I have developed an appreciation for the writings of Kyle Idleman. He is the author of the book, Not a Fan, that I reviewed a while back. You can check out that review here. He wrote a new book in 2013 that I just completed, and he is due to publish a new book on March 1. God has really blessed him in writing and publishing.
The book, Gods at War, focuses on idolatry. His basic premise throughout the writing is that whatever sins we face or struggle with are not isolated. They are rooted in our misalignment of priorities. When we place something into the position of an "idol," we then struggle with it. An idol is defined as something that attempts to take the place of God in our lives as first and foremost. Kyle explains that ANYTHING can become an idol and thus a stumbling block in our walk. A good test to see what consumes our thoughts would be examining our own google search history. What hits are most frequent? Are they mostly centered around food? Are they sexual? What is consuming your thoughts? After we do a little thinking and reflecting, there are chapters dedicated to specific idols in our lives. The last chapter is the one I struggle with the most, the idol of "me."
I found it interesting that even the good things in our lives can become an idol. I was fascinated with the stories of real Christians who struggled with the specific idols in their lives. There were stories of denial, fall, repentance, and restoration. It does not matter what is your idol, what matters is what you do with the idol when you identify it. God belongs in the forefront of your thinking. There can be no other "gods" in His presence. He demands all of you.
Kyle and his father Ken are going to be speaking at the Elders' and Church Leaders' Conference at Lincoln Christian College this Saturday. I am really looking forward to seeing them speak. The topic of the conference is "Lead, Follow… or Get Out of the Way."
The first commandment given to Moses was:
"I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery.
You must not have any other god but me."
Examine your hearts. Remember our Lord is a jealous God.
I was able to see Kyle today, and I was glad to see he is just as compelling a teacher in person as he is in writing. I was a little surprised at the level of humility he shows. He did not mention his new book at all. He attributes his success as his God being strong in his weaknesses. He says he actually doesn't like large crowds or flying, and yet flew in a helicopter to make it there and back home again to preach tonight. Overall, I was impressed by his integrity.
ReplyDelete