1 Samuel 7:3 (NKJV) 3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
Many have drifted away from God. Maybe it’s someone you know. Maybe it’s you.
Foreign gods can come in many forms. They don’t even have to have specific names, or even specific religious rituals to follow.
They just need to be able to take our attention off of the one true God long enough to cause us to put Him on the back burner for a while. Or maybe we move Him down our list of priorities, to somewhere lower than at the top.
There are many kinds of “Ashtoreths”, false goddesses, that we keep images of in our hearts and our homes; Money, fame, social status, self-vanity, sports stars, movie and musical celebrities, and so many more. They each hold a special little piece of our hearts.
Those pieces of our hearts are places where God is not allowed. Oh, He can look. But He can’t touch.
Many of us are facing our very own “Philistines” in our lives. We are standing in front of giants that taunt us and mock us, laughing out loud and daring us to step forward and just try to slay them, knowing that our false gods have weakened us and caused us to become spiritually impotent.
Our hearts can no longer afford to be divided between God and “Ashtoreth”. The division only makes us weak and feeble, unable to conquer a single foe, let alone a menacing giant.
It’s time for us to return to God with our whole heart. It’s time for us to put away the foreign gods and the “Ashtoreths”, and get serious with God. We need to serve and obey Him alone. When we do this, He will deliver us from the hand of the Philistines in due time.
Menacing giants or victory? Ashtoreth or God? It’s up to us; we choose.
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808
401-315-0902
If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!
To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.
Please consider making a Donation.
Click the player below listen to today’s devotional.
Get our mobile app here:
Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7
Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy
No comment yet, add your voice below!