Putting Off Idols

Sometimes there are seasons where the Holy Spirit draws new light on the holy perfection of God and brings conviction of many sinful patterns all at once. This might leave one to feel almost desperately overwhelmed by the sense of personal sin. These periods of brokenness and humility are excellent because they remind us to remain focused on Christ. These seasons drive us to our knees, perpetually, to seek His forgiveness, mercy and grace.

When we are stripped of all pride and false pretense of our own human strength, then God can use us more mightily because it is HIS power at work in us.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Jeramy has said this often, "God gives us more than we can handle so that we learn to depend on Him and He gets all the glory." Why? If God only gave us what we could handle then we wouldn't depend on Him at all, He would not receive any glory from what we could accomplish in our own strength and we are tempted to either boast in our success or wallow in self-pity (un-applauded praise) for what we've suffered.

After these seasons of renewed vision for the holiness of God there is, likewise, a renewed realization of empowerment to walk as Christ walked and put off these various idols. God's Word tells us that any time we sin, we are presenting ourselves as instruments of unrighteousness (Romans 6) and worshiping an idol (Romans 1).

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24

Some idols are easier to put off than others. One major idol is the fear of man or people-pleasing. Should we care only about God's opinion of us, which He has already made clear in His Word, then sin would be a whole lot less appealing and we would be driven on toward holy, reverent, joy-filled character all the more.