Sunday Scribbles : Crush 'Em

Heart in me, it's time to bow the knee.

It's where I need to be...

to be free.

Under the weight, not just for mistakes, 

my heart must break...

to be healed.

Living a lie to cover my pride, 

The door opens wide, 

and I go inside.

I lean in close, "Sin hurts the most, 

My heart, your soul,"

God whispers.

Heart in me, it's time to bow the knee. 

It's where I need to be...

to be free.

The cross was the place Christ cleared the space 

between me and you and...

the Father.

His heart aches, for what we've become

His Church, His stage...

is cluttered.

Heart in me, it's time to bow the knee.

It's how I want to be...

 free.

(Words by Melanie Shull)

A new Christian artist sparked a stirring in my heart at the Women's Reclaiming Hearts Experience. The YouTube video of Clear the Stage, by Jimmy Needham, was played on the big screen as the weekend began. I've listened to it over and over ever since. My scribbles above are an extension of his words and what I believe the Spirit is speaking to me about myself and His Church.

"You shall have no other gods before Me" is the first of the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God in Exodus chapter 20.  It is the essence from which all of the Commandments are based on. Even when Jesus was asked by the Pharisees what the greatest commandment was, Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matthew 22:37-38 NIV)

When we recognize that God is enough, our all in all, idols are not an issue. It's only when we begin to think we need more to make us complete that we start "idol-ing" before God. "Idol-ing" or idol worship can sneak up on us and take center stage before we know it.

As a result of this continued stirring over the last few weeks, God and I are in the process of identifying idols I've slipped up onto the stage of my heart. Idols I've put on His stage without even noticing. From a repentant posture, He's helping me clear the clutter so real worship for the only Person who is worthy of the stage can flow from my life, giving Him glory.

I believe Christ's heart hurts for where we are. His stage, the heart of His Bride, is cluttered with idols. For the Church to have any impact on a culture that is intentionally demolishing anything that resembles Truth, we must first get a grip on the idols we've made and crush 'em for Jesus' sake.

Turning the tide is possible, but it won't happen until we, the People of the Cross, stirred with great passion for the Person of the Cross - Jesus Christ - become so desperate for Him to take the stage once again that we'll not get off our knees until our idols are crushed before our holy God.

Anything I put before my God is an idol.
Anything I want with all my heart is an idol. (From Clear the Stage, by Jimmy Needham)

My Pleasure,
Melanie