Let me give you four tragic results of dethroning the Lord.
“Israel empties his vine; He brings forth fruit for himself” (Hosea 10:1). Everyone in Israel was looking out for himself and the result was total emptiness. Hosea was speaking here to believers, showing them a picture of what happens to all who push the Lord out of their lives. Such people become selfish and miserable — and their every pursuit ends in emptiness.
God had blessed and prospered Israel, giving them houses they had not built and vineyards they had not planted. He had raised up godly men to speak as prophets and given the people clear words of direction. For years the people had proven God faithful, listening to His counsel and never turning to the flesh. Whenever God spoke to them, they obeyed, and they were miraculously delivered from powerful enemies.
“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth . . . whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).
“And He is the head of the body, the church . . . that in all things He may have the preeminence” (verse 18).
Do you wake up every day in anguish over a besetting habit or lust in your life? God knows all about the sin remaining in your heart. He knows you hate it and have wept over it and He wants you to hear this word: “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him and I am helped” (Psalm 28:7).
Satan wants you to be afraid that you will never be delivered, never be free. But David said, “I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4).
God says to all grieving, hurting saints, “Fear not! I see and know all your suffering and I will not allow Satan to destroy you.”
“You shall not be afraid of them” (Deuteronomy 7:18). For Israel, “them” represented the massive, well-armed heathen nations they faced. For us today, “them” represents every problem, trouble, and overwhelming difficulty we face in life.
God tells us that we are not to fear! And because He says so, no other explanation is needed. He is all powerful and wholly aware of the satanic strongholds we face. He knows every trial and temptation that Satan will ever throw at us. And still He commands us, “You shall not fear any of them!”
Satan has a strategy to deceive believers and make them doubt the faithfulness of God in answering prayer. He would have us believe that God has shut His ears to our cries and left us to work things out for ourselves.
Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, was returning home from being with Ahab, the evil king of Israel. The Lord sent a prophet out to meet him, with these strong words, “Jehu the son of Hanani the [prophet] went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you” (2 Chronicles 19:2).
Idolaters live in deception — believing a lie to be the truth!
“For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the Lord will answer him by myself” (Ezekiel 14:7).
“And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him; that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me . . . but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord God” (Ezekiel 14:10-11).
God is telling us in tender terms, “Whatever it takes to get you away from your idols, I’m going to do. I will lovingly woo you to Myself, but if that doesn’t work, I will bring the necessary punishment.”
In the first-century church at Jerusalem, the Greek widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. They sought the help of the leaders in the church but they didn’t feel right about giving up their time of prayer and the study of God’s Word to oversee this administrative task.