What do you need to trash?

I’ve thought about courage a lot lately. I guess it’s because I’m realizing how much I need it. There are so many areas of my life that I’m thankful for, but there are also those hot spots that always seem to trip me up… most of them in the area of motherhood. I have a choice: I can allow those areas to continue to cause me to stumble, or I can look the issues straight in the eyes and courageously have victory. The thought of going to my grave with the same struggles I had when I was 25 seems ridiculous, right? Yet seventeen years later, I still haven’t been focused enough to overcome the hurdles. So, my claws are out and I’m ready to be courageous. What about you? Do you need to exercise courage as a mom? An employee? A wife? A boss? A student? A daughter? A friend?While I was recently studying 2 Chronicles 15, I was blown away by the example that King Asa gives of what it looks like to use the courage that lives within each of us as believers. A prophet challenged Asa not to grow prideful or lazy after God gave him a huge military victory. Asa did what every parent hopes for when they give their child instructions: he obeyed immediately.

“He took courage and put away the detestable idols.”

For Asa and his crew, they wanted to enjoy all the loot they brought back from their victory. Their danger was to think they had what they needed and forget they were totally dependent upon the Lord. They could accidentally think the victory was their own doing, not God’s.What about you? Is there a recent success that you’re enjoying that could distract you from following God? Do the “spoils” of your victory tempt you to live a self-reliant life? What could potentially become a distraction in your life, if it’s not kept in the right perspective? Asa decided that losing God’s favor wasn’t worth the risk. He immediately used his courage and put away those things that could hinder his relationship with God. What do you need to put away?If success hasn’t been your recent story, you still don’t get a pass at the idol question. We can make idols out of our struggles. An idol is anything you give more attention and affection to than the Lord. Idols aren’t always gold and shiny. We can even make our negative thoughts about ourselves an idol. “I’m fat” or “I’ll never be good enough” can often consume more of our thoughts than the Lord does. Our focus on an ex-boyfriend or ex-husband can become an all-consuming, detestable idol distracting us from God’s best.Last, but certainly not least, we must ask if we are living double lives. Do you look like a Christian on Sunday but cause your friends to stumble on Saturday? Do you play with the idols of the world, thinking you won’t get burned? I challenge you to rise up and be courageous. Put away anything that keeps you from experiencing the full protection that God can provide.What will you put away? twitter | facebook