Dear Church,
Yesterday, we continued our series Satan and His Schemes Exposed and talked about counterfeit spiritual power, false guidance, and the lordship of Jesus Christ. I know our enemy isn’t happy with this sermon series, and from what I heard, he has already started working overtime. Chains are breaking in our church; please continue to pray! And always remember GREATER IS HE WHO IS IN US THAN HE WHO IS IN THE WORLD.
After worship, as I spoke with a couple of people, one conversation reminded me of something very important: Satan does not only work through things that are obviously dark or occult. He also works by ‘good things’ that subtly redirect our worship away from God.
We were created to worship. The question is not whether we worship, but what or whom we worship. In our culture, worship does not always look like bowing before an idol. Especially in the American context, it can look like giving our heart, time, passion, identity, resources, and devotion to something more than we give to Jesus Christ and His church.
Believers can become deeply devoted to music, singers, celebrities, influencers, politicians, political parties, athletes, and even Christian authors, speakers, conferences, and even their pet theology in a way that begins to look like worship. None of these people are worthy of the place, devotion, time, and resources that belong only to Jesus Christ.
We also see this in sports. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, travel teams, tournaments, and championships can become good things that take the place of better things. When these things consistently take the place of worship, fellowship, discipleship, and the Lord’s Day, we must ask: what are we allowing to shape our lives, and what are we teaching our children to love most?
Many parents are exhausted trying to make their child a champion in something. But what does it profit a child to win trophies and lose spiritual formation? I have had conversations with a few parents who invested heavily in their kids’ sports at the cost of their turning away from faith. What does it profit a family to gain a weekend schedule full of games but lose the habit of gathering with God’s people? We can also worship success, education, money, beauty, politics, comfort, entertainment, romance, social media, approval, travel, career, and even our children. These things may not be evil in themselves, but when they become ultimate, they become idols.
An idol is anything that takes the place of God in our trust, affection, obedience, identity, or hope. This is why Scripture says, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21).
The danger is not only that we enjoy these things. The danger is when these things begin to disciple us more than Jesus does. They shape our calendar, our priorities, our emotions, our sacrifices, our identity, and our decisions.
So here are some questions to ask this week: What receives my greatest devotion? What shapes my schedule more than Christ? What do I fear losing the most? What has become too important to surrender to Jesus?
Again, as always, the invitation is not condemnation. It is freedom. Freedom is not only what we turn away from. Freedom is who we come under.
Next Sunday, we continue our series Satan and His Schemes Exposed with Part 3: Healing the Hidden Wound.
We will look at how Satan often builds strongholds on unhealed wounds, rejection, bitterness, and emotional pain but also how Jesus came to bind up the brokenhearted and bring healing to the hidden places of our lives.
Come prayerfully and expectantly. Jesus is not exposing wounds to shame us, but to heal us. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
Be Encouraged,
Mathews
