Idols...

Today’s topic is not going to be an easy one. In fact, it’s going to be a very hard one considering the fact that it involves a lot of transparency on my part. I am going to be talking about idols...and no, I won't be discussing golden calves here. I think all of us have idols...or...things we hold as more important than God in our lives. These things could include, but are not limited to Facebook, texting, watching tv etc. We can even make idols out of people in our life, or even good things such as schoolwork, or an instrument that we play.When you wake up in the morning, do you first pray and read your bible, or do you roll out of bed and check your phone for text messages? When you have a bad attitude, do you find yourself telling your friend about it first, or do you pray about it first? Do you find that you are spending more time thinking about a certain person (or certain people) than you are thinking about God? What makes you happiest? What do you look forward to the most? What do you want to have more than anything else in your life? What do you treasure most?If you answered yes to any of the first couple of questions in your life, you may have an idol. If your answers to the last few weren't related to God at all, that is an idication that you may have idol(s) in your life.You may not realize it, but your relationship with God is the cornerstone of your life. A cornerstone is the first stone set for the foundation. This is very important, because it sets the foundation for everything.Without the cornerstone or the foundation, there is nothing solid to build a structure on. Our relationship with God is also a well. When our relationship with God is doing well, it overflows into the rest of our life.  Our relationship with God is very important to the rest of our lifes. If our relationship with God is doing well, then our lives will go well. If our relationship with God has been lacking something, then we cannot be satisfied with anything in our lives!
Now that you have recognized that you have idols, it's time to figure out how to get rid of them. The first step to getting rid of idols is to recognize that you have them...The next step is asking God to help you break away from those idols. You might want to limit the time you get on your computer, or limit the time you spend with certain people. Some things you may want to stop doing completely.The third step is to make sure you are spending enough time cultivating and nurturing your relationship with God. Like all relationships, your relationship with God requires work from both ends. God's always doing His part, you're responsible for your own. You should spend time reading your Bible and talking to God and worshiping Him.
I realized that I have been spending a little too much time on my computer and not enough time with God. I have had to only use my computer for homework, and some blog updates, of course. In doing that I've had a lot more time to listen to what God might be speaking to me. It's really improved parts of my life so far...

Here I am going to close with a few quotes:
Be as quick to kneel as we are to text.~unknown
“We must overturn so many idols, the idol of self first of all, so that we can be humble, and only from our humility can learn to be redeemers, can learn to work together in the way the world really needs. Liberation that raises a cry against others is no true liberation. Liberation that means revolutions of hate and violence and takes away lives of others or abases the dignity of others cannot be true liberty. True liberty does violence to self and, like Christ, who disregarded that he was sovereign becomes a slave to serve others.” ― Oscar A. Romero, The Violence of Love
“A god is anything that lives outside of God.” ― Anthony Liccione
“We all claimed God as our God, but we had been serving lesser things.” ― Kelly Minter, No Other gods: Confronting Our Modern Day Idols
“We do not turn from our false gods to become God's children. We turn from them because we are.” ― Kelly Minter, No Other gods: Confronting Our Modern Day Idols