Confronting Our Inner Apostasy: The Path to True Revival

We’ve been reading through the history of Israel and the long lineage of kings and rulers spanning hundreds of years. And for the most part, we see a dark history of apostasy and idolatry. Israel always turning away. Always forgetting the One who loves her best and most.

It’s easy to judge and question a nation’s rebellion, but that’s not quite the point of the story. We read not to wag our heads, but to hopefully see our own wandering heart and come home.

My friend, and frequent devotional guest author, Marcia Throsell, wrote this in response to one of our daily posts last week:

“Every time I read about the kings of Israel and Judah, I’m amazed and appalled that they would return to the Lord…but…not wholeheartedly, refusing to tear down the Asherah poles and the high places! Seems ridiculous…and yet, as everyone has so eloquently stated, we do the same thing! I wonder why they didn’t tear them down? Fear of man? Not fully believing in their own heart?”

And it makes me wonder, what am I still allowing? I love God! I do. But what am I still allowing?

I was in a meeting this week with my boss, and he shared about setting the culture of an organization. He said culture is not only what you create but also about what you allow.

That struck me. I think as I have built over the years, I have mostly focused on what kind of culture I wanted to create, or that I sensed God wanted to create. But the truth is, I’ve allowed lots of things that harmed those very values. I didn’t want to confront. I didn’t want to speak into the thing because of the drama that it would open up. And so, I said nothing. I did nothing. And there were consequences to my negligence.

That’s what we see in the history of the kings and rulers of Israel. Some loved God! They came back to the ancient way. They came into the “it is writtens.” But they didn’t tear down the high places. They didn’t burn up the false altars.

But there was one king who got it right.

2 Kings 23: 24 Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. 25 Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.

I’m going for this! I want to be this to the Lord: she turned to the Lord with all her heart and with all her soul and with all her might.

I want to build and protect the culture of God in my life, and my family. In my friendships and church. I want this for my region and nation. Help us God not just build up, but also protect the culture you are establishing with us and through us.

Deepening Faith: Reflective Journal Prompts

1. Reflect on Your Spiritual High Places: Consider the “high places” in your life that you might have overlooked or hesitated to confront. What are they, and why do you think they’ve remained?
2. Identifying Your Asherah Poles: Asherah poles represent things we might unknowingly idolize or give undue importance to. Reflect on any modern-day ‘Asherah poles’ in your life. How can you begin to dismantle them?
3. Learning from King Josiah: King Josiah’s story is one of wholehearted devotion to God. How does his example inspire you to turn to the Lord with all your heart, soul, and might? What practical steps can you take to emulate his example?
4. The Culture You Create vs. Allow: Reflect on the environments you’re part of (home, work, community). What aspects of God’s culture are you actively creating? Conversely, what might you be passively allowing that contradicts this?
5. A Prayer for Cultural Integrity: Write a prayer asking God to help you not just build but also protect the culture He desires in your life and your circles of influence. Ask for the courage to confront and remove what doesn’t align with His will.

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