Ezekiel 12-14, Psalm 140
Ezekiel 14:6-7 (NLT)
“Therefore, tell the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent and turn away from your idols, and stop all your detestable sins. I, the Lord, will answer all those, both Israelites and foreigners, who reject me and set up idols in their hearts and so fall into sin, and who then come to a prophet asking for my advice.”
In Ezekiel 14:6–7, the Lord tells Ezekiel to say to the leaders of Israel that He knows when they have set up idols in their hearts, even when they come to seek guidance from the Lord through His prophets. Father-God tells the leaders of Israel to get rid of the idols in their hearts, repent, and turn away from their sins.
These verses remind believers that the Lord knows everything about the people who believe in Him. Nothing can be hidden from the Lord. Believers may not participate in external idol worship, but if they have idols in their hearts, they can become double-minded. The leaders of Israel pretended to serve the Lord, but their hearts were far from Him.
When I read these verses and think about inner idols and being double-minded, I see independence and doubt as idols I still wrestle with in my heart. When the Holy Spirit guides me to do or say something, there is still a part of me that resists the guidance. For much of my life before I was saved, I valued my independence and was proud of the fact that I did not need help from anyone. Surrendering my will completely to Father-God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit is still something I struggle with.
Doubt is another inner struggle that I continue to wrestle with. I do not want to doubt the Lord, and I do not worship doubt, but it has been with me for so long that I still struggle to fully let it go. For many years, I doubted the Lord and His promises because I did not see them happening in my life. When difficult things happened, doubt would rise up within me and ask why the Lord did not step in to stop them.
I know doubting the Lord is wrong, yet the doubt still lingers like an idol, even though I now have so much evidence that the Lord has always fulfilled His promises to me. But I also know that, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, my struggles with independence and doubt will lessen over time until they become only whispers in my heart that I hear but no longer follow.
If these verses resonate with you—if you feel drawn to place your faith in Jesus Christ, the One who sees the idols in your heart and helps you overcome them—this may be your moment. Open your heart to Him. Speak to Him in prayer. Tell Him you trust Him and desire to walk with Him. He is faithful, and He will meet you exactly where you are.
Heavenly Father, I give You my life. Please forgive me for all my sins and wash me clean through the blood of Jesus. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead, and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I receive Your forgiveness and the gift of salvation. Thank You, Lord—I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, and I am made new in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! I encourage you to find and join a Holy Spirit–filled, full-Gospel, Bible-based church where you can grow in your faith and experience the Lord’s love, signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment