Surrender the idol: How to identify when we make something, someone, a vision or anything an idol in our lives.

Hi fam, it's a beautiful day, the Lord is filled with love, compassion and wisdom. Let's give Him praise. Glory, glory, to your Name, oh Lord, King of the universe.

Father we thank you for your word and for directing our steps with your word today, Lord breathe on our hearts to receive and give us ease to obey your word, in Jesus Name, Amen.

Ezekiel 8:5-6(NLT)

5 Then the Lord said to me, "Son of man, look towards the North. " So I looked, and there to the north, beside the entrance to the gate near the altar, stood the idol that had made the Lord so jealous.

6 "Son of man," he said, "do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple? But come, and you will see even more detestable sins than these!"

Today our message is to help us identify what an idol is and how to notice when we are forming an idol in the Temple of our hearts where the Lord resides with us.

Idols by definition is anything you give all your attention to, you spend time over thinking and worshipping it.

You give it all your energy and time. It occupies majority or takes the highest percentage when it comes to priority.

Sometimes we are unaware of it and find ourselves loosing rest or peace, we can also find ourselves becoming dependant on it.

How to identify:

I've written some few tips that help me identify it and I pray it's helpful to you also.

•His Word:

A daily devotion helps you, not a bible study plan, which I know is helpful but take time each day to open any random page in the bible, God speaks through the word and in times I don't see it, he would point it out first, but remember not in condemnation.

•Over thinking & worry:

When you realize you've spent your first early hours of the day thinking and worrying about something that's an idol.

Especially if it interrupts your time with God, it can be your phone, social media, your spouse or your children. Let that time before you rush to do anything be given to God.

Let Him heal you and take away the fatigue. Let Him inform you about what is going to happen today and what you must be careful of.

Not just in the morning but during the day, if you find yourself thinking about something for more than an hour, calculating and overly concerned about an outcome.

Stop and relax a bit.

•Check your priority list & ask questions?

Behind every emotion you have, ask questions, check what is driving you, analyse if you're depending on your own capacity, and check what you spend all your resources on.

You need to evaluate, if it's taken away from me, how would I feel or what would that do to me? It helps you loosen your grip over certain things.

Have healthy, flexible priorities but your first priority should be God, He sits on the throne in your heart and gives you peace, joy, blessings, covering and reigns.

He is your Leader, your First Love, your God, your Defender, your Source of everything.

•Fear & over doing something:

When you feel fearful it's okay, we all feel it sometimes but you need to have faith and hope alongside that fear. Don't only fear and have no hope and faith in God.

Let God know your fears and ask Him for strength and hope. When doing something or fulfilling a promise or instruction God has given you always rest, we understand stretching and sacrifice but rest is an important requirement.

God created six days and rested on the seventh. Use your weekend to rest, spend time with family, friends and go out, have fun, eat don't be uptight.

•Finally surrender:

Learn to let go, lay it down at the Lord's feet, relinquish the need to hold on, sometimes you need to stay away from it for sometime or reduce contact, other times you need to give up trying to fix everything and let God do it.

Let's pray:

Father we love you, we come to you with a repentant heart, forgive us for the idols we've made in our hearts, we receive your freedom and grace to walk in your path and draw close to you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Do you know Jesus? If not, say with me:

Dear Jesus, come into my heart, I make you my Lord and Saviour, I repent of my sins, I believe you died on the cross to reconcile me back to you, I receive your love and new life, Amen.

He loves you! He is proud of you! Walk with ease! 🫒🌽