When God Is Testing Your Gods

You're listening to the My Morning Devotional podcast, episode 1546. Today's Devo is called When God Is Testing youg Gods. Hey there. We're the Alessies, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast. Good morning, everybody. Stephanie Muena here, and I am very excited to be back on the podcast booth. I don't know why it feels like it's been forever since the last time I shared a devotional, but we're back in the game. And it is summertime, which is my favorite. This is my season. I wait all year for the summertime. So I'm very excited to dive into our week of devos. This week. Today, I am reading from Exodus 7:17 and the NIV version. And it says, this is what the Lord says. By this you will know that I am the Lord. So actually, I'm reading from Exodus 7 through 12, which covers Moses bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. And this is when God does the ten plagues on Egypt because Pharaoh will not release the Israelites. So you can read all of that on your own time. But I do want to zoom into that one verse. This is what the Lord says. By this you will know that I am the Lord. You know, most of us, we would never say that we worship idols. I definitely don't worship idols. And I'm hoping that you do not worship idols. We don't bow down to statues. We do not build golden images in our backyards. I really hope you guys aren't doing that. That'd be a little weird. Just saying. But Scripture teaches that an idol is anything we look to for security, identity, provision, comfort, or even significance, all apart from God. And this is where I want to land. Sometimes God loves us enough not to leave those idols untouched. Sometimes the greatest act of God's mercy is allowing the things we've trusted in to be shaken. You know, when my daughter we went last weekend, I bought her a few new dresses and I was so happy to buy her these new beautiful dresses. They were from Zara, so they were very expensive. Little mother tip. Never take your child into Zara. You're going to spend way too much money there. And they don't need to do that. They're going to stay in all the dresses Anyways, well, later that day, she was giving me some terrible, terrible attitude. And I told her, well, you know what, Gianna, if you're going to be disobedient to mommy, then I'm going to take away these dresses. She lost her mind, Lost her mind, fell on the floor screaming, crying, the whole thing. And it made me even more upset that me, as her mother who bought the dresses, has a daughter who cares more about these dresses than being obedient to the one who bought her the dresses. And dare I say, we could be the exact same way with God. When we think about the plagues in Egypt, it's easy to see them simply as acts of judgment against Pharaoh. But there was something deeper happening. God wasn't just challenging Pharaoh, he was confronting Egypt's gods. The Nile was considered sacred, okay? And God turned it to blood. The sun, Ra was worshiped, and God covered the land in darkness. Livestock, crops, fertility, power, wealth. One by one, the things Egypt trusted in were exposed as powerless. God was making this statement, I am God, and by this you will know that I am the Lord. The plagues were not random. But they revealed that everything Egypt depended on could fail in a moment. And sometimes God does that, that same exact thing in our lives. Because he loves us. When our confidence, it slowly starts to shift from God to something else, he may allow that thing to be tested. If our trust is in money, we may walk through financial uncertainty. If our trust is in our abilities, we may encounter situations we cannot solve. If our trust is in people's approval. This is one of my problems, being honest with you. We may experience rejection. If our trust is in comfort, we may find ourselves in uncomfortable seasons. And the testing is not punishment. Often it's just an invitation. It could be God asking, will you trust me even when the thing you've been leaning on is removed? Gianna, will you love Mommy and obey Mommy even if those dresses you love are taken away? You know, God doesn't test our idols because he's insecure. He tests them because they're unreliable. Our finances could be unreliable. People's approval, unreliable. Living in comfort, unreliable. Anything we place in God's position will eventually disappoint us. Money can disappear. Relationships can change. Careers, they can end. Health can decline. Success can fade. Only God remains constant. And sometimes God allows shaking because he wants us to discover that our foundation was never meant to be those things in the first place. So this is my challenge to you. What do you fear losing the most? Ask yourself, what gives you a sense of security? What would make you feel like life is falling apart if it disappeared tomorrow? You know, if you can answer those questions honestly, then you can reveal where your trust has settled. And if you're currently walking through a season where something important is being tested, don't assume God has abandoned you. It may be that he's lovingly reminding you where your confidence belongs. Because the goal isn't for us to lose everything. The goal is for us to find that Christ is enough, that he alone is God. And I pray that that is what you will stand on today. Let's pray. God, we thank you that you allow us to walk through these tests in our life. Because life is better. Life is more secure. Life is more joyous and peaceful when it is built on you. We just confess it right now. You are our foundation. You are our provider. You give us security. You give us our self esteem. You are the main thing Jesus, nothing else. You are the most reliable source of life. Not our money, not the people's approval, not our own abilities, not our own strength. But you, God and you alone. So allow our hearts to completely center around you. And in Jesus name we all pray. Amen. And Amen. So there you have it. Your 5 minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your day. If you found value in this devotional, share it with a friend, leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow. We pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.