The God Place - A Maltese Perspective

The following blog post is shared with permission from Alton Costa whom we met in Malta earlier this year.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” Jesus in Luke 14:26

How can Jesus speak about hate when He is portrayed and acknowledged by many as love. Can love and hate co-exist? Doesn’t love mean to accept anybody and anything, for the sake of peace and serenity?

Many would say, “This is so confusing.” You have two choices right now in front of you. 1. You can either give up thinking about it and continue your life or 2. Read this and sincerely reflect about the contrast Jesus is challenging you with today, in the situation you are currently facing.

God being the creator of all, created a special and sacred place within us all – The God place. This is that place in which ones finds true purpose and fulfilment. This place cannot remain empty and being made by God, it should rightfully be occupied by HIM. Since this sacred place cannot remain empty, failure to accept our dependency on Jesus (The creator and owner of this place), we will fill it with a God substitute.

This kind of substitute comes in various forms and shapes. It can be your career, your family, you husband or wife, your children, love for money, love for power, hobby, love for self pleasure etc….In other words all those things that take the place of God. What I am calling God substitutes will certainly bring contentment, fulfilment and a great dose of pleasure but you will soon discover if not yet discovered that all this will be temporary. It is fit to tell that when speaking about an eternal God, even a lifetime is temporary.

These God’s substitutes will at one point fail you. if not during your life time, they will certainly do at the point of death, because they will have no longer effect over you as they will be gone once and for all and then you have to face the true owner of that sacred place.

Using substitutes instead of the original explains, these million and 1 religions and ideologies, depressions, divorces, suicides and may other ill facts.

That is why Jesus is using such a sharp contrast in  Luke 14:26. because in order for you to discover your true life purpose and everlasting fulfilment, He must be the only one filling that special and exclusive place in your heart, even to the point of having to go against what today you feel are the most valuable things in your life. If those things or persons are holding you back from allowing Jesus to take His place within you, then you have to hate them, that is eradicate them from your life and deny them the faculty to interfere with your relationship with the only One who can give you eternal life. All this cannot be understood unless you truly value your life and value its creator. You were not created it for a 100 years but to live for eternity. Now you know, act on it and do not leave it until tomorrow, because tomorrow might never come.

For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his life? (Jesus in Mark 8:36)

Reflection triggered by a life changing book by the name of "Desperate Dependency" by J.Kirk and  Melanie D. Lewis

Alton Costa desires to use Desperate Dependency as a foundation course for new believers in Malta. Desperately Dependent Community will provide these books free of charge to Malta with your help. Click HERE to contribute to the gofundme campaign that will pay for shipping costs. 

Relevant Relationship

I [Melanie] have been reading Success and the Christian: The Cost and Criteria of Spiritual Maturity by A. W. Tozer and James L. Snyder. Although we have never read this work before, it is very interesting to see the many elaborations that are similar to those we have written in Desperate Dependency: Finding Christ Relevant to Every Area of Life. From chapter 5 of this work (The Deeper Life), I gleaned these comments:

A Christian is not one who has been baptized, necessarily, though a Christian is likely to be baptized. A Christian is not one who receives Communion, though a Christian may receive Communion, and if he’s been properly taught, he will. But that is not a Christian necessarily. A Christian is not one who has been born into a Christian home, though the chances are more likely that he will be a Christian if he has a good Christian background. A Christian is not one who has memorized the New Testament, or is a great lover of Christian music, or who goes to hear the Apollo Club sing the Messiah every year. A Christian may do all of those things and I think it might be fine if he did; but that doesn’t make one a Christian. A Christian is one who sustains a right relationship to Jesus Christ.

Christians enjoy a kind of union with Jesus Christ. Everybody sustains some relationship to Jesus Christ; just the same as everybody in America sustains some relation to Krushchev [former leader of the Soviet Union]. My personal relation is one of active hostility so far as can be possible within a Christian framework. We can’t hate people, but we can hate everything they stand for, and I want it known that I do. But everybody has a relationship to everybody else, and everybody has a relation to Jesus Christ. The relation he sustains may be one of adoring faith and love; it may be one of admiration; it may be one of hostility; it may be one of complete carelessness; but it is an attitude of some sort. A relationship of some sort exists between every human being and Jesus Christ; that is, every human being that ever heard of Jesus Christ. But a Christian is one who sustains a right and proper relation, a biblical relation, to Jesus Christ. (p. 67-68)

Tozer and Snyder offer these insight regarding “Freedom from Earthly Loves.”

What do I mean by earthly love? I mean any love out of the will of God, any love that we would not allow God to take away. If you have anything in this world or anybody in this world that you would not let God take away from you, then you don’t love Him as you should and you don’t know anything about the deeper life in experience. For the Spirit-filled Christian life means that I am delivered from earthly loves to a point where there is no love that I would not allow Jesus Christ to take away—be it money, reputation, my home, my friends, my family or whatever it may be. The love of Jesus Christ has come in and swallowed up all other loves and sanctified them, purified them, made them holy and put them in their right relationship to that all-consuming love of God so that they’re secondary and never primary.

I want to ask you this question: Is there anything or anyone on Earth that you love so much that you’d fight God if He wanted to take him? Then you are not where you should be and you might as well face up to it and not pretend to be something you’re not. Complete freedom means that I want the will of God only. And if it is the will of God for me to have these things, then I love them for His sake, but I love them with a tentative and relative love and not an all-poured-out love that makes me a slave. It means that I love nothing outside the will of God and that I love only what and who He wills that I should love. Then you can love everybody. (p. 78-79)

If you love anything enough that there’s any question about whether God can have it or not, you know nothing about the deeper life; you are a slave to that love whatever it is. If we’ve been freed from every earthly love, then we have no unsatisfied longings and we have no wishes and no dreams. (p. 81)

Freedom from earthly fears means that I choose the will of God now and forever; it is my treasure, my whole attitude. The only fear I have is to fear to get out of the will of God. Outside of the will of God, there’s nothing I want, and in the will of God there’s nothing I fear, for God has sworn to keep me in His will. If I’m out of His will, that is another matter. But if I’m in His will, He’s sworn to keep me.

And He’s able to do it, He’s wise enough to know how to do it and He’s kind enough to want to do it. So really there’s nothing to fear. (p. 82)

So I don’t say that the deeper life—the Spirit-filled life—means that you won’t be normal. If lightning strikes near you, you’ll jump. And if somebody comes at you with a needle, you’ll shrink—you are human. But that is one thing; it is quite another thing to walk around chained by human fears—chained by the fear of death or the fear of sickness or the fear of poverty or the fear of friends or the fear of enemies. God never means that His children should thus be afraid. (p. 84)

How desperately dependent are you on Christ?

[excerpts taken from Success and the Christian: The Cost and Criteria of Spiritual Maturity by A. W. Tozer and James L. Snyder, (Camp Hill, PA.: WingSpread, 1994). (Tozer died in 1963.)]

Potter and Clay

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

I want to do it my way! (Stomp your foot here!)

Man’s desire is for God to empower life on our terms. From this perspective, all of life, including eternal life, is a pursuit of unending self-indulgence, unlimited pleasure, and unparalleled comfort. Our physical lives exist for our purposes; we believe we deserve everything we want. The perceived ultimate quality of life results from having the freedom to live life the way we think best.

Driven by the delusion that we can attain independence, we are convinced our fulfillment can only be addressed by our creative solutions. God may have a plan, but we don’t see Him at work in our lives, so we will attempt to achieve satisfaction independently. We attach expectations for God to bring about our plans by employing all His power to accomplish our desires. Deceived, we come to the notion that God is perfectly okay with what we want. The delusion expands to accommodate the idea that our plans are equal to His will. From this perspective God exists for our gratification.

Our desire for independence clashes with the truth that only God is independent. We wrestle with futility as we strive to convince God that our plan should be His plan. With dashed hopes and thwarted expectations we grow resentful of God and stand in judgment of Him, doubting His love for us.

“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
      Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
      ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
      ‘How clumsy can you be?’”

This is what the LORD says—
      the Holy One of Israel and your Creator:
“Do you question what I do for my children?
      Do you give me orders about the work of my hands?
I am the one who made the earth
      and created people to live on it.
With my hands I stretched out the heavens.
      All the stars are at my command.” (Isa. 45:9, 11–12 NLT)

God responds that His will is not equal to our plans. Deafened by our delusions, we insist. Pretending to be sanctioned by the Lord, we amplify the deception moving us to a deeper level of darkness. “And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools” (Rom. 1:21–22 NLT). The battle intensifies between His will and our way.

      The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.
      Then the LORD gave me this message: “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom, but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.
      “Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’ ”
      But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.”
      So this is what the LORD says:

“Has anyone ever heard of such a thing,
      even among the pagan nations?
My virgin daughter Israel
      has done something terrible!
Does the snow ever disappear from the mountaintops of Lebanon?
      Do the cold streams flowing from those distant mountains ever run dry?
But my people are not so reliable, for they have deserted me;
      they burn incense to worthless idols.
They have stumbled off the ancient highways
      and walk in muddy paths.
Therefore, their land will become desolate,
      a monument to their stupidity.
All who pass by will be astonished
      and will shake their heads in amazement.
I will scatter my people before their enemies
      as the east wind scatters dust.
And in all their trouble I will turn my back on them
      and refuse to notice their distress.” (Jer. 18:1-17 NLT)

“People ruin their lives by their own foolishness
      and then are angry at the LORD” (Prov. 19:3 NLT).

Are you willing to be a moldable piece of clay, or will you be a hardened lump?

Walking Dead

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

When we allow God to occupy His designated place in our lives, we can experience a precious rest of sweet harmony. Although we must navigate the maze of earthly living, our minds live in the amazement of heavenly dwelling, for we are experiencing what He desires for us. Though here, we live there.

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1–3 NLT).

We join the ranks of the walking dead, as dead to things earthly but very alive to things heavenly. Carnal potential is given up for spiritual promise. We now see our lives as belonging to Jesus exclusively.

      “Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, ‘Are you also going to leave?’
      “Simon Peter replied, ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life’” (John 6:67–68 NLT).

“And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
      My only hope is in you” (Ps. 39:7 NLT).

Recognizing Christ as our only source of abundant living establishes a desperate dependency on Him. He alone supplies unlimited love, because He is love. Nothing can offer greater significance than the identity as a child of God. No other position is more secure than in God’s care, where He states, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deut. 31:8 NLT).

Living with divine enablement for personal empowerment attains ultimate fulfillment.

“Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts” (1 John 5:21 NLT).

“That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty” (Eccles. 12:13 NLT).

“For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power” (1 Cor. 4:20 NLT).

Would you like to join the ranks of the walking dead -- as dead to things earthly but very alive to things heavenly?

Comfort Zone

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

Habitually we choose to dwell in the comfort zone of believing the lie that we can be complete without God. But this self-sufficient delusion only reinforces our bondage of living in servitude to our flesh. Oppression erodes our emotional fortitude and leads to death in all areas of life, because death is the result of living independently of Christ.

“Jeremiah, say to the people, ‘This is what the LORD says:

“ ‘When people fall down, don’t they get up again?
      When they discover they’re on the wrong road, don’t they turn back?
Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path?
      Why do the people of Jerusalem refuse to turn back?
They cling tightly to their lies
      and will not turn around.
I listen to their conversations
      and don’t hear a word of truth.
Is anyone sorry for doing wrong?
      Does anyone say, “What a terrible thing I have done”?
No! All are running down the path of sin
      as swiftly as a horse galloping into battle!
Even the stork that flies across the sky
      knows the time of her migration,
as do the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane.
      They all return at the proper time each year.
But not my people!
      They do not know the LORD’s laws.

“ ‘How can you say, “We are wise because we have the word of the LORD,”
      when your teachers have twisted it by writing lies?
These wise teachers will fall
      into the trap of their own foolishness,
for they have rejected the word of the LORD.
      Are they so wise after all?
I will give their wives to others
      and their farms to strangers.
From the least to the greatest,
      their lives are ruled by greed.
Yes, even my prophets and priests are like that.
      They are all frauds.
They offer superficial treatments
      for my people’s mortal wound.
They give assurances of peace
      when there is no peace.
Are they ashamed of these disgusting actions?
      Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush!
Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered.
      They will be brought down when I punish them,
      says the LORD.

“Oh, why have they provoked my anger with their carved idols
      and their worthless foreign gods?” says the LORD. (Jer. 8:4-12, 19b NLT)

Perversion traps the unrepentant in the pathology of the sin nature. Regrettably, the deluded self-righteous soul chooses empowerment apart from Christ’s redemptive process and becomes ensnared by legalism or is lulled into leniency. Neither excessive adherence to the law nor subscribing only to the permissive, merciful, and tolerant attributes of God encompasses God’s design for a relationship with His children.

God does hold us accountable for deviance from His divine standard so we may have fellowship with His holiness. He also offers merciful forgiveness to the repentant that authentically choose Christ’s way instead of continuing to follow their own desires.

God’s design places Him at the center of our existence and makes Him responsible for our physical life, quality of life, and eternal life. Man’s desire, however, places himself at the center of his own existence, and he expects God to revolve around him while he pursues his own inclinations for physical life, quality of life, and eternal life.

One deluded soul was so convinced of his deception that he stated, “I don’t believe God is okay with what I am doing; but when I die and stand before God, I do believe I can explain it to Him and He will be okay with it.”

“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” (Rom. 6:1–2 NLT).

The self-sufficient soul seeks empowerment through God substitutes. Every attempt to find empowerment through any means other than Christ’s redemptive process through Christ’s redemptive work results in self-delusion and destruction. It is only through finding Christ relevant to every aspect of our lives that we can be freed from the power of sin.

Do you need to stop being comfortable?

Deception

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

The reality is that we live for the purpose of fulfilling our agenda of achieving happiness. It is difficult for us to admit we have an agenda; we want to deny selfish ambition in our decision-making processes. We want to be able to disguise our self-centeredness. Who wants to be labeled as selfish?

Even within Christianity we have made room for our own carnality. We want to follow God in a manner that seems interesting and stimulating to our flesh. Our walk becomes infected with selfish ambition and vain conceit, while we wear the garb of the righteous. Because we do not know how to connect to the Holy Spirit, we contrive our own version of His will: “It would make me happy to do what God wants, and I believe God wants me to . . .”

As we learn to understand and obey His commands directly outlined in His Word, it becomes easier to listen and follow His still small voice when He specifically whispers to our hearts. But our quenching of the Holy Spirit is almost as frequent as His convicting of our sinfulness. Pursuing the flesh then becomes the mission of our faith. The issue is for self to be promoted and preserved while we pose as those who walk with God.

“Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt. 23:28 NLT).

“So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:6–7 NLT).

The condition of “living in spiritual darkness” can be exemplified in statements such as “I love the Lord”; “I’m trusting Him”; “I’m willing to do whatever He wants me to do.” These assertions are proven to be false in our lives when they infringe on what we want. Then we are quick to abandon our professed loyalties to God in pursuit of what will make us comfortable. We deviate from His path to follow our own agenda.

Regarding Jeremiah 7:1-15 Warren Wiersbe writes “Because the people believed the lies of the false prophets, the people thought they could live in sin and still go to the Temple and worship a holy God. According to verses 6 and 9, they were guilty of breaking at least five of the Ten Commandments, but the false prophets assured them that the presence of God’s Temple in Jerusalem guaranteed the nation God’s blessing and protection from every enemy.”

Do we fall under the same consequences when we teach and believe that a mere profession of salvation without a life transformation is adequate to secure the salvation of our souls?

The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go to the entrance of the LORD’s Temple, and give this message to the people: ‘O Judah, listen to this message from the LORD! Listen to it, all of you who worship here! This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:

“ ‘Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land. But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the LORD’s Temple is here. They chant, “The LORD’s Temple is here! The LORD’s Temple is here!” But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice; only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.

“ ‘Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie! Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours, and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again? Don’t you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on there. I, the LORD, have spoken!

“ ‘Go now to the place at Shiloh where I once put the Tabernacle that bore my name. See what I did there because of all the wickedness of my people, the Israelites. While you were doing these wicked things, says the LORD, I spoke to you about it repeatedly, but you would not listen. I called out to you, but you refused to answer. So just as I destroyed Shiloh, I will now destroy this Temple that bears my name, this Temple that you trust in for help, this place that I gave to you and your ancestors. And I will send you out of my sight into exile, just as I did your relatives, the people of Israel.’ (Jer. 7:1-15 NLT)

What idol has God spoken to you about repeatedly, but you would not listen?

Does This Describe You?

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

Does this passage from Jeremiah 5 describe you?

Listen, you foolish and senseless people,
      with eyes that do not see
      and ears that do not hear.
Have you no respect for me?
      Why don’t you tremble in my presence?
I, the LORD, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline
      as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross.
The waves may toss and roar,
      but they can never pass the boundaries I set.
But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.
      They have turned away and abandoned me.
They do not say from the heart,
      ‘Let us live in awe of the LORD our God,
for he gives us rain each spring and fall,
      assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’
Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings.
      Your sin has robbed you of all these good things.

A horrible and shocking thing
      has happened in this land—
the prophets give false prophecies,
      and the priests rule with an iron hand.
Worse yet, my people like it that way!
      But what will you do when the end comes? (Jer. 5:21-25, 30-31 NLT)

The benefits of God include His purchasing our freedom through His Son, Jesus Christ. This freedom affords the privilege of entering His home as His child, where we can sit at His table dressed in our royal robes washed in the blood of Jesus. The price was not paid to merely release us to seek our independence or to indulge ourselves with the pleasures of this world. We are now free to belong to Him. It is sad, however, when the selfish mind misses this whole truth and insists freedom gives liberty to sin and do what we want to do when we want to do it. For these deluded individuals, eternal life in heaven is more important than being children of God. The idea of a relationship with Jesus holds no value to such people. It is yet another form of indulgence waiting for them in the next life of everlasting bliss. But for the authentic Christian, relationship with Jesus is vital. Possessing the privilege of the position as His child, our persistent pursuit is His divine nature and Christlikeness.

“And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires” (2 Peter 1:4 NLT).

The great and precious promises of God connect us to His divine nature. As a result of this connection, we possess the moral capacity to be holy and the emotional ability to be healthy. His promises give us the direction to arrive at His ultimate destination of Christlikeness.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. (Rom. 8:12–18 NLT)

Although we are not fully aware of all aspects of our inheritance, God’s promises provide a taste of the expectations He fulfills so we may live with earnest anticipation as we experience His life living through us. His promises are not merely for the hereafter, but encompass life here and now.

God provides the solution for life change. By acting on His promises we have His resolution to all problems and deliverance from the social ills that plague us. We do not comprehend that the solutions to all of life’s problems stem from believing and acting on the promises of God. God is literally saying to you, “I can solve your emotional problems, your parenting problems, your relationship problems, your mental problems, all of your problems, if you will trust My truths.” If our Christianity does not make a difference with our problems, then we have a problem with our Christianity.

God is extending deliverance to us as we rely on Him. “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies” (Zech. 4:6 NLT).

The question is, will you in your desperation depend on God? Will you respond to the invitation God gives to you? Will you continue in your self-effort? Will you believe the same lies? Will you commit the same sins? Will you experience the same problems over and over again? Or will you realize that you are a child of the King with an inheritance already in your possession?

Wayward Children

Do you ever wish your children would just make the right choices? You teach, you beg, you plead, but still they insist on their own way!

God teaches, and begs, and pleads too, for His wayward children to stop following after gods that are no help at all.

Jeremiah 3:12-25 (NLT) recounts His heartache. Although this passage was written with Israel as the example, it applies to us too!

Therefore, go and give this message to Israel. This is what the LORD says:

“O Israel, my faithless people,
      come home to me again,
for I am merciful.
      I will not be angry with you forever.
Only acknowledge your guilt.
      Admit that you rebelled against the LORD your God
and committed adultery against him
      by worshiping idols under every green tree.
Confess that you refused to listen to my voice.
      I, the LORD, have spoken!

“Return home, you wayward children,”
      says the LORD,
      “for I am your master.
I will bring you back to the land of Israel—
      one from this town and two from that family—
      from wherever you are scattered.
And I will give you shepherds after my own heart,
      who will guide you with knowledge and understanding.

“And when your land is once more filled with people,” says the LORD, “you will no longer wish for ‘the good old days’ when you possessed the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant. You will not miss those days or even remember them, and there will be no need to rebuild the Ark. In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the LORD.’ All nations will come there to honor the LORD. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires. In those days the people of Judah and Israel will return together from exile in the north. They will return to the land I gave their ancestors as an inheritance forever.

“I thought to myself,
      ‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’
I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land—
      the finest possession in the world.
I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’
      and I wanted you never to turn from me.
But you have been unfaithful to me, you people of Israel!
      You have been like a faithless wife who leaves her husband.
      I, the LORD, have spoken.”

Voices are heard high on the windswept mountains,
      the weeping and pleading of Israel’s people.
For they have chosen crooked paths
      and have forgotten the LORD their God.

“My wayward children,” says the LORD,
      “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.”
“Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply,
      “for you are the LORD our God.
Our worship of idols on the hills
      and our religious orgies on the mountains
      are a delusion.
Only in the LORD our God
      will Israel ever find salvation.
From childhood we have watched
      as everything our ancestors worked for—
their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters—
      was squandered on a delusion.
Let us now lie down in shame
      and cover ourselves with dishonor,
for we and our ancestors have sinned
      against the LORD our God.
From our childhood to this day
      we have never obeyed him.”

What God substitute do you keep chasing that is breaking the heart of God?

Which God Will You Choose?

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

Those who choose to receive God’s truth and enter into Christ’s redemptive process will move to repentance. Repentance is that place where we turn from our philosophy of self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness. It is opting to live and do life God’s way and giving up our self-sufficiency.

Those who continue in deception may attempt a ritual of repentance. With no true heart change, they may go through the motions commonly deemed consistent with repentance such as crying, revealing sinfulness, asking for forgiveness, going to the altar, making promises to be different, or even a renewed religious fervor. But these actions are merely playing “good” as these individuals attempt to feign something they do not possess. They are not actually seeking to be free from the domination of sin, but merely free from the consequences of their sin.

Deceptive individuals hope to project the virtue of godly change while remaining in their philosophy of self-centeredness. Through an elaborate ruse they attempt to regain power and control so they can once again manipulate trust to exploit others. But as we give up our willfulness to God and relinquish ourselves unreservedly to Christ, submission to God’s authority, obedience to God’s design, and death to our selfish desires will result.

      “Yet they act so pious!
They come to the Temple every day
      and seem delighted to learn all about me.
They act like a righteous nation
      that would never abandon the laws of its God.
They ask me to take action on their behalf,
      pretending they want to be near me.
‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
      ‘Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
      and you don’t even notice it!’
“I will tell you why!” I respond.
      “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. . . .
You humble yourselves
      by going through the motions of penance,
bowing your heads
      like reeds bending in the wind.
You dress in burlap
      and cover yourselves with ashes.
Is this what you call fasting?
      Do you really think this will please the LORD?” (Isa. 58:2–3, 5 NLT)

Often evil pretends to be good. When our profession of faith is not congruent with our possession of Christ, sin gets normalized through deceptive rationalizations. The expression of evil is then disguised in the charade of goodness. Evil may present itself with a demeanor of goodness to the point we wonder, How could such a good person do this? Then we must look deeper at the possibility that the alleged goodness is merely a facade to disguise evil.

“Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness” (Luke 11:35 NLT).

“And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!” (Matt. 6:23 NLT).

Some may lead others to believe that their basic heart is good with only random aspects of sinfulness so that their unhealthiness is promptly dismissed as soon as convenient and their evil becomes normalized. After all, we are all going to make mistakes, right?

“Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the LORD” (Zech. 8:17 NLT).

The LORD spoke to Jeremiah about the pretense of Israel. God knows the ache we feel when individuals only pretend to be sorry.

During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what fickle Israel has done? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree. I thought, ‘After she has done all this, she will return to me.’ But she did not return, and her faithless sister Judah saw this. She saw that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution. Israel treated it all so lightly—she thought nothing of committing adultery by worshiping idols made of wood and stone. So now the land has been polluted. But despite all this, her faithless sister Judah has never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry. I, the LORD, have spoken!” (Jer. 3:6-10 NLT)

Do you really want what God wants, or do you just say you want what God wants?

Imprisoned by Strongholds

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

We fall into a trap if we believe a person, position, or possession other than Jesus can complete our lives. In our daily struggles we search for ways to stimulate our emotions or sedate our emotions in order to feel good. But that which makes me feel good enslaves me. The end result is bondage. What a cunning ploy Satan has devised! “This is what you need to feel good about yourself,” he asserts as he lays the net to ensnare you.

“There is a way that seems right to a man,
      but in the end it leads to death” (Prov. 14:12; 16:25 NIV).

“An evil man is held captive by his own sins;
      they are ropes that catch and hold him” (Prov. 5:22 NLT).

These strongholds are fortifications that keep us imprisoned.

But if you really want something, who is going to stop you? The natural desire of the heart is self-indulgence: I want what I want! The end of all self-indulgence is bondage. The very thing we want will destroy us.

“Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death” (James 1:14–15 NLT).

Our self-centered choices lead to strongholds that result in relationship problems, emotional difficulties, physical challenges, and even a crisis of faith. And so we sit, looking at life through the portholes of our own strongholds that have imprisoned us.

The Galatians were struggling with similar issues. Paul poses this question to them: “After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?” (Gal. 3:3 NLT) They had fallen to the deception that by practicing religious rites they could be made right with God. They had arrived at the solution that a relationship with Christ was not enough; they needed more. Paul pleads with them: “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law” (Gal. 5:1 NLT).

In Paul’s writing to Timothy he admonished Timothy to point people to the truth, so “Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants” (2 Tim. 2:26 NLT).

The shackles of the sensual amusements of the world, the flesh, and the devil draw us through the lust of our hearts and the vanity of our lives and bind us in strongholds.

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. (1 John 2:15–17 NLT)

If we are to be a picture of Christ, a Christian, then we are to live as He lived—desperately dependent on God for divine enablement for personal empowerment. Thus, holiness is true healthiness—to be complete in Christ. How is this possible? We tear down strongholds through obedience to Christ. “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4–5 NLT).

“Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you
      and tore away the chains of your slavery,
but still you said,
      ‘I will not serve you.’
On every hill and under every green tree,
      you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.
But I was the one who planted you,
      choosing a vine of the purest stock—the very best.
      How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine?
No amount of soap or lye can make you clean.
      I still see the stain of your guilt.
      I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!

“You say, ‘That’s not true!
      I haven’t worshiped the images of Baal!’
But how can you say that?
      Go and look in any valley in the land!
Face the awful sins you have done.
      You are like a restless female camel
      desperately searching for a mate.
You are like a wild donkey,
      sniffing the wind at mating time.
Who can restrain her lust?
      Those who desire her don’t need to search,
      for she goes running to them!
When will you stop running?
      When will you stop panting after other gods?
But you say, ‘Save your breath.
      I’m in love with these foreign gods,
      and I can’t stop loving them now!’ (Jer. 2:20-25 NLT)

What love are you pursuing?

Looking for Completion

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

Every person possesses within his or her heart a completion scenario that delimits what would produce the ultimate fulfillment and satisfaction. This experience would represent the greatest encounter in life. Beyond this, nothing could be better. Our completion scenario is created out of a synthesis of our orientation to God, what we value, and what we think and feel. This completion scenario motivates desire and gives direction to our behavioral pursuits that are reinforced through immediate gratification. It is here within our very own version of our completion scenario that we seek to be validated by our God substitutes.

When the truth is revealed, we may be surprised to find these disturbing realities:

• My agenda is whatever will make me happy.
• I do not want to come to God to complete His agenda.
• I want to come to God so He can empower my agenda.
• Instead of serving God, I want God to serve me.
• I want to be self-centered, and I want God to approve.
• I want God to help me be more independent, more self-sufficient.
• I want God to empower me to not need Him.
• I do not just want to be independent; I want to be happy.
• I want all God’s benefits in addition to all my desires.

The emptiness of our hearts tempts us to continue the vicious cycle of seeking God-substitutes to fill the void. With continued resolve we contrive another plan of employing people, positions, and possessions for our power to live. Eventually the futility of the endeavor becomes evident through social rejection, compromised health, and a lack of personal energy to pursue the pathological dream. Alienated souls now stand stranded beside the road they thought would take them to the place of completion.

“See, they are all foolish, worthless things.
      All your idols are as empty as the wind” (Isa. 41:29 NLT).

In the second chapter of Jeremiah God expressed His feelings about those He offered to complete, but they chose their own completion scenario instead.

The LORD gave me another message. He said, “Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the LORD says:

“I remember how eager you were to please me
      as a young bride long ago,
how you loved me and followed me
      even through the barren wilderness.
In those days Israel was holy to the LORD,
      the first of his children.
All who harmed his people were declared guilty,
      and disaster fell on them.
      I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Listen to the word of the LORD, people of Jacob—all you families of Israel! This is what the LORD says:

“What did your ancestors find wrong with me
      that led them to stray so far from me?
They worshiped worthless idols,
      only to become worthless themselves.
They did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD
      who brought us safely out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness—
      a land of deserts and pits,
a land of drought and death,
      where no one lives or even travels?’

“And when I brought you into a fruitful land
      to enjoy its bounty and goodness,
you defiled my land and
      corrupted the possession I had promised you.
The priests did not ask,
      ‘Where is the LORD?’
Those who taught my word ignored me,
      the rulers turned against me,
and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal,
      wasting their time on worthless idols.
Therefore, I will bring my case against you,”
      says the LORD.
“I will even bring charges against your children’s children
      in the years to come.

“Go west and look in the land of Cyprus;
      go east and search through the land of Kedar.
Has anyone ever heard of anything
      as strange as this?
Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones,
      even though they are not gods at all?
Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God
      for worthless idols!
The heavens are shocked at such a thing
      and shrink back in horror and dismay,”
      says the LORD.
“For my people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned me—
      the fountain of living water.
And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
      that can hold no water at all!

And you have brought this upon yourselves
      by rebelling against the LORD your God,
      even though he was leading you on the way!

Your wickedness will bring its own punishment.
      Your turning from me will shame you.
You will see what an evil, bitter thing it is
      to abandon the LORD your God and not to fear him.
      I, the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken! (Jer. 2:2-13,17,19 NLT)

To whom or what are you looking to complete your life?

Do You Have Idols?

(excerpts included from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

Every temptation that threatens us is a temptation to live independently from God. Believing God cannot be trusted to govern our lives as we see fit, we must complete ourselves—we must be god in our lives. This idolatrous belief perpetrates arrogance and selfish ambition as we follow our own way with a distorted view of God and reality.

Idolatry is not just an Old Testament sin. Idolatry is evident in modern times, even in America, when we assert control and expect others to acknowledge our authority. Usurping God’s authority results in the violation of the first commandment, which states, “You must not have any other god but me” (Deut. 5:7 NLT). We insist on being idolized when we put ourselves in the place of authority as we attempt to control others and ourselves. Even when we demand that someone “owes” us, we are placing ourselves in the position of gods who maintain that justice is our responsibility.

Herschel H. Hobbs challenges us about other current day idols.

                        Do You Have Idols?

In travels about the world I have seen idols ranging from crudely carved pieces of wood worshiped in the open air to elegant images housed in beautiful temples. The material, workmanship, and location is not what matters, but the concept and purpose represented.

You may say you have never made an idol, neither have you worshiped one. Upon reflection is this really the case? Intellect can become an idol as you sit in judgment upon God, His Word, and His purposes in history. Your body may be an idol if you are more concerned about physical appearance and health than you are about your inner spiritual nature. Business or wealth can come before God and so be your idol. Another person may be your idol as you pattern your life after him/her rather than after God and His will.

Achieving your own goals become your god if they are more important than following God’s plan for your life. Popularity is your idol if you are more interested in being accepted by other people than by God. The mores of society become your idol if you care more about fitting in than you do about living by God’s eternal principles of righteousness.

It is folly to bow before these and other idols of this age and ignore the age-abiding will and way of God.

Warren Wiersbe reminds us, “Gods we invent can never protect us.” But still we worship what cannot save. Wiersbe also states, “what we worship and the way we worship are not incidentals in life; they’re essentials that determine the character of life itself.”

What is determining the character of your life?

No Other God

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

Within our lives we each possess a sacred “God place”—that place designed by God for God. Only He has the right to occupy this position in our lives. From this God place He rules over our souls and replenishes our hearts with His validating love while establishing our identity. When any other entity occupies this place, we are guilty of idolatry.

The Old Testament is replete with warnings and consequences that result when idols invade the lives of God’s chosen people. Although we may dismiss these passages because they are often connected with the pagan gods of Baal or Asherah, these admonitions also apply to modern life where we continuously allow other entities to fill our God place and dictate our lives.

Any substitution for God we permit to establish our identity, love, significance, or security is an idol. These counterfeits break the heart of God. He aches as He watches our foolish endeavors to find completion in our lives through empty alternatives.

This is what the LORD says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies:

“I am the First and the Last;
      there is no other God.
Who is like me?
      Let him step forward and prove to you his power.
Let him do as I have done since ancient times
      when I established a people and explained its future.
Do not tremble; do not be afraid.
      Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago?
You are my witnesses—is there any other God?
      No! There is no other Rock—not one!”

How foolish are those who manufacture idols.
      These prized objects are really worthless.
The people who worship idols don’t know this,
      so they are all put to shame.
Who but a fool would make his own god—
      an idol that cannot help him one bit?
All who worship idols will be disgraced
      along with all these craftsmen—mere humans—
      who claim they can make a god.
They may all stand together,
      but they will stand in terror and shame.

The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool,
      pounding and shaping it with all his might.
His work makes him hungry and weak.
      It makes him thirsty and faint.
Then the wood-carver measures a block of wood
      and draws a pattern on it.
He works with chisel and plane
      and carves it into a human figure.
He gives it human beauty
      and puts it in a little shrine.
He cuts down cedars;
      he selects the cypress and the oak;
he plants the pine in the forest
      to be nourished by the rain.
Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire.
      With it he warms himself and bakes his bread.
Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of it
      and makes himself a god to worship!
He makes an idol
      and bows down in front of it!
He burns part of the tree to roast his meat
      and to keep himself warm.
      He says, “Ah, that fire feels good.”
Then he takes what’s left
      and makes his god: a carved idol!
He falls down in front of it,
      worshiping and praying to it.
“Rescue me!” he says.
      “You are my god!”

Such stupidity and ignorance!
      Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see.
      Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.
The person who made the idol never stops to reflect,
      “Why, it’s just a block of wood!
I burned half of it for heat
      and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat.
How can the rest of it be a god?
      Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?”
The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes.
      He trusts something that can’t help him at all.
Yet he cannot bring himself to ask,
      “Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?” (Isa. 44:6–20 NLT)

What idol are you holding on to?

Christ Is Relevant to Hurt

“You hurt my feelings.”

When we utter these words, what are we really saying?
“Shame on you. It is your job to make me feel good, and you failed in your job.”
“How you make me feel can change my day.”
“I am unstable and need you to not rock my world.”
“Christ is not sufficient for me. You can affect my mood more than He can.”

Ouch!! You want to quit reading, don’t you? All our defense mechanisms rise to counter with, “So you think I shouldn’t have any feelings?” “If Christ is really relevant in my life I’m not suppose to feel anything; I’m just going to be happy all the time?”

The truth of the matter is that our hurt feelings are symptoms of the fact that we getting our validation from someone other than God – some one or some thing is making us feel love, significant, and secure. God designed us to find our love, significance, and security in Him. He is the One who never changes, and therefore can offer us stability as He validates our identity.

God wants us to be complete in the person of Christ, the position of His child, and the possession of His righteousness. His love tells us, “You are valued.” As His children we have significance that states, “You have purpose.” Because of His righteousness we have security that declares, “You are safe.”

By expecting to gain validation from another, we give them access to the God-place of our souls—that place designed by God for God. Only He has the right to occupy this position in our lives. From this God place He rules over our souls and replenishes our hearts with His validating love while establishing our identity.

Inevitably when our chosen God substitute fails to give us the validation we desire, we experience marginalization – the sense that we are not valued. The outcome is a diminished sense of love, significance, and security. With wounded souls, our feelings are hurt. This warning signal should cause us to notice that God is not in His proper place in our lives.

Jesus said, “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26 NLT).

The God place of our souls is designed for Jesus. Boundaries should be built around this sacred place to assure that none other but Christ resides there. It should be guarded by our fear of God with our appropriate view of God serving as the sentinel. The highest of all that is lofty should be ascribed to Jesus so that He attracts in full our hearts, minds, and souls, capturing our strength with the truth of His glory and virtue. Then Jesus becomes central because He is preeminent. We come to see Him in truth, as He actually is—Lord, Savior, lover of our souls, champion of our hearts.

When we choose to place Christ in His rightful position in our lives, peace and joy begin to pervade as the resident norm. Life now is a continuous process of experiencing Jesus relevantly to our lives—exploring how He is relevant to every new challenge of our souls.

Why then would we seek another?

Christ Is Relevant to Entertainment

relevant: having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand; affording evidence tending to prove or disprove the matter at issue or under discussion. (Webster's dictionary)

This is Travis' story:

Although I was raised in church my whole life, I was really only saved about four years ago. I had lived a life full of idolatry. I had so many gods in my life – alcohol, motorcycles, dependency on women, rock music, and positions I had, not just at work, but my ranking with other people.

About two years after I became a Christian our small group started working through the concepts of Desperate Dependency. It was a huge eye opening experience for me. My perception of what it means to be a Christian fundamentally changed. It was not necessarily just a change in how I view God, but how God views me and therefore, how I am to live in light of that.

When I was saved I was very heavily involved in alcoholism. God didn’t just help me work through it, He took it from me. He literally took the taste for it out of my mouth overnight. Which is an amazing thing to say.

But I had two idols that didn’t go away as easily – my participation with the motorcycle culture and my involvement with rock music. I was struggling with those things still. The lure of my motorcycles sort of moved out by the wayside over time, but I was still clinging to my music. It had been an anchor of my life for over 20 years. It wasn’t just that I enjoyed listening to the music, but I invested my time, my money, and my energy in traveling around the country to tape concerts for my personal pleasure. I enjoyed the thrill of being able to capture the moment and the prestige that came from others as a result. And then I would spend countless hours categorizing my accomplishments to put on display. I was very proud of my treasures.

As our small group started studying Job, I was impressed by the concept that God said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?” (Job 1:8) Then we came to Isaiah 44:8 where God speaks and says,

“‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?
And you are My witnesses.
Is there any God besides Me,
Or is there any other Rock?
I know of none.’” (NASB)

God used those Scriptures to hammer home to me what I was doing. I pictured God saying, “Have you considered my servant Travis?” and pointing me out to the world saying, “Here is my witness that there is no other god.” Then a lost world looks at me, but still I was hiding behind my back the idol of rock music that gave me my worth, value, and significance. It may seem simple to have something like that there, but it was a huge thing that took away so much time from my relationship with God. It was getting to the point that when I was presented with the choice between music and studying God’s Word, I was having a real tough decision about what I wanted to do.

That whole concept of me sitting there holding this god behind my back while people were looking at me just tore me up. It came down to the choice, “was I going to be obedient to what He was showing me?” It wasn’t that God was just going to take this from me like He did alcohol. I was faced with a decision as to whether or not I was going to be obedient to what God was asking me to do.

I struggled with that for two months. Once I started laying it down, the peace came to me and it started being easier and easier. The concept of divine enablement meeting with personal empowerment became clearer to me. God is giving me the strength I need to accomplish the task He asks me to do.


What idol is God asking you to put away?