NOTE: today’s post of part of Sunday’s sermon, and I
want to give a shout out to Pete Wilson and Justin Davis of Cross Point Church
in Nashville, TN for sharing this series.
When we fear that we aren’t enough for God, we start
looking to other things to provide what only He can provide. Often we look to things like our physical
appearance to provide us with identity, and that is idolatry because only God
can give you identity. Anything else is
an empty promise.
When we buy into empty promises, we can even have the
appearance of being religious without an authentic relationship with God. The world thinks we are good with God, and no
one will know but you.
If we’re honest, we don’t really believe God’s truth
that He is all we need or is our identity.
We believe it in our head, but we do not in our heart. There is a belief deep with us that we can
have both God and our idols. That
somehow it will work out okay. Yet there
is the evidence of idols in our lives when we substitute anything for God.
2 Kings 17:41 NLT
So while these new
residents worshiped the Lord, they
also worshiped their idols. And to this day their descendants do the same.
They also worshipped their idols. It’s not that they didn’t say their prayers
or sing the worship songs or go to synagogue or might have even been
giving. They were doing religious
things. They were cool with God, but
they also worshipped their idols. “They
also” that might be where we find ourselves too.
A
lie believed as though it were truth, carries the power of truth in our lives.
Uncovering lies we can give the power back to God and
take the power away from the idols or the empty promises that we have been
hanging on to for some time.
Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.
“They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
In order to move beyond intentions and live in
obedience, you have to be willing to expose the lies of empty promises.
God will not heal us of brokenness if we will not
acknowledge and bring it to Him. He
won’t heal brokenness that we won’t acknowledge. Just like God will not force Himself into our
salvation; he won’t force himself into your restoration.
Colossians
2:8-10 NLT
8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty
philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from
the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For
in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you
also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every
ruler and authority.
Your self-worth is God
given. Your self-worth is
non-negotiable. Your self-worth is based not on who you are, but on who God is.
Your self-worth was given to you before the creation of the world…your
attractiveness, your beauty, your weight, your complexion, your hair color,
your smile, your body shape have nothing to do with your self-worth. You are
valuable for the single reason of being created in the image and majesty of
God.
There is nothing we can do
and nothing we can worship or replace God with that can satisfy our needs and
set our future. Jesus the only one who
can do that. For as long as man has been
on earth we humans have tried to cover our sin or impress God or to do
something on our own, but God took care of it all.
Romans 5:8 NLT
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we
were still sinners.
Not enough good… no change to our appearance or our
actions … nothing can do for us and to us what Jesus has already done. Accept his acceptance of you. Love what He loves, and God loves you right
now as you are.
You and I will always come up empty when you look to
any thing other than God to provide our identity.
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