The Sermon Empty Promises by Terri Rummel
May 04, 2014
Empty Promises (27:25)
Referenced Scriptures: Psalm 37:4; Ezekiel 14:3; Ecclesiastes 1:8; Exodus 32:4; Exodus 20:3; Proverbs 14:12
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Idols We Create In Our Hearts
7 P's:
- Pleasure
- Prestige
- Passion
- Position
- Popularity
- Performance
- Possessions
Idolatry can be defined as: "To look to something that does not have God's power to give me what only God has power and authority to give" ~ Pete Wilson
The scriptures below are from the WEB Bible.
Psalm 37:4
4) Also delight yourself in Yahweh, And he will give you the desires of your heart.
Ezekiel 14:3
3) Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?
Ecclesiastes 1:8
8) All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
Exodus 32:4
4) He received what they handed him, and fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said, "These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt."
Exodus 20:3
3) You shall have no other gods before me.
Proverbs 14:12
12) There is a way which seems right to a man, But in the end it leads to death.
The WEB Bible is provided by Public Domain.
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This is a machine transcript of the sermon. It won't be completely accurate of what's said in the sermon.
Okay, today I I like to serve in the something that the ladies, we read the setting on a while back on this book called anti- promises and it 's really good because it opened my eyes to something that I even realize and I dismissed her up with a couple comments that were made on Mother Teresa once observed that in India, people are starting physically but in America, people are starving spiritually and emotionally, and it is cheap. Sometimes we think of Pakistani and it's terrible. But here we have so much to call upon an information and the freedom and were starving inside with that spiritual hunger and starvation could word each one of us did have a spiritual hunger that can only be satisfied by hamsters. After all, he created us, he created us for him and that relationship, and I think that's why there's always a hunger stirring within a somewhat even from a small age as we grow up. There's just something were obtained. We want to obtain in life. We feel we need. We need love we need acceptance. We need something, and in this book and it was really neat how he brought up all the things that I want to street it on. We use phrases like this could be more to this life for some restless on empty and just unfulfilled or even I feel like something is missing. I don't know what it is well, there's that gnawing hunger inside and we make a mistake. A lot of times. By looking for that satisfaction for that hunger in the wrong places, and we're all guilty of it in some way. We just don't realize it. I mean, we guess the walking work were believers, we have Christ in net should be our all in all, based you mean, really walking that walk on the items that we create is what this book is about, and it's not just idle us. We look it. We think of was the first thing you think of when you hear the word idle a graven image, or something or money, but this book really brought up a lot of things about what's in our heart. We have the items that we created in our own hearts when we failed to look to God to me. Our deepest needs. These idols are. When I called the seven keys, give us thought that they were neat. They all start with the P seventies pleasure. There's prestige and passion position popularity performance and possession, and if you look at each one of them were all those are things that we have a passion for in some way were looking for pleasure. It's not bad press feeds. Not bad. Passion is good at executing a right way and all of these things position popularity performance and you can pick any one of those, and sometimes you think what that's for other people. I don't have that problem. But if we look deeper into our hearts and pray about these things with the Lord. I'm sure he'll show each one of us. He said meal, i.e. things when I was reading this book said that was really interesting and this is what is called empty promises. When we go in the wrong way and the wrong places to obtain these things advertising is one of those things that can latest on that. Read if you just look at anything a magazine turned the TV on everything. It's what we should be, what should we be looking like what she we half the newest car in new Spain. The best time to run home and garden Frank a million-dollar homes or whatever. And sometimes we just think the only thing I don't have it all. Meanwhile, and sometimes it makes is not content with what we have an answer when those things that I think can just steer side of that way of thinking like we are so blessed. But then sometimes we get sidetracked with looking alleys are things that sort of filter into our thoughts. I could be with a friend and think I have it all. Everything is great. I'm satisfied and content and then all of a sudden they're saying about with this and now they're getting mad and had this in her Kennedy and I will be wrong with me that I'm not really in that they even went. It connections therapies are for things that are even necessary life but did you ever have is my three are great. This is one of my I love this because I can relate it to ever had, or Wednesday's late-night refrigerator raids for you just like search seeing you just want something one of the kitchen you looking like I want something hungry meal in a fridge. Each of you looking a stair unit within the Fred Finnigan of the cover unit within the cover you take a little of this, you take little that resisting you grazed your way through the kitchen and then later on you still unsatisfied. You think I'm still hungry and I was meeting all these things because all the wrong richest looking for something to get it yes five, ice cream, chips, yes we you switch back to the salt of the sweet antitobacco site but you know what I can understand and relate to that answer how we live our lives was thoroughly great little like looking for something in taste, though, that meant a minute okay this is my thing on the net. Obtain position I could just get to this place than him to feel good about myself. I will this family go on this exercise were found in a feel good about myself. MLB something MLB except then I'll feel like everything is okay and so many of us can fall into that trap so easily interface that we don't realize it's happening. So the best thing, and when things he realizes when you go to bed you are still hungry something is still lacking all those things were what you are looking for and what we need now is on Christ is the one who fulfills all the needs. It stemmed from. He's the one he gives us everything. All are satisfaction comes. He gives every good thing to us and that just keep this in mind that white Psalms thirty seven four fifteen take delight in the Lord and he will give you your hearts desire or give you that desire of your heart and its psyche said it's the lighting in the Lord is what we need. It's not the lighting and the things the desires of our heart because he's getting give us the desires that are his. So when we put our desires and him. First, it is a thought about seeking Christ, not about what our needs are then all the other things we become content and satisfied. He is the biggest gift he is the giver of life. Hence the you been on a journey whether certain plan page. Sorry you've been on a journey all your life from the date they were born. We have a longing. It's just don't interest because God created that and there are certain things in it that your soul longs for on this journey. Whether you're your real life that are not your life is saved by your search for these things you designed to spread all your energy and your respect toward whatever you believe can provide you with what you do whether your design purpose like I want to have a purpose in life. What is it something we just walk around. Sometimes we just don't know where purposes and a lot of times we already are walking in what God has purposed for you. Looking for worth and significance acceptance security looking for beauty, love, all these things that we all long for more of something in her life, and all these things. A lot of things stir from. I think acceptance and love. Also, because if we really knew the love of God, what he really has for us. We went need to fill that desire to have been met in other ways because when we truly understand we are loved by him. We are called by him. He news thinking he knows everything about us, we will have the acceptance. I see that too many times when you're that leads to a lot of addictions a lot of problems. A lot of bondage is that we fall into. It's a trap, and the question that he states here at simply put, we are a people wire to worship the question isn't do we worship the question is who or what shall we worship and there is that thing exists in all of us. Ultimately, it should lead us to the person of Christ. He fulfills our desires on the think about worship is weakening and we can even worship our own ideals. We can worship I am self effort could lead times. The whole name of the game in five years. How good are you we can do- did a lot of times we do it and a wrong way. If we have God strengthen us, God 's guidance in work on a deal with life so much better, but we do it so I might someday think we do it the hard way. Instead of taking the easier energy as they give me your burdens to me. I'll take those virgins. I partied accomplished everything that you need on the cross. It's easy to fall into the trap of author be if only and will get to it cleans the room story gets easy kill. First Ezekiel fourteen three says Son of Man. These men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces should I let them inquire me at all. He was talking about the adults in our hearts, not just titles, so there is a hard issue involved here. Our culture is set up to be like I said, defining yourself, but it's all from him anyway. He's the one helps us to acquire the things that we have. He's the one that blessed with us and I wanted for now to he brings up the fact that what he says. Idolatry is and listen his carefully candidate behind her. I had a related couple times ever to make it has traditionally@ nine oh is something that we define as anything that is more important to us and got in that strip, but when we look at that. His idea of God. Idolatry is when I look to some that is not how God 's power to give me what only God has the power and authority to do and get me, if that makes sense when you look at like that. It gives a whole new way of thinking about how you look at things. It's when we take the good things like a successful career love, material possessions, even family and turn them in to the hope that they'll provide something that only God can provide. So then if we get if we look at life and not enough form of idolatry were always always can be unsatisfied were always, more and so it's when we fill our God-given appetite and try to fill it with their something is in God we mainly think isn't that the way we pray that they would get a third this day our daily bread and the Bible talks about being filled with the living water. These things are what we need to keep us down. It's not all the other things. Now many gallons of it. Only if we go to eat out. Ecclesiastes one eight all things are wearisome. More than one can say I never had enough of seeing over the years deal of hearing talking about not having enough you ever see but never have nothing never hear enough this is the Anthony's. They listed. If only I and this I would fill worthy if I achieved that I would fill significant respected if I had with. They had, I wouldn't. I would be content, then if I get the promotion. I went to I would feel more valued if and Emilio more money. I feel more satisfied and if only I could get that person to love me I would have that security domain people we see that are broken because of these false senses of obtaining these passions and I like this fear is yes I have a lot of quotes here but the bear with me. I bet this is good. CS Lewis wrote, most people if they had really learned to look into their own hearts would know that they do want and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world there are all sorts of things in this world that offered to give it to you, but they would never quite keep their promise. There always, you down against the Scripture is full of examples, even of our constant need to grab at almost anything to try to fill them with deep building longings for worth significance and etc. and a good point is to look at, even when those this user lights and easy to her* Exodus thirty two verse one, when the people saw that Moses was the line coming down from the mountain. They can run errands that can make us guys who go before us is for this dilemma is as he brought us up out of Egypt. We don't know what has happened. Okay, got delivered them from bondage, from four hundred years took him up there. All this in was with them in a cloud in the fire and fed them and measured it at the mountain to get the ten Commandments and waiting it was not one of the things that they wanted to do, and right away I was just sought it out. I met a rent of semi- kinds despite they got waiting to determine how can we didn't have effortless. Must run away in their minds and their hearts and turn to building another God or gods had an immediate like for the gold. And in verse four. If you took with a handgun and made international cast in the shape of cat fashioning it with the tool and then they said, these are your guys that Israel who brought you up out of Egypt. How one ally. I mean, could you imagine their God had done all this for them, and they're already making the cat calf and then proclaiming what God did to deliver them, and giving the credit to these false images, but you know, we should be so harsh to do that judgment on the Israelites because deep down if they looking for a life not as harsh as that, but we can do that. We do it, and her allies and not realizing and it wasn't enough. See their need for hurry. I like this statement. He says women need for a hurry meets their desire for control. It becomes really easy to start worshiping someone or something other than our Creator God, and we are in the society to be in a hurry them a lot lately. What now and he wants to wait especially when God 's timing is not our timing on certain things were waiting for that right person, and Mary were waiting for that right time to have a child were waiting for that right guides not his time as his time, but then when we don't. One awaits me why control the situation. That's when we get into trouble and we can start seeking after different ways in and say this. Twenty verse three I very first commandment was, you should have no other gods before me. And it's interesting that the first new commandment out if you think about it. If you have other gods before you. You can't keep the other ones anyway. I mean we can't keep them all, but it's just an idea to make it if you can. If you don't put God first, you're going to have all these other sins come through the last thing and murder and stealing all these things can happen if you're not putting I'd first like the moral clothes in history that would have had a cop that I'm sorry the first very first saw the first famous moral code in the history of the rock has to do with the trap of idolatry, so we need to let God be in the sense role of our life to keep things in the right perspective and free from turning tiles, it's no surprise that because the bottom. I idolatry. Another thing is that it will wear you out. Idols don't have capacity to breathe life into us. Only God does all they do is take and take and take and degenerate. I know I do this. I'm just using myself as an example that I wanted to do the right thing. I want to love God with all my heart. I try to do my best, but sometimes I get this idea that okay, now they do all this this this this said, it can be single. Go right and I put all my trust in land self effort to do these things and then missing the relationship part the floor. I'm either striving to learn and study and repent and do whatever it needs are you missing the part where I'm just sitting and talking with the Lord, saying pretty one talk to me today about what can we know what he's speaking to me today as the current relationship that we put other things in our heart that we wanted to strive for it becomes overpowering to our relationship with the Lord performance is one of those PEs that I like this performance one because it's also very exhausting. Ask yourself these questions and I think they are great to ask are you looking into your own life. Are you tired of trying to keep the perfect house striving to have the perfect marriage. The perfect kids, the perfect line. The perfect car having everything you feeling the pressure to look like you just walked in the magazine you putting that pressure on yourself to look so good. What you wear how you look struggling to raise perky kids to excel academically and socially stay. You can say you can have that prays that my kid did that and announce a proud working to make more money than anyone else in your circle. All these things before not careful. Can Florida trickle away into our lives and take so are you wary of all the empty promises that you are longing aching for these performance driven lifestyles is just another form of idolatry. If you think about it, and it. This is a pastor. Their rate this book. I mean, he's done. He's dealing with this in his now- Esquire at the book. That's what I was saying a he even these are some of his questions and the questions and that he was receiving. He said. I've been deceiving myself and a number of ways convincing myself that I could find self-worth from several empty promises. These were sick questions that I could no longer ignore these are his questions. I thought it to others, and am overextended and hurting those closest to me why I continue to struggle was showing my wife. Love them or consists consistent basis. The way I should or husband could put dying for yourself way for husband. Why are my emotions affected more by how many people show up at a church than by just being in the presence of our Creator God, why do I continue to strive to find my identity and things like acceptance power money instead of in who God says that IM who does God say the you are dearly loved my child. That's it. He says to that is our total acceptance and love that should just envelop us only think about it, and all his other stuff is just trivial silly little things that we tend them at the Roland sort of gear a focus away from that into other things in Proverbs fourteen, twelve and it warns us there says there is a way that seems to be right, but in the end it leads to death. It's that spiritual like he was saying in the beginning you are going to be hungry and unsatisfied installed Jesus driving and looking for things in the wrong places. Gone. One says to have possessions gone once as he blesses us. He once is to have all these things. Love, but not at the expansive hurting ourselves and others using that communicating with the Lord himself and looking for him to him for the being the provider on how I read this last wrap this up. What if there were another way, the way that gives life instead of insert inducing stress. You see, I believe that God has not given up on you he is in fact powerfully present in your life even if it seems that he is absent, he has revealed himself to this it came to earth to show us how to live and then died for our sins in his resurrection he gave us hope that we can indeed experience the fulfillment of our desires. Jesus is continually inviting people to give up their idols and follow him. Jesus and Jesus alone is in Jesus alone is worthy of our whole devotion. He alone has the authority to forgive all of our sins, he alone has the wisdom to guide our whole lives. He will learn leaves us and invigorated rather than exhausted at peace rather than anxious. He alone has the power to fill the gnawing inner emptiness. We all experience and bring purpose to each and every day that he seems fit to grant us as a guest and I read it I thought to as I was writing some of these net I would have at the end of my life. I would not regret chasing after the wrong things the wrong dreams and not living I fulfill a joyful life that Christ died to give me, and I hope that this can be a challenge further for you to just ask God to show us within our heart. What items we may be seeking after and just look to him for the answer. That's that that's with you and him with her Barbie thank you, God, you are the one who gives life. You are the giver of life, the creator looking given us everything that we need and more sometimes we look past the thing that's right there with us, you, I just pray for each one of us for it. You would just show us some of those areas where we may be chasing after things looking in the wrong places and not being fulfilled what we want that fulfillment, satisfaction that comes from the Lord, show us Lord, teach us as we leave this place. I just pray blessing upon each one is for families, we thank you regard for. It's a privilege to be with. I called a child of God, thank you Jesus FreemanOkay, today I I like to serve in the something that the ladies, we read the setting on a while back on this book called anti- promises and it 's really good because it opened my eyes to something that I even realize and I dismissed her up with a couple comments that were made on Mother Teresa once observed that in India, people are starting physically but in America, people are starving spiritually and emotionally, and it is cheap. Sometimes we think of Pakistani and it's terrible. But here we have so much to call upon an information and the freedom and were starving inside with that spiritual hunger and starvation could word each one of us did have a spiritual hunger that can only be satisfied by hamsters. After all, he created us, he created us for him and that relationship, and I think that's why there's always a hunger stirring within a somewhat even from a small age as we grow up. There's just something were obtained. We want to obtain in life. We feel we need. We need love we need acceptance. We need something, and in this book and it was really neat how he brought up all the things that I want to street it on. We use phrases like this could be more to this life for some restless on empty and just unfulfilled or even I feel like something is missing. I don't know what it is well, there's that gnawing hunger inside and we make a mistake. A lot of times. By looking for that satisfaction for that hunger in the wrong places, and we're all guilty of it in some way. We just don't realize it. I mean, we guess the walking work were believers, we have Christ in net should be our all in all, based you mean, really walking that walk on the items that we create is what this book is about, and it's not just idle us. We look it. We think of was the first thing you think of when you hear the word idle a graven image, or something or money, but this book really brought up a lot of things about what's in our heart. We have the items that we created in our own hearts when we failed to look to God to me. Our deepest needs. These idols are. When I called the seven keys, give us thought that they were neat. They all start with the P seventies pleasure. There's prestige and passion position popularity performance and possession, and if you look at each one of them were all those are things that we have a passion for in some way were looking for pleasure. It's not bad press feeds. Not bad. Passion is good at executing a right way and all of these things position popularity performance and you can pick any one of those, and sometimes you think what that's for other people. I don't have that problem. But if we look deeper into our hearts and pray about these things with the Lord. I'm sure he'll show each one of us. He said meal, i.e. things when I was reading this book said that was really interesting and this is what is called empty promises. When we go in the wrong way and the wrong places to obtain these things advertising is one of those things that can latest on that. Read if you just look at anything a magazine turned the TV on everything. It's what we should be, what should we be looking like what she we half the newest car in new Spain. The best time to run home and garden Frank a million-dollar homes or whatever. And sometimes we just think the only thing I don't have it all. Meanwhile, and sometimes it makes is not content with what we have an answer when those things that I think can just steer side of that way of thinking like we are so blessed. But then sometimes we get sidetracked with looking alleys are things that sort of filter into our thoughts. I could be with a friend and think I have it all. Everything is great. I'm satisfied and content and then all of a sudden they're saying about with this and now they're getting mad and had this in her Kennedy and I will be wrong with me that I'm not really in that they even went. It connections therapies are for things that are even necessary life but did you ever have is my three are great. This is one of my I love this because I can relate it to ever had, or Wednesday's late-night refrigerator raids for you just like search seeing you just want something one of the kitchen you looking like I want something hungry meal in a fridge. Each of you looking a stair unit within the Fred Finnigan of the cover unit within the cover you take a little of this, you take little that resisting you grazed your way through the kitchen and then later on you still unsatisfied. You think I'm still hungry and I was meeting all these things because all the wrong richest looking for something to get it yes five, ice cream, chips, yes we you switch back to the salt of the sweet antitobacco site but you know what I can understand and relate to that answer how we live our lives was thoroughly great little like looking for something in taste, though, that meant a minute okay this is my thing on the net. Obtain position I could just get to this place than him to feel good about myself. I will this family go on this exercise were found in a feel good about myself. MLB something MLB except then I'll feel like everything is okay and so many of us can fall into that trap so easily interface that we don't realize it's happening. So the best thing, and when things he realizes when you go to bed you are still hungry something is still lacking all those things were what you are looking for and what we need now is on Christ is the one who fulfills all the needs. It stemmed from. He's the one he gives us everything. All are satisfaction comes. He gives every good thing to us and that just keep this in mind that white Psalms thirty seven four fifteen take delight in the Lord and he will give you your hearts desire or give you that desire of your heart and its psyche said it's the lighting in the Lord is what we need. It's not the lighting and the things the desires of our heart because he's getting give us the desires that are his. So when we put our desires and him. First, it is a thought about seeking Christ, not about what our needs are then all the other things we become content and satisfied. He is the biggest gift he is the giver of life. Hence the you been on a journey whether certain plan page. Sorry you've been on a journey all your life from the date they were born. We have a longing. It's just don't interest because God created that and there are certain things in it that your soul longs for on this journey. Whether you're your real life that are not your life is saved by your search for these things you designed to spread all your energy and your respect toward whatever you believe can provide you with what you do whether your design purpose like I want to have a purpose in life. What is it something we just walk around. Sometimes we just don't know where purposes and a lot of times we already are walking in what God has purposed for you. Looking for worth and significance acceptance security looking for beauty, love, all these things that we all long for more of something in her life, and all these things. A lot of things stir from. I think acceptance and love. Also, because if we really knew the love of God, what he really has for us. We went need to fill that desire to have been met in other ways because when we truly understand we are loved by him. We are called by him. He news thinking he knows everything about us, we will have the acceptance. I see that too many times when you're that leads to a lot of addictions a lot of problems. A lot of bondage is that we fall into. It's a trap, and the question that he states here at simply put, we are a people wire to worship the question isn't do we worship the question is who or what shall we worship and there is that thing exists in all of us. Ultimately, it should lead us to the person of Christ. He fulfills our desires on the think about worship is weakening and we can even worship our own ideals. We can worship I am self effort could lead times. The whole name of the game in five years. How good are you we can do- did a lot of times we do it and a wrong way. If we have God strengthen us, God 's guidance in work on a deal with life so much better, but we do it so I might someday think we do it the hard way. Instead of taking the easier energy as they give me your burdens to me. I'll take those virgins. I partied accomplished everything that you need on the cross. It's easy to fall into the trap of author be if only and will get to it cleans the room story gets easy kill. First Ezekiel fourteen three says Son of Man. These men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces should I let them inquire me at all. He was talking about the adults in our hearts, not just titles, so there is a hard issue involved here. Our culture is set up to be like I said, defining yourself, but it's all from him anyway. He's the one helps us to acquire the things that we have. He's the one that blessed with us and I wanted for now to he brings up the fact that what he says. Idolatry is and listen his carefully candidate behind her. I had a related couple times ever to make it has traditionally@ nine oh is something that we define as anything that is more important to us and got in that strip, but when we look at that. His idea of God. Idolatry is when I look to some that is not how God 's power to give me what only God has the power and authority to do and get me, if that makes sense when you look at like that. It gives a whole new way of thinking about how you look at things. It's when we take the good things like a successful career love, material possessions, even family and turn them in to the hope that they'll provide something that only God can provide. So then if we get if we look at life and not enough form of idolatry were always always can be unsatisfied were always, more and so it's when we fill our God-given appetite and try to fill it with their something is in God we mainly think isn't that the way we pray that they would get a third this day our daily bread and the Bible talks about being filled with the living water. These things are what we need to keep us down. It's not all the other things. Now many gallons of it. Only if we go to eat out. Ecclesiastes one eight all things are wearisome. More than one can say I never had enough of seeing over the years deal of hearing talking about not having enough you ever see but never have nothing never hear enough this is the Anthony's. They listed. If only I and this I would fill worthy if I achieved that I would fill significant respected if I had with. They had, I wouldn't. I would be content, then if I get the promotion. I went to I would feel more valued if and Emilio more money. I feel more satisfied and if only I could get that person to love me I would have that security domain people we see that are broken because of these false senses of obtaining these passions and I like this fear is yes I have a lot of quotes here but the bear with me. I bet this is good. CS Lewis wrote, most people if they had really learned to look into their own hearts would know that they do want and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world there are all sorts of things in this world that offered to give it to you, but they would never quite keep their promise. There always, you down against the Scripture is full of examples, even of our constant need to grab at almost anything to try to fill them with deep building longings for worth significance and etc. and a good point is to look at, even when those this user lights and easy to her* Exodus thirty two verse one, when the people saw that Moses was the line coming down from the mountain. They can run errands that can make us guys who go before us is for this dilemma is as he brought us up out of Egypt. We don't know what has happened. Okay, got delivered them from bondage, from four hundred years took him up there. All this in was with them in a cloud in the fire and fed them and measured it at the mountain to get the ten Commandments and waiting it was not one of the things that they wanted to do, and right away I was just sought it out. I met a rent of semi- kinds despite they got waiting to determine how can we didn't have effortless. Must run away in their minds and their hearts and turn to building another God or gods had an immediate like for the gold. And in verse four. If you took with a handgun and made international cast in the shape of cat fashioning it with the tool and then they said, these are your guys that Israel who brought you up out of Egypt. How one ally. I mean, could you imagine their God had done all this for them, and they're already making the cat calf and then proclaiming what God did to deliver them, and giving the credit to these false images, but you know, we should be so harsh to do that judgment on the Israelites because deep down if they looking for a life not as harsh as that, but we can do that. We do it, and her allies and not realizing and it wasn't enough. See their need for hurry. I like this statement. He says women need for a hurry meets their desire for control. It becomes really easy to start worshiping someone or something other than our Creator God, and we are in the society to be in a hurry them a lot lately. What now and he wants to wait especially when God 's timing is not our timing on certain things were waiting for that right person, and Mary were waiting for that right time to have a child were waiting for that right guides not his time as his time, but then when we don't. One awaits me why control the situation. That's when we get into trouble and we can start seeking after different ways in and say this. Twenty verse three I very first commandment was, you should have no other gods before me. And it's interesting that the first new commandment out if you think about it. If you have other gods before you. You can't keep the other ones anyway. I mean we can't keep them all, but it's just an idea to make it if you can. If you don't put God first, you're going to have all these other sins come through the last thing and murder and stealing all these things can happen if you're not putting I'd first like the moral clothes in history that would have had a cop that I'm sorry the first very first saw the first famous moral code in the history of the rock has to do with the trap of idolatry, so we need to let God be in the sense role of our life to keep things in the right perspective and free from turning tiles, it's no surprise that because the bottom. I idolatry. Another thing is that it will wear you out. Idols don't have capacity to breathe life into us. Only God does all they do is take and take and take and degenerate. I know I do this. I'm just using myself as an example that I wanted to do the right thing. I want to love God with all my heart. I try to do my best, but sometimes I get this idea that okay, now they do all this this this this said, it can be single. Go right and I put all my trust in land self effort to do these things and then missing the relationship part the floor. I'm either striving to learn and study and repent and do whatever it needs are you missing the part where I'm just sitting and talking with the Lord, saying pretty one talk to me today about what can we know what he's speaking to me today as the current relationship that we put other things in our heart that we wanted to strive for it becomes overpowering to our relationship with the Lord performance is one of those PEs that I like this performance one because it's also very exhausting. Ask yourself these questions and I think they are great to ask are you looking into your own life. Are you tired of trying to keep the perfect house striving to have the perfect marriage. The perfect kids, the perfect line. The perfect car having everything you feeling the pressure to look like you just walked in the magazine you putting that pressure on yourself to look so good. What you wear how you look struggling to raise perky kids to excel academically and socially stay. You can say you can have that prays that my kid did that and announce a proud working to make more money than anyone else in your circle. All these things before not careful. Can Florida trickle away into our lives and take so are you wary of all the empty promises that you are longing aching for these performance driven lifestyles is just another form of idolatry. If you think about it, and it. This is a pastor. Their rate this book. I mean, he's done. He's dealing with this in his now- Esquire at the book. That's what I was saying a he even these are some of his questions and the questions and that he was receiving. He said. I've been deceiving myself and a number of ways convincing myself that I could find self-worth from several empty promises. These were sick questions that I could no longer ignore these are his questions. I thought it to others, and am overextended and hurting those closest to me why I continue to struggle was showing my wife. Love them or consists consistent basis. The way I should or husband could put dying for yourself way for husband. Why are my emotions affected more by how many people show up at a church than by just being in the presence of our Creator God, why do I continue to strive to find my identity and things like acceptance power money instead of in who God says that IM who does God say the you are dearly loved my child. That's it. He says to that is our total acceptance and love that should just envelop us only think about it, and all his other stuff is just trivial silly little things that we tend them at the Roland sort of gear a focus away from that into other things in Proverbs fourteen, twelve and it warns us there says there is a way that seems to be right, but in the end it leads to death. It's that spiritual like he was saying in the beginning you are going to be hungry and unsatisfied installed Jesus driving and looking for things in the wrong places. Gone. One says to have possessions gone once as he blesses us. He once is to have all these things. Love, but not at the expansive hurting ourselves and others using that communicating with the Lord himself and looking for him to him for the being the provider on how I read this last wrap this up. What if there were another way, the way that gives life instead of insert inducing stress. You see, I believe that God has not given up on you he is in fact powerfully present in your life even if it seems that he is absent, he has revealed himself to this it came to earth to show us how to live and then died for our sins in his resurrection he gave us hope that we can indeed experience the fulfillment of our desires. Jesus is continually inviting people to give up their idols and follow him. Jesus and Jesus alone is in Jesus alone is worthy of our whole devotion. He alone has the authority to forgive all of our sins, he alone has the wisdom to guide our whole lives. He will learn leaves us and invigorated rather than exhausted at peace rather than anxious. He alone has the power to fill the gnawing inner emptiness. We all experience and bring purpose to each and every day that he seems fit to grant us as a guest and I read it I thought to as I was writing some of these net I would have at the end of my life. I would not regret chasing after the wrong things the wrong dreams and not living I fulfill a joyful life that Christ died to give me, and I hope that this can be a challenge further for you to just ask God to show us within our heart. What items we may be seeking after and just look to him for the answer. That's that that's with you and him with her Barbie thank you, God, you are the one who gives life. You are the giver of life, the creator looking given us everything that we need and more sometimes we look past the thing that's right there with us, you, I just pray for each one of us for it. You would just show us some of those areas where we may be chasing after things looking in the wrong places and not being fulfilled what we want that fulfillment, satisfaction that comes from the Lord, show us Lord, teach us as we leave this place. I just pray blessing upon each one is for families, we thank you regard for. It's a privilege to be with. I called a child of God, thank you Jesus Freeman