to wander away from God? Jesus gave us the answer in Matthew 6:21 when He stated that where our treasure is, there also is our heart.
So let’s really think about all the substitutes, or as Paul would have said, idols we have created in our lives for the One true thing we need, God. Instead of His presence in worship, we have emotional hype and entertainment. We put our trust in methods, programs and people to cause spiritual growth rather than trust in God Himself. Instead of participating in Communion as a time of remembering what Jesus experienced and did for us on the cross, it has become an empty ritual. Instead of working together to meet the needs of the poor or those experiencing a crisis, we only think about what it will cost us. We are more impressed with the numbers in the pews, than why they are there and the state of their hearts. In general thinking of ourselves and our own comforts first because we think we are our own masters and there is no place for God in our lives.
It’s time we begin to ask ourselves if our prosperity has caused us to rely on ourselves instead of trusting in the Lord. Ask Holy Spirit to reveal to you idols you might have substituted for God. Then when the Holy Spirit reveals them to you, thank God for His forgiveness and for Holy Spirit’s help to repent and turn back to Him. You may be surprised how freeing it is and how much clearer things become. Tearing down our idols will let Holy Spirit flow freely through and out of our lives, releasing blessings to us and in turn blessing others.
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