Day 9 — The Idols That Silence Us
Opening prayer
Lord God, as I read your Word today, please search my heart and show me what I truly love, fear and serve. Forgive me where I have exchanged your glory for lesser things, and draw my heart back to Jesus, my greatest treasure. Amen.
Headline
One reason we keep quiet about Jesus is that our hearts are often captured by other loves.
Romans 1:18-25
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
Comment
This week we are considering what makes sharing faith hard.
So far we have looked at the first hurdle: sharing faith can hurt. We may be misunderstood, mocked, rejected or worse. But yesterday we saw that love can move us across the pain-line, because Christ crossed the ultimate pain-line for us: “the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”
But even when we know that, there may be something else that stops us.
I have often wondered why it is that a lovely, compassionate, committed Christian simply does not witness.
I am not talking about you. I am talking about myself.
Why is it that I do not witness? I confess Jesus as my King. I believe that the gospel is the power of God for salvation. I believe in heaven and hell. I have even seen people come to faith through my witness in the past.
So why am I so… half-hearted?
Half-hearted. The answer is in the question. I need some spiritual cardiology — a diagnosis of how my heart works.
My problem is that in my heart I am often serving something good that I have made into an idol. And that is what stops me. Idolatry silences witness.
In Romans 1, Paul says that this is the basic human problem. We know enough of God to honour him, but instead we suppress the truth. We exchange the glory of the immortal God for created things. Paul sums it up like this:
“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator.” (v.25)
That is idolatry. An idol is not usually a bad thing. It is often a good thing made ultimate: approval, comfort, reputation, career, family, success, security, control, romance, money, health, or a settled life.
And when a good thing becomes ultimate, it becomes our master.
It tells us what to do. It shapes our decisions. It makes promises it cannot keep. It creates fears we cannot shake. And very often, it keeps us quiet about Jesus.
After all, we speak about what we love. So if Jesus is not my greatest love, I will keep quiet about him in order to protect whatever is. If my idol is approval, I will not risk people thinking less of me. If my idol is comfort, I will not risk awkwardness. If my idol is family peace, I will not risk a difficult conversation. If my idol is professional reputation, I will not risk being thought strange, naïve or narrow.
That is why I have sometimes kept quiet. I can think of times when I should have spoken of Christ, but did not, because I loved the approval of others more than I loved my Saviour or the person in front of me.
That is painful to admit. But it is important to admit it, because the problem is not simply lack of technique, training or confidence. The problem is worship.
Something else has taken the place of Christ at the centre of the heart.
This is why Paul’s words in Romans 1 are so serious. Suppressing the truth is not morally neutral. It is tied to worshipping and serving created things rather than the Creator.
So what do we do? We begin by asking God to search us. We let him show us what we daydream about, what we fear losing, what we need in order to feel safe, valuable or satisfied. We ask him to expose the created things that have become ultimate things.
Why does God want you to hear this today? Perhaps because the thing that most keeps you silent about Jesus is not outside you, but inside you. It may not be hostility from others, but misplaced worship in your own heart. Ask God to show you what you are serving, so that Christ may return to his rightful place as your greatest treasure.
Reflect
- What are you most afraid of losing if you speak openly about Jesus?
- Which created thing most often competes with Christ for the centre of your heart: approval, comfort, reputation, security, family peace, success, control, or something else?
- How does Romans 1:18–25 help you see silence about Jesus not only as fear, but as a matter of worship?
Action
Take a few minutes today to complete this sentence honestly:
“One thing I am tempted to love or protect more than speaking of Jesus is…”
Then pray:
“Lord, please forgive me for serving this created thing rather than you. Restore Christ to the centre of my heart.”
Closing prayer
Lord God, please search me and know my heart. Show me where I have exchanged your truth and glory for created things. Forgive me for the idols that silence me, especially my desire for approval, comfort or security. By your Spirit, restore Jesus to the centre of my heart, so that what I love most will increasingly be evident in my life and expressed by my lips. Amen.
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