Surrendering My Idols, episode 80

0:00 If you love a prodigal, you can discover help and hope for your wilderness journey right here at When You Love a Prodigal, and even help and hope for your own life journey. Did you gain some help and hope for setting your prodigal free from the evil one's traps? I trust so that we talked about last week. And today, we will talk about some freedom for you. Please be sure to jot down any ideas, anything God points out, this is for you, so that you'll be able to apply it.

0:41 I have always been amazed at the idolatry of the children of Israel throughout the Old Testament. I was sure I would never worship an idol until I discovered I had a serious idolatry problem. The prophet Isaiah repeatedly mocks the children of Israel for carving idols to worship out of a half of a log, and then with the other half of the log cooking their dinner. He said, how could anyone think that God carved out of a log could save them? We read in 1 Samuel that rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.

1:31 Wow. Rebellion and arrogance. I need to examine my rebellious tendencies, which I have. I have rebellious tendencies. Is it permissible to stand against injustice if we can't be rebellious? Of course. Is it good to push the boundaries to reach a breakthrough? Probably it is. Is it okay to break some rules for a higher purpose? Sometimes, perhaps, is it right to say no to God, to choose my way over his way?

2:11 Nope. Not okay. But do we still do it? Yes. I certainly have in my life. The good thing to know is that God understands our struggles. He knows. One of my favorite verses from Psalm 103, where he says he remembers that we are dirt. And what, you know, he made us from dirt. We'll be back, our bodies back to dirt. But he says he remembers that we have so little strength of our own. And that helps him to understand the struggles we have.

2:54 He proves over and over that our stubborn and rebellious choices are not only wrong, but foolish. And they represent the idols in our minds and heart. How do I know he understands? He's God, and he is good. He knows. He cares. And he is able to help. He is a perfect blend of justice and mercy. He loves me more than I can comprehend. He is holy, and he is grace, and so much more. Even knowing all that, do I still rebel? Sometimes.

3:38 But fortunately, life and experience have taught me well. I totally believe that his way is always better than my way. And gratefully, I usually, now, choose that way without a fight. The reality is sometimes I thought I had to have something, you know, something like my red Mustang convertible. Or the recognition that I thought I deserved for something I had done. Or other things to be happy, to be fulfilled, satisfied.

4:19 And those things can become idols. They can be so important to us. Idol is defined by God. Anything that is higher in our affections than God. Whatever we think, we must have to be happy. Something that occupies the throne of our lives. The primary idols of my heart? My own way and control of my life. And that's been a battle I fought my whole life. That I would get what I want, and I would be in control of my life. I didn't care about controlling others' lives, just mine.

5:01 But as I grew in my walk with God, I discovered this pattern in my conversations with God. Previously, not infrequently, I would say, Lord, I must have this, something I wanted. And God would say, probably not, Judy. Just surrender. You'll find what you really want. I'm a very slow learner. When God called me to serve him, to join the ministry I'm a part of, my fiance said, no, he was not going to be doing that. And I said, Lord, tell him. And God said, Judy, if you marry him, you won't be able to do what I want you to do.

5:48 So which way do I choose? My way or God's way? I surrendered. I chose not to marry that man I loved because God said he had another plan for me. And I loved what God had for me to do. When a man less qualified than I was given the job I thought would be mine, I said, no, Lord, this is not right. And God said, this is of me and it will be good. I surrendered. And God used that man to teach me so much and prepare me for what else he had for me to do.

6:29 When the man I loved was in no hurry for marriage, I said, Lord, either let us get married, my plan and a good one, or let this be over. I'm tired of not knowing. And God said, no, Judy, stay. You have so much to learn about my way, the my being the Lord's way. I surrendered. And a few years later we were married. And you know, he was definitely worth waiting for. When my first baby cried for months, I said, Lord, I am no good as a mother. I will never be in control of my life again. And God said, you are just right for this child.

7:15 And she is just right for you. For she will help you learn that your control of your life is not as good as my plans for your life. I surrendered. And each day I continued to learn more about choosing God's way. I wish I could say I always stay surrendered, that I keep my white flag waving always. But my desire for my own way is deeply ingrained. So my father continues firmly, creatively, gently, and lovingly to pry my fingers loose from my grip on my life, calling me to let go, to trust him, to surrender. And when I once again say, I must have this, he says once more, really, Judy, again, I have a better plan. And once again, I hopefully say, I surrender. So sometimes reluctantly or begrudgingly, sometimes with great sorrow or confusion, occasionally with anger and rebellion, or at least angry and rebellious words. Too often letting go of the same thing I must have over and over. But then it comes,

8:46 I surrender. Now, why do I share those stories? They are examples of idols. Anything that I put higher in my affections than God has become an idol. Anything that I think I must have becomes an idol. And we know that God told us not to have any gods higher than him. That is, no, idols. Over and over in his word, he reminds us that he is El Elyon, the most high God. He says these beautiful words to us, to whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all of these? He who brings out the starry host, one by one, and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. And yet we are so like the children of Israel, constructing our own idols, pursuing what we think will satisfy or rescue. I know, I've done it before. My recidivism rate is pretty high. Why do I want my own way so much? When you love a prodigal, this can be

10:19 a frequent conversation with God. I think for most of us, our most common idol is a person or people, people we love. And often those much loved wanderers and their return become idols in our lives. Some time ago, our son was going through a hard time. I thought he was doing well, making good progress, but I realized he was again making some really bad choices. My response was, no, he can't. I can't bear going back to what it was like when he was making all those bad choices. I can't stand for him to not choose God's best. I can't do this again. And there was my son, up on the throne of my life, on the throne of my heart. His becoming the man God made him to be had become, once again, an idol for me. Once again, I needed to take this thing I must have, the good life of my son, off the throne of my heart, and put it on the altar as an offering to my God. Please, Lord, take your rightful place. So God said, let's make a memorial, a remembrance of this surrender, which continues

11:51 to be so hard for you. Take a piece of white paper, you know, a white flag, and write on it the idol you are surrendering. I did that. I wrote Josh, and my desire for him to be all that I hoped he would be on that paper. And the Lord said, offer it up to me, a sacrifice of your heart. Set it on fire, not your son, but this idol that he had become. Burn it. It'll be a sweet incense offering. Collect the ashes and place them in your alabaster urn. I have this, I don't know, seven-inch high alabaster urn, and I have those ashes in there. And he says, put it where you can see it. So I do. It's near where I do all my work. It's kind of out of sight for most people, but I can see it. And I know it's there. And it is a wonderful reminder for me. The Lord says, when you find yourself once more placing him or something or someone higher in your affections than your love for me, let it remind you of your white flag. Surrender. Sometimes it still takes me a little while, but oh, the freedom when God is in his rightful place in my life, on the throne, in

13:28 control. And my idols, well, they're still important, but they are not an object of worship. They are not the most important thing in my life. So what about you? Do you have an idol you need to surrender? Maybe it's a thing, maybe it's a person, or maybe it's your plans for a person. Do you need a white flag? I hope you find the freedom I have found as you offer your idol, perhaps your prodigal, up to God. He will never quit working to bring him or her back to you and to himself, but he still wants to be in first place in your heart and your life.

14:18 And I hope you'll tell somebody what God taught you today, what he said to you. And I would be so grateful if you would subscribe and rate and even write a review of this podcast. God bless you.