This is three in the series of “keep yourselves from idols”, as 1 John 5:18-21 commands; thus, we will read it from the New King James Version, 18 We know whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. 19 We know we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. 20 And we know the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
We see in Job 1:20-22, Job worshiped God; not blaming God for anything, but crediting God with everything, even though we learn from Job 3:20-26, his idol of worship was the satanic spirit of “fear and dread”; but, like all of us cleansing takes time, for it took 41 chapters before Job discovered his idol was the demon of fear and worry; therefore, Job repented in chapter 42, after he, in chapter 7:11-16, had asked God to “turn His head”, so He would not see Job hang himself.
What we call “my” testimony, which to some is all the gory details of the sinful past, thinking if we publicly “display our dirty laundry”, and how “new life in Christ Jesus” changed us into a new creation, it will encourage others to let God do in them what He did in us, not knowing the more detailed “my” sin-altering testimony becomes; especially with the names of those involved, the easier “my” testimony becomes “my” idol, because we have not forgiven ourselves or those we name as “my” associates in “my” testimony, and we even call disease “my” cancer, “my” diabetes,”, for these are “my” idols, I own “my” sickness and disease, I accepted from Satan.
In 1 Timothy 1:12-17, the Apostle Paul’s “testimony” was that he was the chief of sinners, yet Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; thus, by His grace and mercy, Paul became a follower of Jesus Christ. Paul simply confessed he had been a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, but he did not give the gory details of his past, only that Christ Jesus change him.
Even if we are seriously sick, yet we allow that sickness to “hold our mind prisoner” by fearing death, then our sickness and the fear of death become our idol, for we cannot focus our mind on 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 Peter 2:21-25, or Romans 14:23, because whatever keeps us from living and fighting or keeping our faith (1 Timothy 6:12) in God (Mark 11:22) is our idol.
We must daily by the positive, biblical words from our mouth, speak life (Proverbs 18:21) to every detail of the body we live inside, for as Christians, members of Christ’s body, the church, we are His only representatives, His modern-day disciples; therefore, if we fail to use the faith we have in Him, then Satan, the devil, and his wicked spirits will totally rule the earth, so we must keep our faith in God active, and steadfast against the satanic forces, as commanded by 1 Peter 5:5-11. Obey Proverbs 18:21 by speaking faith-filled words of scriptural truth to yourself.
Read and study God’s Bible, speak His promises to your heart; believe God’s word, but place all your faith and trust in the God whose word you believe, and convince yourself of this daily.
Second Timothy 1:7, Proverbs 18:21, and Galatians 5:6 are powerful—the Holy Spirit’s power, love, and sound mind, boldly confessed by faith working through love, will keep Satan, the wicked one from touching us, as we know from 1 John 5:18-21. Believe God and His word!!!
But even if this takes much time to learn, as it did for Job, then we still have 1 Peter 5:5-11 to believe and receive; thus, there is no reason for us not to believe God’s word and place all our faith and trust in the God whose word we believe and obey, for God knows when His plan, purpose, and time will make His promise “my” experience.
Jim, Kim, and Tim Nabors
