Exposing our Idols.

Source: a-voice-crying-out.com via Marcie on Pinterest

Idols in our lives are basically invisible in our hearts. They lie covered never wanting to appear and be exposed for who they are and what they want. Who they are is something that you think you need in order to be happy. Well behaved children, a husband that is the perfect spiritual leader, a completely organized house or even freedom from trials. They exist because you think you must have them.

May I be a voice of reminder to what you already know, only Christ can give you happiness. I'm talking about after conversion. After we become adopted and heirs with Christ we must fight to have our complete happiness in Christ. In order to not waste your life, you must grab ahold and grip this reality to rid yourselves of idols and to truly experience happiness, joy and freedom.

Elyse Fitzpatrick has an amazing set of questions which helps us to discover the root of an idol. "Our idolatrous beliefs become evident as we find ourselves habitually sinning in some particular way." Think of a specific sin you struggle with, anger when critizied, easily frustrated, self-improvement, and think through the following specific questions.

• "What do I believe about the source of true happiness in this circumstance?

• What do I believe about God in this circumstance?

• What do I believe about myself--my rights, my goals, my desires?

• What am I trusting in?"

These questions are really helping me to diagnose my idols and deal with them before they act out as a behavior. May we be ladies who are not lazy with our sin, who joke about our little sins that we hold on to, but be women who are not ok with idols in there lives nor content to allow their live to pass them by. Be women who love Jesus supremely, who treasure Him and fight to be happy!

The questions and quote was taken from Elyse Fitzpatrick's book Idols of the Heart: Learning to Long for God Alone.

I'm linking this: Women Living Well, Time Warp Wife, Raising Homemakers, Women in the Word Wednesday,We are THAT Family

What Part of the Gospel Is Optional?

Idols we don't see.

Source: a-voice-crying-out.com via Marcie on Pinterest

Our desire for something can become so strong that they twist our thinking. Think of one thing today that you've desired very strongly. Maybe it was something you wanted your spouse to do, maybe it was a certain behavior you wanted your children to display, whatever it is I'm certain that if the outcome wasn't what you wanted you became frustrated and angry.

Having your children behave well isn't in and of itself a sinful desire but, when your children don't respond the way they should it shouldn't rock your world. If your continually frustrated and angered when the response isn't whats needed is then a bigger idol is being exposed in your heart.

Perhaps the Lord uses difficult trials in your life to expose idols in your heart. This week has been a week full of exposing things that I treasure above Jesus. Oh, it's so tempting to say we love Jesus, He's my treasure, I serve only Him, but, we foolishly don't understand our own heart. This is when the Lord graciously begins to shed light in the dark corners of our heart that harbor and breed idols. The things that I hold onto and grasp for and believe I have to have to be happy.

If you believe that there is anything you have to have other than God to be happy then that has become your idol/god. So many idols in our life go unnoticed, untended to, unreached. We think that our desire to have a nice home, well behaved children, a pleasant church to attend, friends to trust and family to live near are normal and pleasing to the Lord and these desires at at some level. At some point however, I believe most of the mentioned things become idols that need to be dealt with.

A good test to see if something is an idol is by imaging yourself without it. If the Lord called you to move what would be your reaction? Would you willingly and delightfully obey the Lord, leaving your family, friends, leaving that nice comfortable home that you have finally decorated just right? Most of us would not do so. I've been around so many people lately who have casually said, "NO way would I ever move away from my mom, or my {grown} children, or grandchildren. My inward response is, "Why not?"

Do we not have a God who has promised that He will work everything for our good {Romans 8:28}? Do we believe that God + our family, friends, nice home = happiness? Ladies, I believe most of us have bought into the 'American Dream' but of course put a Christian spin on it such as no drinking, smoking and make sure we attend church and our kids are in Awana. May we not be fooled, may we seek the Lord to expose idols in our hearts so the Lord can change us to derive all our security from Him.

Linking this: Women Living Well, Time Warp Wife, Raising Homemakers, Women in the Word Wednesday,We are THAT Family

Joy.

Often I find myself going days without blogging because either I have so much I want to say and not enough time or because I'm learning a lot of new things and want to make sure I totally agree and understand it before I blog about it. Today is a day when I have so much to say but don't have the time to completely articulate everything, so instead of just skipping another day of I want to just give you a short paragraph on a topic that I've been discovering so much about, JOY.

Source: etsy.com via Annie on Pinterest

Our joy can't be situational or conditional. It can't be conditioned on circumstances, moods or situations, which are constantly changing and never as {we think} they ought to be. Our joy must be completely rooted in Christ. We must learn, re-learn and remember over and over that Christ is the only thing that will satisfy our hearts. It is only Christ which can bring true and lasting joy and happiness.

Homemaking Party #34

New Year and new linky party. The holidays have made my blog and this fun linky party non existent but, we shall begin the fun once again, every Monday!

I'm linking you to a few of my posts due to the fact that we haven't had a homemaking party in 4ever and I have nobody to feature :(!

New Year.

Written to share my thoughts and desires for this upcoming year... don't miss the part about our adoption processing planning to be complete this year!

Homemade Laundry Detergent.

I posted this back in the summer and I've found a lot of my family w

anting to get on the band wagon of making their own laundry detergent. If you've never tried it, you really should, super easy and super cheap!

Don't Waste your Homemaking, Giving yourself.

A 'classic' post that describes a passion for teaching on not wasting your homemaking.

Get ready to party {Homemaker's style}. If your a blogger...

Please copy the code under the 'Unwasted Homemaking Linkup Party' to the right of this post and place it somewhere on your blog. {I want to make sure we continue to grow this party :)} IF NOT I will have to deleted your link! I hate to do this but, I put alot of effort into making this party grow and if anyone links they need to use my button.

Keep it related to Homemaking... which only excludes a few things. Any recipe, family tradition, devotional on homemaking/mothering, cleaning tip, craft etc

A Prayer to be Prayed.

photo via

The Lord is teaching me much about prayer. It's the very thing that sparked a gospel awakening in my heart. It is the means by which things around me are changing. Changed hearts, changed affections, changed desires, and creating a new life for me. Prayer is being held in high regard at my church and we have began to pray fervently for issues in the church; it has began to produce a unity and a fresh vision and passions for Christ.

Yesterday I remembered a great book of prayers in my husband's library, "The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions." These prayers have helped me to focus my personal prayers and have articulated different needs so accurately, drenched in God honoring theology. The following prayer is an excerpt from the prayer titled, "Need of Jesus" what an amazing prayer to start our week off with!

"LORD JESUS,

I am blind, be thou my light,

ignorant, be thou my wisdom,

self willed, be thou my mind.

Open my ear to grasp quickly thy Spirit's voice,

and delightfully run after his beckoning hand;

Melt my conscience that no hardness remain,

make it alive to evil's slightest touch;"

-The Valley of Vision, Need of Jesus.

Christmas.

My kids loved playing with this very kid friendly nativity. Rubber ducks turned Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and all the other characters of Christmas. Hobby Lobby only a few bucks.