Main Thought
Life can be messy sometimes. Our choices can make a mess. We can find ourselves in a mess because of someone else’s decisions, or because we live in a world broken by sin. Regardless, God wants to meet us in our mess! As God walks with us through the messy situations of our lives, we learn to recognize and remove our idols. An idol (in a functional sense) is anything other than God that we trust to meet our deepest needs. Idols like power, approval, comfort, and control fail to meet our spiritual needs - but God does not! God is El Shaddai: a Hebrew phrase that can be translated to God Almighty, or the All-Sufficient One. God is sufficient for our personal needs, and He is sufficient for us to fulfill our purpose. If we’ll remove the idols from our lives, then we’ll be able to truly rely on God.
Main Passages
God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments.
- Genesis 35:1-2
9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty. be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.
- Genesis 35:9-11
Discussion Questions
Reflect on the four functional “idols” listed below, and the characteristics that might help us identify them.
If your idol is Power: your greatest nightmare is humiliation, your problem emotion is anger, and the people around you can feel used.
If your idol is Approval: your greatest nightmare is rejection, your problem emotion is cowardice (for fear of being rejected), and the people around you can feel smothered.
If your idol is Comfort: your greatest nightmare is stress or demands, your problem emotion is boredom, and the people around you can feel neglected.
If your idol is Control: your greatest nightmare is uncertainty, your problem emotion is worry, and the people around you can feel condemned.
Which, if any, do you think you might be a struggle for you in this season of your life? Why?
Think about some God-given purpose you feel called to fulfill. How might one of these idols interfere with your ability to fulfill that purpose for God’s glory?
How can God replace that idol in your life?