For the intercessors right now. For those seeking the salvation of their land:

“When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV).

Sin defiles the land. What sin? Well any sin but the Lord has put one type of sin on my heart right now and that is idolatry–the worship of idols. The very first commandment in Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” We must repent for idolatry and tear down the high places in our heart.

Did you know that idolatry in the heart causes our spiritual senses to be dull and ineffective? Romans 11:7-8 says, “What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Just as it is written: ‘God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see, And ears that they should not hear, to this very day.’ Israel was not able to receive Jesus and thereby receive grace because their idols of religion, form, function and tradition blinded them. Are we any better than Israel? No. Is it possible for us also to suffer spiritual blindness and deafness because of OUR disobedience and idolatry? Yes. (Also see Isaiah 29:10, Isaiah 6:9-10, Psalm 115:4-8 and Psalm 135:15-18 to see how idol worship affects our senses.)

Did you notice in Romans that the consequence of Israel’s disobedience and idolatry was a “spirit of stupor?” Stupor is defined as “a condition of greatly dulled or completely suspended sense or sensibility; a mental condition marked by absence of spontaneous movement, greatly diminished responsiveness to stimulation, and usually impaired consciousness.”

Has the North American church been in a stupor??? Perhaps.

Years ago I did a study by Kyle Idleman called, gods at war. And you may think that idolatry only has to do with the worship of golden calves or graven images or false gods or being involved in witchcraft. But idolatry is broader than that. Idolatry is about the love of anything or anyone that goes beyond or is on par with your love for God. God will not share the throne of your heart with anything. In his study, Idleman poses questions to his readers to help them identify idols in their heart. Some of them are:

What has left you feeling the most disappointed?

What do you complain about?

What do you sacrifice your time and money for?

What do you worry about?

What makes you unreasonably mad?

What do you dream of?

Whose approval means the most to you?

And here’s one I will add:

Complete the sentence: “I won’t be completely happy until …….”

Your answers aren’t necessarily idols but they can be. You will have to check in with the Lord to know. Are these things and/or people too important to you? Do they contend for or share the throne of your heart with God?

In our wonderful, plentiful society, where many of us can have most of what we want, i think the most common idol is SELF. We do whatever we need to to protect ourselves, to feel loved, to feel safe and to feel comfortable–to enjoy life. If worshipping God is going to cost us anything, we hesitate and re-evaluate our actions. Luke 14 does tell us to count the cost. Luke 14:33 says, “… whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

What idols are in your life? What are you not willing to forsake for Christ?

It’s time to repent.

What idols are in the church?

Tradition? The order of service? The ministry machine itself? The pastor? The sense of community?

It’s time to repent.

What idols do you worship as a country?

Pride? Independence? Freedom to do whatever you want when you want it? It’s funny how many believe that if they put God first they are somehow not free. People would rather be their own god than allow God to be God.

It’s time to repent.

Lord, I pray that all who read this will be moved to pray and do their part to repent on their own behalf but also on behalf of their community, city, region and country for how they have corporately worshipped idols and not put you first, O God. Forgive us for our prideful arrogance. You are God and you alone deserve to be on the throne of our heart. Help us Jesus to come back to you and deliver us, Lord, from a spirit of stupor. Cleanse us God and sharpen our sensibilities to see you and hear you with clarity. In Jesus’ name, Amen.