Worn

“So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.”  Genesis 35:2

The shoes were old and full of holes, an embarrassment to be honest.  It was not as if we could not afford new shoes. However, he could not give up this particular pair of shoes.  They were comfortable.  They had taken him to many places and been a comfort to his hurting soles for a long time. He continued to wear these shoes past a reasonable amount of time a person would think appropriate.

Funny really, the old ragged pair of shoes, even in their current defective shape was more natural to wear than a new pair of fully functioning shoes would have been. New shoes require a time of discomfort as they became broke in and formed to your feet. Life is like that sometimes, it can be difficult to change, even when you know it is what is best for you.

Foreign gods were familiar in the day of Jacob.  He recognized the people in his household had brought with them.  Jacob also knew that you could not worship two gods.  It would be like trying to wear both your old shoes and your new shoes at the same time.  It does not work!

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24 NIV

Today, foreign gods continue to pull us away from the focus on the One True God.  One way we may have allowed foreign gods into our midst is thru spoken or unspoken vows.

A vow is a statement we make to our selves, such as:

• “I will never trust anyone again.”
• “I will never get married.”
• “I will do whatever I have to so people will like me.”
• “I will always look perfect.”
• “I will never be like my mother/father.”

These vows may or may not be intentional.  They may be spoken or unspoken.  Often they were made when we were young and are buried deep within us.  If this is the case, they most likely have become a part of our belief system. They have become comfortable and easy to wear; they have become a defining part of our lives.

A vow represents us choosing our will over God’s, and is a form of idolatry. It is a foreign god, brought into our being in the way of a self-contract. It has taken on an inappropriate amount of time and space in our thoughts and beliefs, and it is time to put them aside and wear a new belief, one God has spoken over you.

“What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 2 Corinthians 6:16 ESV 

As we pray and ask God to show us places where we have made such vows, we will need to follow the direction of Jacob and change our clothes.  It’s time to put away those old worn shoes that are no longer appropriate and wear the new ones.  In other words, it is time to give God our worn out vows and foreign gods and ask Him to fill our minds with His truths and His will.

It may feel a little uncomfortable to live outside of the constraints of your self-imposed bondage and get used to the freedom we have in Christ. Like a new pair of shoes, it will feel alien to us as our will conforms to the perfect will of God. Let’s pray and ask God to reveal to us these intrusions in our thought patterns and ask for forgiveness for putting our will above Gods.

Heavenly Father, we ask that you would reveal to us any vows we have made, known or unknown and give us the courage to let you remove them from our minds.  Forgive us for the times when we have put our thoughts above yours and turned them into idols.  We choose today to follow into Your desires for our lives and to live and worship, You, the One True God.  Lord, hear my prayers.  Amen