“Anything I put before my God is an idol.
Anything I want with all my heart is an idol.
And anything I can’t stop thinking of is an idol. And anything that I give all my love is an idol!”
-Jimmy Needham
This past weekend I heard Jimmy Needhams song “Clear the stage” and it took me to my knees, it wreaked my life. Idols are defined as a representation or an symbol of an object of worship: a false God, an object of extreme devotion. Jimmy Needhams lyrics resonated in my soul and I had it on repeat all weekend. What do I put before God, what does my heart want more Than God, what can’t I stop thinking about, who do I give my full attention to? Idols.. do I have any?? I did, I put so many things before God , even if I didn’t realize it, I did. Even the good things in my life, got in the way of God. To be honest I didn’t have God on my mind all day long. There were so many things I had on my mind and put all my energy and love in more than God. After giving up all the idols in my life up to God I was determined to not let anything come first in my life again, I was clearing the stage for him.
So picture this: You are behind the curtain waiting for your big reveal. People near and far have come to see the manifestation of the gifts that God has placed in you. These people have come to see God get the glory from your life. You are ready……so you think. Cue the drums, lights, cameras……presenting ____________! The curtains are drawn and there you are. You examine the faces in the crowd and all of a sudden you realize that God is not getting the glory…..it seems as though the crowd is preoccupied with something/someone else. You look to your left and then to your right and see exactly what has captivated the audience…..how ironic is it that the same things/people that have preoccupied and captivated you for so long are now standing alongside of you captivating the audience that was supposed to be captivated by the God in you. To your left you see all the things that you put before God (career, boyfriend, girlfriend, friend, school, your plans/desires), and all the things that you wanted or still want with all of your heart more than God. To your right you see all of your thoughts; the good, the bad, and the ugly. You also see all the things/people that you have given all of your love, energy, and devotion to. Idols…..let’s clear the stage today!
ANYTHING I PUT BEFORE GOD IS AN IDOL:
What do you put before God, for me: it was everything. Work, relationships, love of sleep, love of comfort, my goals, the desire to be praised, you guys i’m the biggest people pleaser you will ever meet. I love doing things for the approval of others, cause that makes us feel good right! The desire to be seem , the desire to be heard, the love of money. The list could go on and on . I was doing things for the glory of man not God. If I am on the throne of my heart, than Jesus is in fact dead to me and that’s scary . I don’t want to allow these things to come before God. Often times we put people and things before God…but let’s not be foolish enough to put ourselves…what we want, what we think, our “what ifs,” our fears, and insecurities, etc., before God. He must be our priority. We must clear the stage of our plans, our desires, our pursuits…..and let Jesus be the center. When He says move….move, when He says stay……stay, when He says do…..do.
ANYTHING I WANT WITH ALL MY HEART IS AN IDOL:
What do you want with all of your heart? Friend, don’t take this the wrong way…..many desires that we have in our hearts were given to us by God, but they will not manifest without Him. What I mean is that we cannot want the desire of our heart more than we want God, His presence, and His Word. He must become the greatest desire of our hearts. His name and His fame must be what we want most in this world. God wants us to find our satisfaction in Him rather than waste our time and effort on things that cannot satisfy. When we want Him more than anything we will find ourselves completely satisfied; having joy and peace in spite of any circumstance.
ANYTHING I CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT IS AN IDOL:
This one is huge! What can’t you stop thinking of? Many people think that what they think about is really no big deal because after all no one can really know what we are thinking. Friend, your life tends to go in the direction of your most dominant thoughts. Your most dominant thoughts will always become reality. No, people may not always know what you are thinking, but God does…….and let’s face it, whatever is planted on the inside of you will produce outward results. For example, the enemy will try to make you think about your past…..the mistakes and failures. In result, you will begin to believe that God has not forgiven you when in fact not only has He forgiven you, but He has also forgotten about your sins. Your past can easily become an idol; keeping you bound if you refuse to not renew your mind with the Word of God daily and to also do as 2 Cor. 10:5 says and that is to, “….demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Christ paid too high of a price for you to allow the enemy to keep you bound in your thought life. When it comes to the things and people that have rented space in your mind, you must tear up the lease! And once you tear up the lease you must keep your mind on Christ! Time studying the Bible is always well spent. Get in the Word and think on the things that Phil. 4:8 speaks of! And friend, whenever the enemy tries to use your physical lineage against you, use your spiritual lineage against him! As a child of God and a joint heir with Christ, refuse the enemy a single inch of the ground that belongs to you! Peace of mind is on that ground!
AND ANYTHING I GIVE ALL MY LOVE TO IS AN IDOL:
What do you give all of your heart and love to more than God? It’s time to give our whole hearts to God and trust Him with it. We must stop giving half to God and half to things and people. Living for God halfway is hard. Living for God hard is easy. Things and people change, but God stays the same. You can trust Him with your heart. Don’t get me wrong….we can love others…..that is actually what God commands us to do….”to love as He loves!’ (John 15:12) But we cannot love them or things more than we love God.
If any of the above categories resonates with you…..you’re probably saying, “how do I clear the stage?” The answer is found in this scripture. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith……” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT) Lay down every idol at his feet, Your power to avoid idols lies in your pursuit of the presence of God.
Keep your eyes on Christ and do what John 15 says. Jesus gave His disciples what may be the most profound and beautiful command in the entire Bible. He cleared life of all its complexities and confusion in one simple phrase. He summed up the essence, the mystery, and the marvel of life in but a few life-altering words. He said to them, “Abide in Me.” What did He mean by that? He meant, Find the meaning of life in Me. Find your value and confidence in Me. Find your purpose and direction in Me. Find the source for all spiritual achievement in Me. Find the strength to live each moment in Me. Find the wisdom to navigate the many turns of life in Me. Find forgiveness from all your sins in Me. Find the satisfaction of boundless joy in Me. Find the most glorious peace in Me. Find the most perfect love and acceptance in Me. Find the most satisfying life for all eternity in Me. To abide in Christ means to allow His life to possess you at all times and in every situation life brings. To abide means saying to God with the inhaling of every breath, “Not my will, but Yours be done.”
Let’s clear the stage and run our race! We can totally rely on God to take us exactly where we need to go….if we’ll only be willing to follow! God has more in store for you than you can ever imagine. There are people destined to come to know Christ through you. It’s time that you clear the stage so that the Greater One on the inside of you can get all the glory!
