Many of us who claim Jesus as Lord and Savior would have to admit that these are idols in our lives. By the grace of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we need to declare that we hereby turn away from these idols and turn to the living God. In today’s devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef identifies what an idol is.
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[00:00:00] You are listening to My Devotional, the daily devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading The Way.
[00:00:08] Do you have idols? By Dr. Michael Youssef.
[00:00:13] The Thessalonians had been idol worshippers, but they had made a 180-degree turnaround.
[00:00:20] They had broken away from idols and now serve the one true God.
[00:00:24] Not only did they serve God, but they patiently awaited the return of His Son, the risen Lord Jesus.
[00:00:30] Here we see the three great evidences of faith.
[00:00:34] One, you turn. Two, you serve. Three, you wait for Jesus' return.
[00:00:40] You might say, but Michael, I don't worship idols. I've never bowed down to an idol in my life. This passage doesn't apply to me.
[00:00:48] Please understand, an idol is not merely a little God fashioned out of tin or stone.
[00:00:53] An idol is anything or anyone that occupies our attention, our finances, our time.
[00:00:58] An idol is anything or anyone that controls us.
[00:01:02] An idol is anything that takes the place in our lives where God belongs.
[00:01:07] An idol today might be selfish ambitions, the accumulation of wealth and power,
[00:01:13] an infatuation with another person, an addiction to a substance or behavior,
[00:01:19] or an obsession with pleasure and fun.
[00:01:21] Many of us who claim Jesus as Lord and Savior would have to admit that these are idols in our lives.
[00:01:29] By the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we need to declare that we hereby turn away from these idols
[00:01:37] and we turn to the living God. Let's pray together.
[00:01:41] Lord, forgive us for setting up idols in your place.
[00:01:45] Reveal them to us so that we may repent and turn away from them into You.
[00:01:49] May we joyfully serve Your Kingdom as we await the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
[00:01:56] We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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