IDOLS
Jean Robison,
Exodus
20.3 Thou shalt have no other gods
before me.
We are to worship GOD ONLY! I was talking to a young lady in her 20’s a
short time ago about her prayer life.
She was having some problems, and I wanted to help her get her prayer
life in order. She said she prayed
before she went to bed every night, then she kissed her cross that she wears
around her neck. What was she
WORSHIPING?
The cross she kisses at night before
going to bed is no more than an IDOL! This
young girl is a church member. Is this
another one that has been baptized but never taught the gospel? We have far too many of those that have not
been nurtured in the gospel, nor encouraged to read the scriptures.
2
Nephi 6.71 Yea,
wo unto those that worship idols; for the devil of
all devils delighteth in them.
2
Kings 17.12 For
they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this
thing. (Leviticus 26.1)
I did not realize the Lord has so much
in the scriptures about IDOLS. I have
seen myself in many of these scriptures.
Have you thought about the IDOLS in your life? I encourage you to look up the scriptures on
this subject and see how they relate to you.
This has opened my eyes to many things that should not be in my
life. FOOD is an IDOL for me. I love breads and pastas of all sorts, and I
know I eat more than I should. I am sure
if I ate only what my body required, and spent more time in reading the
scriptures, I would be healthier and not be overweight.
Psalm
115.4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of men’s hands.
I think of the expensive jewelry; many
people have so much they can’t enjoy it.
They have to keep it locked up and hidden in a safe, for fear of being
robbed. What are they worshiping, and
why, if they can’t enjoy it, what satisfaction would there be in owning
it? Would you say that is WORSHIPING
THINGS OF THE WORLD? A few years ago
when we had the scare the government would change the money printed, people
made a mad dash to buy all the gold they could, hoping to be prepared for what
might come.
Our world is crazy about ‘THINGS’ –
THINGS WE PURCHASE, WHICH HAVE NO REAL VALUE, THINGS WE COLLECT, and WHICH ARE
OF NO ETERNAL VALUE. Many people have
their “heroes” they worship. SPORTS HEROS
– many people spend more time either playing sports, or going to the games, or
watching them on TV, than they spend with their own family.
Today, we have such a mind-set for WIN,
WIN, WIN, and our children are being raised to “WIN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING.” What are we teaching our
children and grandchildren, when we allow them to tack up posters of the Rock
Stars, Sports Stars, cars, etc., to name a few? Are we teaching discipleship?
Many people treat their pets better than
they treat their own children. There
have been many cases where people have left a fortune, after their death, to
take care of their pet! Seems as though we are way out in left field in some of our
thinking. How well that money
could be spent to help the homeless children, and many other areas of need.
Ezekiel
14.5 That I may take the house of
Can we all relate to that
scripture? The more “things” we have,
the more time we have to spend on caring for them. The bigger our homes, the more furniture it
takes to fill them, and the more time it takes to clean them. The more gadgets we have, the more time we
spend using them. If we spend the weekend
on the lake in our boat, that has been what we have worshiped for the
weekend. Hours are spent getting the
boat ready to go, and hours cleaning it up afterwards.
We have neighbors, more than one, who spend every weekend throughout the summer taking care of
their yards. They are very nice, but
their yard is their god. The more
material “things” we have, the less time we have for God and His Son Jesus
Christ. What should be our first
priority? Do we consider what a slave we
will become to the “THINGS” we accumulate, or the money we spend to accumulate
them?
I ONCE READ A TESTIMONY OF A MAN WHO
SAID HE AND HIS WIFE WOULD NEVER BUY A HOUSE, BECAUSE THEY FEARED IT MIGHT DENY
SOME CHILD MILK TO DRINK. They did not
have children. They lived a very frugal
life. They tithed every penny they could to help everyone they could. That is commitment to our Lord Jesus
Christ.
WHERE ARE WE SPIRITUALLY, TODAY? ARE WE IDOL WORSHIPERS, OR DO WE HAVE AN EYE
SINGLE TO THE GLORY OF GOD?
extended
unto them, on the conditions of repentance;
Regarding the IDOLS in our lives, we
need to exercise one of the six principles of the gospel, REPENTANCE. Let’s take a good look at our lives, and ask
what is displeasing to God and REPENT.
TO REPENT MEANS TO STOP DOING THE SIN, IT MEANS TO CHANGE, OTHERWISE,
WE HAVE NOT REPENTED!!
Earl Curry made the statement, “SMALL
AFFAIRS OF LITTLE PERMANENT IMPORTANCE, TAKES SO MUCH OF OUR TIME, THAT SO
LITTLE OF OUR TIME, OUR MEANS, OUR RESOURCES, AND OUR POWER ARE DEDICATED TO
Does that describe us today?
Isaiah
2.18 And the idols he shall utterly
abolish.
God tells us He will utterly abolish the
idols in our lives. ABOLISH MEANS TO
DESTROY, MAKE NON-EXISTENT. He is not
pleased that we have IDOLS, which we worship.
I remember of all the statues and pictures that were plastered all over
the countries of Germany, Russia, Iraq, and other countries which were and are
run by dictators, of the many ways they were displayed for the people to
worship them. I also remember watching
the destruction of Saddam Hussein’s statue being pulled down, at the beginning
of the war in
Isaiah
10.11 Shall I not, as I have done unto
Isaiah
19.3 And the spirit of
How many here have seen the video “TRANSFORMATION?”
I cannot say enough good about this video. It shows literally, how whole cities have
been transformed, through prayer and fasting, and engaging all other
denominations – it shows how an evil spirit was cast over the city because of
all the people that were going to one lady who was a WIZARD, A SORCERER, who
could cast an evil spell on whatever she wanted. When God showed the pastors the problem in
the city, they prayed her right out of the city. Because of the prayers and fasting of the people
of these cities, many miracles happened.
This could happen in our city – the casinos, the bars, the houses of
prostitution, and the adult bookstores – it requires prayer, and fasting, and
working together!
One man, who was a hit man, was on his
way to murder a man, had the gun in the front seat of his car, with a silencer
on it, covered with a blanket. As he was about to pass a church where they
were having a prayer service, he said the car literally turned into the parking
lot. He was so overcome with the Spirit
of God; he had a conversion experience right then. His life was changed. He is now working for the Lord. SHOULD WE, AS RESTORATIONISTS BE IN THE
FOREFRONT OF THESE GREAT HAPPENINGS? If
you have not seen this video, I urge you to purchase it and invite others in to
see it with you. I have a burning desire
to see this happen in the Restoration.
I
will give you the address, phone number and email of this group. The Sentinel Group, 1800-668-5657, if you
wish to purchase this video, it is excellent, it is
called “Transformation.”
Ezekiel 14.
5-6 That I may
take the house of
Ezekiel 20.
16 Because they despised my judgments,
and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my Sabbaths; for their heart went
after their idols.
What do we do on the Sabbath day? Do we watch the ball games on
TV? Is TV on from the time church is over? Or do we go to the sports events on Sunday –
rush home after church, so we won’t miss any of the game at the stadium or on
TV? Do we spend the day on the lake,
fishing, or just having fun? What are
we teaching our children when this is the way we spend the Lord’s Day? Are we teaching them to be followers of
Christ?
Do we go out to eat on Sunday? Causing others to work on Sunday, the
Sabbath? How are we witnessing to our
friends? Do we prepare big meals on
Sunday? The D&C 59.3a tells us our
food needs to be “prepared with a singleness of heart,” on the Sabbath day! That is saying we should not be having a big
feast on Sundays!!
Also, D&C 59.2 tells us to keep
ourselves unspotted from the world, that on His holy day, we are to rest from
our labors and pay our devotions unto the Most High.
WHERE AM I
SPIRITUALLY TODAY, IS JESUS PLEASED WITH ME?
IS MY PRAYER LIFE IN ORDER? AM I
FASTING FOR THE NEEDS OF OTHERS? ARE
OUR PILLOWS WET WITH TEARS AT NIGHT FOR OUR FAMILIES, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP
WITH GOD, AND FOR OTHERS WHO KNOW NOT GOD?
1 Thes. 5.22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Do we think about this scripture when we
are doing something that is not pleasing to God? ALWAYS, OTHERS ARE OBSERVING US - when we do those
things we should not do, often times they say well, “this must be alright, I
see other Restorationists doing it.” We need to have a prayer on our lips at all
times, and ask God to direct us in the straight and narrow path.
There was a time in my life when I
played a lot of bridge. I loved the
challenge of the game. I played in
several bridge clubs, in the daytime while our girls were in school. It was an obsession with me. After I joined the church, I had my
patriarchal blessing, and I was shown a scroll, which passed before me of the
things that were displeasing to the Lord.
I then realized what a waste of time I had been guilty of – when I could
have been involved in something worthwhile, in the way of service to others.
Proverbs 4.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.
The things we admit into our hearts determines our lives.
If we are to build a saintly life, we must concentrate on all the
attributes of God. “For as he thinketh
in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 23:7.
I often have to ask God to grant me a clean heart and a right spirit
(Psalm 51:10). We must ask God’s help in
coming to LOVE ALL PEOPLE. We have all met people we felt we did not want to
know better – yet when we took the time to come to know them, we became good
friends. That is required of us!
1 Cor. 10.14
Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
The Lord cleansed the world with a flood
once, because of the sins of the people.
He destroyed
stone from
heaven, and many more examples in the scriptures where the people were
worshiping their own gods. GOD IS NOT
MOCKED; HIS PROMISES WILL BE FULFILLED!
We are the temples of the Living
God. We must separate ourselves from the
world. Put our trust in God and not the
world, and God will be our Father and provider, protector. (2 Cor. 6.14-18)
God made man in His own image. His desire is that men grow into a likeness
of His goodness and perfection – that requires change in our lives. Man makes idols in his own image. The Natural man creates a god who condones
his own base desires, that requires no change.
D&C
1.3e “but every man walketh in his own
way and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the
world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall
perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great which shall fall.”
Sisters, are we about our Father’s
business? Are we striving to serve the
poor and needy? Are we visiting the sick
and afflicted, or do we leave that up to the Priesthood to do for us? Are we too busy with our own little
endeavors, helping our kids and grandkids keep up with the latest fads in
fashion, etc., which separates them from the “have nots,”
taking in the latest movies that are peppered with foul language, rushing to
the garage sales to buy more “things” that don’t really need? Do we have to have the latest in fashion,
which is known as a “clothes horse,” excess jewelry? Using money that could be spent to help the
homeless with food and clothing, a place to live or missionary work?
ISAIAH 3 - THE SIN OF THE PEOPLE - MODERN FEMININE
EXCESSES. I URGE EACH OF
US TO GO HOME TODAY AND READ THIS CHAPTER.
D&C
1.5f “For
I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;
nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be
forgiven.”
WE NEED TO KEEP OUR REPENTANCE FRESH,
DAILY. WE ARE ALL SINNERS, AND IF WE
THINK WE HAVE NO SINS, ASK THE LORD TO SHOW US OUR SINS, AND THE IDOLS WITHIN
OUR LIVES. WE ALL HAVE THOSE THINGS WE PUT BEFORE OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, IN OUR
LIVES.
God is constantly calling us to avoid
wasting our time and talents in the cheap, sordid things of the world. He calls us to turn away from such dead works
and become involved in activities that are of kingdom building quality. REPENTANCE IS THE CONTINUAL FORSAKING OF
THINGS OF LESSER WORTH.
God is not so concerned about our
getting what we want as he is in our wanting the right things. Some people continually work to obtain things
that will take them to the place they don’t expect to go.
THERE IS THE STORY OF THE RICH MAN THAT
DIED, AND A CLOSE FRIEND ASKED WHAT HE LEFT, SHE WAS TOLD “EVERYTHING HE HAD.”
C.G. Mesley
said, “EMBARK ON NO CRUSADE THAT DOES NOT HAVE ETERNITY IN IT.”
“FOR EVERY DIVINE LAW KEPT, THERE IS A
RELEASE OF DIVINE POWER.” F. Henry
Edwards
Brother E. J. Gleazer
prophesied; “YOU
WILL SEE THE DAY
COME WHEN YOUR RESERVES WILL DWINDLE,
PASS AWAY, AND IN YOUR POVERTY YOU WILL BUILD
D&C 1.5f “For I the Lord cannot look upon sin
with the least degree of allowance; nevertheless, he that repents and does the
commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven.”
Sisters, we need to repent of the IDOLS
in our lives, and if we are not aware of them, ask God to show them to
you. As we cast them out of our lives,
we will have a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father, we will be greatly
blessed.
HOW ARE THINGS WITH OUR SOULS – IS GOD
PLEASED WITH YOU, IS HE PLEASED WITH ME?