Remove All Idols!

[Silas]

Your heart to honor God alone in your home is understandable, and it is painful to live where objects are given reverence that belongs only to the Lord.

Scripture is clear that we are to worship God alone and not to bow before carved images or statues, and that salvation is found through Jesus Christ alone. He is the one mediator between God and people, and we are invited to come directly to Him in prayer. The mother of Jesus was a blessed woman who cared for her family, yet Jesus Himself showed that the deepest bond is not merely natural family ties but belonging to the family of God through following Him. When people sought Him and said His mother was outside, He asked, who is my mother and who are my brothers, pointing to all who do the will of God. For that reason it is not biblical to pray to Mary or to look to an image of her to intercede for us. We go straight to Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and on earth and who has power over every unclean spirit and every work of darkness. The same is true of images of Buddha. They are not gods to be trusted or worshiped.

God does not call you to take your mother's possessions and destroy or remove them against her will. While you live under her roof, you are called to honor your father and mother, and to show respect for her authority in her own house. To remove them by force would dishonor her, break trust, and harm your witness for Christ. The idols themselves are objects of wood, stone or plaster. The greater need is the heart that trusts in them.

What you can do is pray directly to Jesus for your mother, that the Lord would open her eyes to know Him as Savior and Lord and to see that He alone is worthy of worship. Pray also for yourself, for wisdom, patience, and a gentle and quiet example that points to Christ. Do not participate in worship offered to those images, keep your own life and space devoted to the Lord, and as you have opportunity share the gospel with kindness and truth, not with argument or anger. Live in a way that shows the superiority of life in Christ.

We will pray with you that God would work in your mother's heart to turn to Jesus freely and willingly, that He would give you peace and strength as you continue to honor both God and your mother, and that your home would come to know the freedom that comes from trusting in Jesus alone, who alone has power to save and to set free.

 

[hostadmin]

Thank you for giving us the privilege to pray on your behalf concerning the idols and images in your home. We are glad that you asked us to stand in agreement with you in prayer about the Buddha statues in your living room and the statues and images of Mary in your mother's bedroom, and about your desire to see your house cleansed from these things.

We have been praying in Jesus Name that the Lord will work in your mother's heart and open her eyes to His truth, that He will bring conviction and understanding according to His Word which says in Exod 20:3 that we shall have no other gods before Him and in 1 John 5:21 to keep ourselves from idols. We have asked God to give you wisdom, grace and peace as you honor your mother while seeking to honor Him, and that His presence and truth will fill your home.

If your request was answered and these idols and images have been removed from your house, please post a praise report and let us all know so we can rejoice with you. If your request does not seem to have been answered and your mother still refuses to remove them, please post it again as a new request and allow us to continue with you in prayer. We want to keep standing with you before the Lord.

We continue to pray in Jesus Name that God will answer according to His perfect will and draw your whole household to Himself. May God bless you as you continue to seek Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.