The Lies We Believe

I have a problem; I don't want to miss out on things. I will run myself ragged doing things simply because I think I will miss something if I don't. I've had this problem as long as I can remember, but now it's beginning to take its toll on me. I'm not sure what name you would give it, but I'm pretty sure it has become an idol in my life. Hanging out with friends, facebook, texting, email...they are all things I look to to feel included, accepted, and loved. The irony is that I often find myself doing or saying something that makes me feel completely stupid. The Lord has been talking to me about this for a few weeks now but I've been pushing it aside; maybe it's time I start listening.

The second point from Bob's sermon Sunday was "Unmask the idols of your Heart." Our idols will tell us lies in order to keep us from exposing them. One of those lies is that if I say no to my idol, I will be all alone, Christ won't show up, and He won't be sufficient for me. Basically, my idols mock Christ's sufficiency. Another lie is that it will feel like death, or I will be miserable, if I say no to my idol/s. I am promised that I will actually become more alive and more free than ever before but I'm not sure I really believe that one yet.

Tonight, I decided to take the first step in unmasking that idol I mentioned earlier. Well, that's not exactly true. I wish I could say that I made that decision, but I was so worn out that I just couldn't bring myself to take part in the plans for the night. You know what? I survived! It didn't kill me and I actually enjoyed it (I think it helped that my roommate was home). It wasn't an exciting night, but it was a good one. I watched Big Brother, read my Bible and Steph and I went to Publix.

Here is one of the verses that I read tonight: "The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply." Ps. 16:4

I guess God is serious about us not having other gods before Him, and He is faithful to show us those things which we do place before Him. The bottom line is that Christ is all I need, anything else is just icing. I wish it were as easy to believe as it is to say. This advise is for me and for my friend who is still looking for the hope in all of this: continue preaching His promises to yourself and being obedient, and eventually the head knowledge will turn to heart knowledge.

Repent, Believe and FIGHT!

I Can't Sleep

It's midnight and I have to be up in 6 hours. At the rate I'm going, I won't be getting much sleep tonight. I've gotten in bed twice now, only to get up and find something else to do. The first time, around 11:00 pm, I discovered that my toilet was clogged...GROSS! I tried to see if my friend, Cammie, might be awake so I could borrow her plunger, but she never responded to my text message. What choice did I have but to get in the car and drive up the road to the WalMart, to buy my very own plunger?!

The clog (GROSS) was easily dealt with (Shea, do you still have the auger?) so I decided it was time for bed, again. I began to pray and thoughts of Bob's sermon from this Sunday came flooding in. Bob preached on Daniel 3:1-30 and "American Idols." He included with our sermon outline, an excerpt from one of Tim Keller's books. Its purpose was/is to help you identify the idols in your own life. The directions were to circle any that we think apply to our lives. I'm glad I decided to forgo the circling; the page would have been one big mess of pen markings. Rarely (and sadly) do I ever really think about sermons (please don't tell Bob) but the Lord keeps bringing this one to mind and He keeps giving me real life examples to think and pray through.

As I was confessing my most prevalent idol (which today happens to be the idol of finding my worth and happiness in feeling important and needed), I was faced with the fact that I am one big idol factory. I began thinking about situations where I place things and people in positions of importance above God. As it turns out, this seems to be the norm in my life. Normally, this line of thinking would cause me to feel defeated and hopeless, but this time, my mind was lead in another direction. A familiar phrase of "cheer up" came to mind. "Cheer up, Julie, you are much worse than you will ever know, but Jesus stands before God on your behalf and because of His blood, it's as if you have done nothing wrong, and as if you have done everything right."

Tonight I did a little waltzing while trying to go to sleep. I don't feel defeated and hopeless. In fact, I actually feel that there is hope for me. I know I can't change my heart and stop manufacturing idols; only the Lord can do that. I pray that He will. 1,2,3...1,2,3.

If you want to hear Bob's sermon, you can follow the link below. Enjoy! And if you become overwhelmed at all the idols, run to the cross and dance!

American Idols - Season I

I'm going to try going to sleep again.