No Other Gods - Week 1 Day 1

It's been awhile since I used this blog as a Bible study tool.  Long story short...I am in a new season of commitment to deeper study as well as in a new season of accountability not only to my core group of BFF's but also to the ladies that are in my Bible Study group.  Using this platform is my effort to meet that commitment.  Ok enough of that...let's get to Bible Study.  Time to Grow :-)

We are starting the study by Kelly Minter "No Other Gods" and I need to first start by giving all the credit for these posts to Kelly Minter because these posts will be driven from and guided by where her Bible study leads us over the next several weeks.  I have no idea yet how I will even develop these posts or what format they will take.  I am simply diving in.  If you are joining me in these posts.  Welcome!  I need you to know that I am really doing this more for myself as a way to keep me on track, but my prayer is that you will find something in these posts or in Kelly's study to help you grow in your relationship with God too.

This study is based on the verse
Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other Gods before me.

This of course, is the first of the 10 commandments and seems pretty clear.  We should only have one God in our lives and through our relationship with Jesus we have a clear path to a relationship with God.  Right.  Seems simple enough, and it really is.  Until we get involved and start messing it up.

As soon as we have something else in our hearts and minds that replaces God we suddenly have an idol in our lives and therefore we have a god besides God.

The verse that jumped out at me in the study was
Psalm 119:33 Guide my steps by your word,
    so I will not be overcome by evil.

In the study guide the term that is used was "that masters and rules us".  And for me it really puts a different light on what an idol really is. When you think of an idol, our imagination very quickly takes us to an idol being something similar to that golden calf which the Israelites bowed down to.   I certainly don't have anything like that in my life.  I also thought of an idol as anything that was distracting me from being in the Word.  But in my heart I knew it was more than that. 

It is the focus....what in my life is mastering me or ruling me.  What is it in my life that is allowing me to be "overcome by evil"?  What is drawing me into sin?  Are there sins (and idols) that I don't even know about yet?   Whatever these are in my life, then that is the idol I have and therefore that is the god I am putting before my God.   Yikes!  Are you ready to dig into this study?  I know I am!!!