Bible in One Year: Monday, December 21, 2009 (Dan 7 - Dan 9) Memorise: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth" (Ex 20:4) Read: Exodus 20:1-6 1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. The quest for power without paying the price has led several men of God into Satan's trap. Psalm 62:11 says power belongs to God. Matthew 28:18 says all power in Heaven and on earth belongs to Jesus. If you are in need of power, go to the original power broker - Jesus Christ. Many in search of power have joined secret societies and ended up in greater bondages and problems. Before they joined such cults, they were virtually free but after their initiation, they sacrificed their freedom, conscience, rest of mind and joy on the altars of those satanic cults. Unfortunately, some men of God who wanted anointing and had a strong desire to walk in the miraculous, have opted for Satan's easy way. Such people do this for money and popularity. They want a large congregation because of what they can make for themselves. They have dumped the Almighty God and gone the way of mammon. If you find yourself in any assembly where they still offer sacrifice of goats, rams, birds, or use various fetish things - multi-coloured candles, chalk, incense, bitter kola, holy water (pure or coloured), incisions, black powder etc., run for your life! If they ask you to bath naked by a stream for 'spiritual cleansing', know it is a lie. They want to covenant you to the marine kingdom. That will be the beginning of greater sorrows in your life. If you attend a church where they ask you to come and kiss, bow down to or wear a particular image of God, Jesus, Mary or any other character in the Bible, that is pure idolatry! You are not worshipping God but idols - demons. In today's passage, God strictly warns those who follow Him not to frolic with images and idols - even when they are said to represent Him. He wants to be worshipped directly and not through some means. If you are always standing before a physical picture, image or symbol and worshipping, thinking you are worshipping the Almighty God, you are deceiving yourself. You are violating the first and second commandments and calling God's judgment on yourself. If you want to serve God, follow His conditions listed in the Bible. It is impossible to serve God when you are following traditions and carnal interpretations of men. Repent today, break those idols and shrines in your home and give your life to Christ. If you persist in idolatry, you cannot say you have not been warned. Go to a living church today! ACTION POINT: Pull down every idol, image or symbol that has replaced the Almighty God in your life.