Paul said that he had to fight the good fight of faith. 2 Timothy 4:7. Heart idols usurp God’s place in our heart. I wonder, as I type this, if heart idols keep us from memorizing Scripture. I can plead age and brain injuries, but I need to take this before the Lord and see what He says.

Heart idols keep us ‘me focused’ rather than fixing our gaze on the Lord. Therefore, according to 2 Corinthians 3:18, they would block our inner transformation as well. Our metamorphosis comes in two ways: gazing at the Lord, and renewing our mind through Scripture. Romans 12:2.

Back to Judges 6. It is the account of the Lord calling Gideon to specific tasks. In verses 25-27 he was instructed to take two of his father’s bulls. Tear down his father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the wooden idol beside it. That idol was a Canaanite goddess. What? 

Then Gideon was to take the wood from the idol and offer a burnt offering. Now follow me on this. What are we to offer? Hebrews 13:15 says, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

We take our fleshly heart idol, tear it down by confessing our sin against Him, and turn it into a sacrifice of praise. We thank the Lord for Who He is to us in that moment ~ glorifying Him as we fix our heart on Him.

Anything that takes the place of the Lord being first in our life is a heart idol. Matthew  6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” His righteousness is conforming our thoughts, purpose, and actions to His will and ways.

You can see how a heart idol is unrighteousness ~ it conforms to our fleshly desires. Anything that we turn to before we turn to the Lord is a heart idol. Our flesh operates from there.

A heart idol is a deceiver. Ezekiel 14 says that when we have an idol in our heart, the Lord will allow it to speak to us instead of Him. Wow! We do not want that! A heart idol will block His still small voice because they are always clamoring to be heeded.

Let’s go back to Israel’s disobedience. They served other gods because they didn’t fulfill what God had called them to do. He told them to destroy all of the enemy that was in the land. They had to fight for the land that was their inheritance.

Our inheritance is settled in the heavens. 1 Peter 1:4-5. However, our heritage is the righteousness that He gave us. Isiah 54:17 says, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage  of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord.”

1 John 5:4 says, “…This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” Romans 1:17 says about the cross, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

How do we apply the fruit of Israel’s disobedience to our own lives? As I read the word “plunderers” I thought of Matthew 18:34-35. God’s word says that we are to forgive as we have been forgiven. Ephesians 4:32. Colossians 3:13.

However, when we don’t it says that He will send torturers. Matthew 18:35 is our instruction. It says, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

The things that we do not shake off ~ negatively influence our thought processes. When we bury offenses, leave past emotional issues unresolved, or carry a grudge ~ we have not completely driven out the enemy. His inner strongholds remain to distract and derail us. If a train leaves the track disaster ensues.

Verse 15 says, “Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.” Distressed means: suffer from anxiety, sorrow, or pain.

Are you distressed? I recently had a new mentee write that she was going deeper and deeper into misery. Luke 4:18 Amplified says that Jesus came, “…to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed (who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity).”

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Our captive heart will be released when we turn from our sin to the Lord. Israel didn’t, and entered into one calamity after another. 

Right off in the book of Judges, calamity was described as the fruit of their disobedience. It gave me pause as I read this. Several times in Judges 1, it says that the children of Israel did not completely drive the enemy out. 

Judges 1:27 says, “However, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants…for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.” In verse 28 it says that when Israel became strong, they put them under tribute, “…but did not completely drive them out.”

In Judges 2:1 the Angel of the Lord spoke, “…I swore to your fathers; and I said, I will never break My covenant with you. And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land…But you have not obeyed My voice…”

Verse 3 says, “…I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”  Verse 11 says that after Joshua’s death, “…the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals.”

They forsook the Lord and served the gods of their enemy. Do you see the enemy’s influence? How could they bow down to a god, and forsake the One Who led them through the wilderness?

The Lord’s anger was hot against them. Calamity hit. Verse 14 says, “…So He delivered them into the hands of the plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.”

Years ago I was the accounting manager for a company with 13 corporations. When I came on board, the CPA helped me whittle it down to five. I knew everything about the money end of the company. I was a voice of truth that the enemy tried desperately to quench.

One day I was at work when I suddenly had a severe sore throat. It kept getting worse. Every swallow felt like knives. I finally took off early and went to my Christian doctor. He checked my throat really well. Sat down and said: Marilyn. There is nothing wrong with your throat. There is no redness or swelling. You have a lying symptom. I stared at him. My throat really hurt!

I learned a great lesson that day about how to shake off lying symptoms. Back to yesterday. According to what the Holy Spirit showed me, my friend’s apathy is a lying symptom. Apathy means: lack of interest, enthusiasm, concern; disinterest. 

John 10:10 explained lying symptoms as, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” What is our heritage? The verse says, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

The Strong’s definition for abundantly is: superabundance, excessive, overflowing, surplus, over and above, more than enough, profuse, extraordinary, above the ordinary, more than sufficient. 2 Peter 1:4 says, “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be  partakers of the divine nature…”

Our faith is constantly under attack ~ barraged with fiery dart lies. We are to stand steadfast behind our door shield of faith ~ believing God’s word. When His truth gets into our heart it will set us free and keep us free!

As I was praying for a friend, these words came out of my mouth ~ Help them to shake off their apathy like Paul shook off the viper. As soon as the words were out of my mouth the Holy Spirit helped me connect something.

Let me undergird this with God-breathed Scripture that instructs us in righteousness, according to 1 Timothy 3:16. First of all, in Genesis 3, satan showed up as a snake in the garden. Verse 1 says, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field…” The first thing he did was to counter what God had said.

Deception is connected with the snake. What did Paul do when the viper fastened onto his hand? Acts 28:5 says, “But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.” John 8:44 says that there is no truth in the devil. Every fiery dart he sends against our faith is a lie! According to Paul’s example, what do we do with lies? Shake them off!

Ephesians 6:11 says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Wiles are schemes. 2 Peter 1:16 says, “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”

Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transfigured right before their eyes. We see Him through His word. He reveals Himself to us from Genesis to Revelation. The more we bring His word into our heart, the more we will discern how the enemy is seeking to defeat our faith through his deceptions.

What has you imprisoned? What do you look at in your own life that is affecting you physically, emotionally, and spiritually? Our imprisonment is often through our negative mental dialogue.

We gain some perspective for ourselves through the life of Jeremiah. I encourage you to read Lamentation 3. His negative outlook affected him deeply. He felt like he had gravel in his mouth (verse 16) and was far removed from peace (verse 17).

In verse 20 he said, “My soul still remembers and sinks within me.” What event in your life do you keep going back to in your mind? What keeps you imprisoned in your past? You can set your intention to break out of it through changing your thought patterns. 

In verse 21 Jeremiah recalled something to his mind that gave him hope. Verses 22-23 are words we can lean on as well. It says, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

David started out Psalm 145 with intentional words. Verses 1-2 say, “I will extol You, my God, O King: and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.”

To recall means to bring (a fact, event, or situation) back into one’s mind; remember. When we feel overwhelmed by our circumstances, we need to intentionally recall Who the Lord is at all times. I encourage you to make a list of verses you can recall to help you stand and to keep on standing ~ steadfast, immoveable, and unshakable!

Jesus walked toward Jerusalem to die on the cross for you and me. It was the time for Isaiah 50:7 to be fulfilled. It says, “…I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.”

Watch what happened in Luke  9:53. The Samaritans didn’t receive Him because, “…His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.” A fruit bearing life that glorifies the Lord, walks intentionally in a way that exemplifies Him.

I was asking the Holy Spirit for wisdom for a mentee that I was working with. She is imprisoned in a serious eating disorder. He gave me two words for her to incorporate before she eats. “I will” indicates intention. 

Think of Habakkuk. Life around him was a mess. Habakkuk 3:16 says, “When I heard, my body trembled; my lips quivered…rottenness entered my bones, and I trembled in myself…” Habakkuk’s body was reacting to the stressful situation.

In spite of that, in verse 15 he said, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Psalm 146:2 says, “While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

Asaph was emotionally struggling. In his anguish he voiced questions about the Lord. Psalm 77:7-9 were his questions that you can read for yourself. In verse 10 he realized what he was doing. Verses 11-12 say, “…I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.”

Fruit is an inner work of the Holy Spirit in the life of one who is submitted and controlled by Him. Works of our flesh are visual evidence when we are not. Three verses before the fruit of the Spirit was listed in Galatians 5:22, Paul recorded 17 evident workings of one controlled by their flesh. You can read them for yourself. They are the opposite of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

1 Thessalonians 4:12 says, “That you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.” The Amplified says, “…bear yourselves becomingly and be correct and honorable and command the respect of the outside world…”

Romans 12:18 says, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Living as one set free from enslavement to sin, is a testimony of one who walks in the Spirit.

John said it another way. 1 John 2:6 says, “He who says he abides in Him ought Himself also to walk just as He walked.” Romans 8:5 says, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”

I was reading the book of 1 Thessalonians. The fruit of their salvation was recorded in 1 Thessalonians 1:9. It says, “…how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.”

They were set free from enslaving sin. Romans 6:6 says, “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”

Verse 10 was written about Jesus and verse 11 to us. It says, “…but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Hebrews 9:14 says that the blood Jesus shed for us, cleanses our conscience from dead works to serve our living Lord. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

How then shall we live? Romans 6:1-2 says that since we died to sin, how can we live in it any longer? 1 Thessalonians 5:15 is a great verse to help us answer that question. It says, “See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.”

The Amplified in verses 15-16 say, “…always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody. Be happy (in your faith) and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always).” Two barometer verses to help us measure our fruit.