by Jessie Yount
Are you fighting for joy? Are you tired of fighting? Do you even know what or who you’re fighting against?
I remember a few summers ago praying constantly for joy. I felt apathetic at best – on a good day. Most of the time I was one missed step away from spiraling into bitterness, anger, sadness or depression.
But after getting some Biblical counsel, I learned I had to identify what I was fighting against. You can’t fight what you don’t know. And I didn’t know how much of my life and attitude was being dictated by my own desires and expectations.
Let me say, desires and expectations aren’t necessarily bad things. I wanted things that were good. But the degree to which I wanted them was taking over every waking moment of my life. All of my thoughts – about myself and about others – were focused on whether or not I got my way. And that sounds really childish. It is. But that wasn’t clear to me in the middle of my mess. What I wanted was so important to me, I couldn’t see beyond it.
And that, my friends, is idolatry. It’s not (for most people reading this) some carved image covered in gold that we bow down to. An idol is “anything or anyone that captures our hearts, minds, and affections more than God”1. We were made for worship. But things go wrong when we start worshiping things or people more than our Creator.
So what’s your idol? If you don’t think you have one, maybe life isn’t trying to take it away from you at this moment. Once someone or something comes between you and your idol, it gets harder to ignore. Harder to deny.
If you find yourself fighting for joy and contentment, I strongly recommend getting help seeing what you’re likely blind to. And if you’re ready to see what’s ruling your life, can I invite you to a conference our church is hosting next weekend? Brad Bigney is coming to talk about idolatry in just this context. He wrote Gospel Treason – a book that was a huge jumpstart for me to see what my heart clings to. And he’ll be here in Cape Girardeau next Saturday, September 12th.
Would you come and be honest and vulnerable about what might be controlling your life and your attitude?
Because once you know what you’re fighting, you can get the right tools and strategies to fight. You can actually start to win the fight for joy. And – spoiler alert – you can learn to take strength from the One who fights for you.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:2
Christian Growth Seminar
Idols of the Heart: Seeing the Sin Beneath the Sin
Saturday, September 12th | 9am-3pm
Learn more and sign up at https://capebiblechapel.org/grow
1 Bigney, Brad (2012). Gospel Treason. P&R Publishing
The Chapel blog 