Ruthlessly...

We live in a civilized time. On top of that we live in a politically correct part of the world. All of this is good and makes for neighbors to get along with each other. There is a down-side however. It’s possible for us to lose our ability to confront the things that are trying to destroy our lives…
“Ruthlessly demolish all the sacred shrines…” ~Deut. 12:2
The people of Israel served Jehovah, and yet they were surrounded by people who worshipped many false gods. Sometimes these false gods found their way into Israel’s world and they erected sacred shrines in the hills and small towns. God instructed His people to tear down these idol worship stations whenever they found them with great energy and determination. This is exactly what Gideon did right before he bravely led his army of 350 to attack an Midianite army of over 100,000. He won that battle by the way. But first he tore down an idol that his own father had erected in their family compound. Idols and false god’s weaken us. That’s why our God wants us to tear them down, He wants us strong. In this present day idols are less icon-like, so they’re harder to recognize. But anything that we depend on and give more desire to than God is an idol. Money, fame, power, sex, drunkenness, houses, hobbies, sports, etc., have all become weakening idols for otherwise good people. When these desires begin to outpace our desire for God and His plans, it’s time to muster our determination and tear them down…RUTHLESSLY! ~Verlon