Serving God: Confronting Our Hidden Idols

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Hi friend,

In today’s bible reading, Joshua reiterates that God is a jealous God and that the Children of Israel should not have any others. This is where we get the famous, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” But do we really? In theory, I know that I say I do. (I even wrote it on the studs of my kitchen walls during this renovation, which currently has me on time out in this hotel, but I digress.) I must be honest, though; there seem to be shelves that I put up in the recesses of my heart with little gods on display. I simply trade out the one currently on the throne for another, including Jesus, and with the mini-Jesus trend that hits even harder. And that is hard to admit, but it is true. (Especially as I sit here wearing a T that says “Team Jesus.” Maybe more like Team Hypocrite!) Am I the only one? It seems to be that every day, there is something competing for my heart, my mind, my attention, and certainly my soul. As if that isn’t conviction enough, I fell asleep while watching part 3 of The Chosen in theaters, and I awoke just as Jesus was walking up to the disciples who had fallen asleep. Talk about conviction!

I have had to ask myself if I have allowed the affairs of life to shroud my purpose. And I wouldn’t be a friend if I didn’t ask the same of you. I’ve noticed it in my bible reading. “Ugh, I need to read the bible.” I’m not sure when this crept in, but it did. It’s the item on my checklist that doesn’t get checked off every day, and I feel this nagging sensation that sitting here with my bible is keeping me from other things. Well, at some point, the pink elephant in the room needs to be spoken of. And I find that to be true of a lot of things right now. I’ve gotten too comfortable being comfortable. And that includes comfort with things that I should have never been comfortable with, to begin with, but was conditioned to be.

Alright, Alright, I hear you! “Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak’” (Matthew 26:40-41, NKJV). Yes, weak indeed. Guilty as charged. And the temptations just seem to abound! So, it’s at this moment (and many, many others) that I am grateful for you walking with me to help hold me accountable to staying anchored to the word of God, for your prayers, for your support, for your love, and for your friendship. You help hold up my arms when they are weary and when I am tempted to grab the little god of worry, fear, uncertainty, insecurity, abandonment, stress, etc. (Ah, if only I could contain those too.) “And the people said to Joshua, ‘The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey’” (Joshua 24:24, NKJV). Oh, that second part. About that. I instinctively hear myself saying, “What had happened was…”

Will you work on obedience with me?

Love you, friend,
iK