Session 2: Ironman Week 6 Notes

Review: What is an idol?

Anything you put before God.

What we focus on.

What possesses us.

What are some of the things that compel us to look at other things besides God?

Money, culture, sex, reputation, power….

Some things are not always as visible as others. But what are the sins beneath the sins? HOLES IN OUR HEART

Money, culture, sex, reputation and power are good things, it’s when they begin to take the place of God. When this happens we become enslaved to our own longings.

Today:

Luke 12: What if anything, did the Lord reveal to you in looking at Luke 12 regarding identifying idols you struggle with, where you are most vulnerable?

How do you plan on dealing with it or do you?

The idols in my life will remain unless I tear them down. If we don’t address one, more will pop up.

False gods can’t really answer these questions well:

Does it care for me?

Does it help me with my problems?

Does it last?

Too many times we go after the surface issues and we don’t go after what’s really underneath.

Exodus 20 – “And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before [a] me….”

There will be no others god that can do what He does. It’s when you understand God less clearly you might be getting a little closer to Him…

3 Ways to Tear Down Idols:

1. St. John of the Cross – “The Dark Nights Of the Soul” - It’s a hard place where you don’t want to be. This place reveals our attachments, it makes us naked and shows us how impotent our idols are and it strikes us down. At these times we can ask God, “Show me where I need you.”
2. Spiritual Practices – They are not the goal, they can become idols; however, they can help us gain control over our appetites. (i.e. reading scripture, the more I read His word, the more it gets in me)
3. Worship – To ascribe worth to….we just have to find the right thing (a relationship with God) to bring worth to. It’s when our hearts applaud beauty and they can’t help it. It’s a thankful heart for what it has. It is for you and I to live our lives in response to God. Avad – Hebrew Word for work, serve and worship…for some reason we separate them. Whatever we do (insert your job here), we should do it for the Lord. Something secular is bent and twisted…secular isn’t a thing it’s a direction. Just because you don’t work in a church doesn’t mean you aren’t doing God’s work. Worship is all of life.