Identify the idols

 

Today's blog post was contributed by Denise Friedman.

 

Today we will be focused on 1 Kings 18:30.  Prior to this passage, Elijah presented a challenge to Baal’s prophets, asking them to call on the name of their God. Elijah indicates he will call on the name of the Lord.  “The Lord who answer by fire – he is God.” Scripture tells us the prophets of Baal called on the name of Baal from morning to noon, with no response.  This continued until the evening, with no response. 

Verse 30 continues, “Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.”  They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins.

Elijah knew before he could call upon the name of the Lord, he needed to repair the altar.  The altar had been destroyed and was no longer being used for its original purpose – offering sacrifices to the one true God.  The altar had been broken down and was being used to make sacrifices to Baal. 

Today we find ourselves in a similar predicament.  Daily we are faced with the challenge of worshipping our one true King or worshipping to the many idols of this world.  While we may not have a golden calf in our homes, we do have idols in the form of money, work, and material possessions, to name a few. Our challenge today is to identify the idols which may be filling the places in our heart belonging to the Lord.  I encourage you to day to take some time to reflect and ask Holy Spirit to point these areas out to you.  Do not be afraid, God already knows your heart and it is His desire to help you clean your heart. 

Might I suggest you pray this prayer as you spend time identifying what needs to be repaired, “Create in me a pure heart, O Lord, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  God is faithful; He will create a pure heart within you.