Idols rob us of the immense joy God wants to give us. Everything good in this life is from God, given to us in love (1 Timothy 4:4-5). And yet, because of our sin nature, those good gifts often get turned into false gods. Our hearts were made to worship the one true God; if we are not worshiping him, we will always find something else to worship.
Putting God first is always the right thing to do. So in some sense, God is always telling us to put him first. However, in this article, we are talking about those moments in life where God is emphasizing this command to us in a more intentional way.
Fear is a focus on an unwanted outcome in the future. Fear occurs because you are worried about experiencing a pain you don’t want to experience or not experiencing a pleasure you do want to experience.
The more we desire something, the more we worry about getting it. Sometimes the worry can get so bad, so all-consuming, so unbearable, that we actually just want to give up the desire itself so we can escape all the anxiety attached to this desire.
“I thought God hates pride. So why is this prideful person flourishing?” “It doesn’t seem like my humility is helping me in my career. People who are exalting themselves seem to be getting all the promotions.” “Why do these rude, egotistical people seem to all be in relationships while I’m still single?”
Have you ever wondered why you can’t let someone go in your heart even though you know in your mind that this person is not good for you? Do you keep letting yourself get misused by an unstable person because you feel badly for them? Or do you feel obligated to help someone even though they constantly take you for granted? If so, you may be experiencing a trauma bond.
Was that just a random bad day or was that a spiritual attack? Is that person just not into you or is Satan blocking you two from being together? Do you feel this way because of a biological reason or because of a spiritual reason?
