James 1:7 ~ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.
God is the author of all good gifts -- relationships, food, pleasures, family, summer night skies, melodies, and a million other graces.
Behind every lowercase god is something false.
Satan will tell us what's true, but he never tells us the truth.
In order to stick with the truth, we have to know it.
Regardless of the circumstances, it takes confidence to believe that God is going to protect and take care of us as we wait in difficult situations.
Romans 16::19 ~ I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
Psalms 1:1-2 ~ Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates night and day.
What do we need to avoid or get rid of to pursue the truth? True conviction doesn't look for loopholes, it isn't sad. If true conviction is present, we will begin to look a that thing as something that was taking the place of God, something that was stealing from us.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Session 2: Why Idols (May 13)
Some of the reasons we run to idols...
- Identity
- Need
- Pain
Fear is the agent hired by our idols to keep us attached. Fear itself is not the god; the object of our fear is the god.
Scripture is the recording of God's heart toward His creation -- a creation He knows is prone to be afraid at every turn. He knows our frailty. He knows what causes our blood to run cold. He knows that fear can be our default.
Joshua 1:9 ~ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Session 1: Personal Pharaohs (May 6)
I hope you all are enjoying the study so far. I think it is going to be good. Here's a few things to remember from this week...
Professed god - who or what we say our god is
Functional god - who or what actually operates as our god
"Remember, we're walking together toward the goal of eradicating the things from our lives that are false, that lie, that kill, and that steal. But if we stop there, we miss the point: to MAKE ROOM for God to live unrivaled in our hearts, shedding life, light, glory, healing, holiness, miracles, peace, and more things than I could ever write." (pg. 24)
Matthew 6:21 ~ what we treasure is where our heart is
Isaiah 44:9 ~ if we treasure idols, we treasure what is worthless
2 Kings 17:15 ~ we become like what we treasure/worship
Creative reflection assignment: of the verses above that struck you as most profound ponder a song, movie clip, painting, picture, personal experience, example in nature, childhood remembrance or anything that best reflects that concept.
See you guys on Thursday!
Professed god - who or what we say our god is
Functional god - who or what actually operates as our god
"Remember, we're walking together toward the goal of eradicating the things from our lives that are false, that lie, that kill, and that steal. But if we stop there, we miss the point: to MAKE ROOM for God to live unrivaled in our hearts, shedding life, light, glory, healing, holiness, miracles, peace, and more things than I could ever write." (pg. 24)
Matthew 6:21 ~ what we treasure is where our heart is
Isaiah 44:9 ~ if we treasure idols, we treasure what is worthless
2 Kings 17:15 ~ we become like what we treasure/worship
Creative reflection assignment: of the verses above that struck you as most profound ponder a song, movie clip, painting, picture, personal experience, example in nature, childhood remembrance or anything that best reflects that concept.
See you guys on Thursday!
Thought you might like this...
Linda passed this interview with Beth Moore along per our discussion last week about her new book, So Long Insecurity. Enjoy!
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