Your job, children, spouse, or bank account may fail, but only one thing remains.

As a little girl, I can remember reading the Ten Commandments. I was in a small play at church where the children's ministry performed the story of the Ten Commandments for the church. When I read Exodus 20:3, which says, "You shall have no other gods before me," I thought, how could idol worship ever be a problem for Believers? I mean, we’re no longer building golden calves, right? Wrong. Oh, what golden calves we build! Idols may not take on the same appearance as baby Buddhas or golden calves, but sadly, many of us have fallen prey to placing others (or things) before the Lord.

To truly hear and discern the voice of the Lord, we must learn to lay down the idols in our lives – those things that have taken precedence and importance over our Lord. We cannot place our faith in our job, relationship status, parents, grandparents, pastor, or even church and expect to hear the voice of God clearly. Idols create distractions. There are too many other voices that can drown out His still small voice. We must be intentional in our pursuit of His voice, making it a priority above all else. Only then can we truly understand His will for our lives and walk in obedience.

Our faith must stand in God alone. He knows our heart. God will not withhold good gifts from His children. He wants you to seek Him and trust Him. He wants to talk to you. Do not simply seek God's voice and attempt to honor Him when it's convenient or easy. It won't always be. We must seek to honor and obey Him, even when we have to stand against the crowd, removing all distractions, and laying down every sin that would easily ensnare us.

If you find yourself struggling with placing your faith in the wrong things today, I want to encourage you to do two things:

1. List all God has done to sustain you in the past. Chart His faithfulness. The record of our God is good.
2. Be grateful for all God has done! Think about the list and begin to praise God for the many blessings He's bestowed. Your God has been good. He has been faithful and true.

The more we keep record of His provision and remove all distractions, the more clearly we can hear Him.

Point to Ponder:

• Do I have idols in my life? Do I think about others or situations more than I think about and pray to God? Have I placed things and people above my worship? Ask the Lord for forgiveness.