"Images"

"Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands." (Psalms 115:4)

 As if we could get any more specific, our God is in the heavens, is actually a statement of where He is, meaning that He does not dwell here, and neither do we! We are not earth dwellers, we are all citizens of Heaven, just as our Father is in Heaven, just as our Lord Christ Jesus is there preparing a place for us, for all eternity. Earth dwellers need to be able to see their gods; their faith is based upon that which they see and can touch. It is physical, just as they are worldly, they must witness with their eyes what they worship. This is something that goes all the way back to the fall, when Eve was deceived by the serpent, it was by sight that see was tempted and desired to eat. It is said that the devil uses our sight to cause us to stumble, which is pretty much saying that he speaks to us through our eyes; placing images before us, and then our minds take those images and make all sorts of plans and fantasies out of them. God does not speak to us that way, He speaks to us through hearing; it is by His word that He reveals Himself to us, and it is by His word that He guides our lives. Even though we know this to be a fact, we are still tempted to see proof, to see some kind of a sign. Yesterday I was talking with a friend and he mentioned something to me about some people he knows that have lost everything they had in the fire. He said that they wanted to see a miracle when they went back to check on their home, and what they saw was a pile of ashes; but they still witnessed a miracle in their own lives, because their faith came to life, and they felt the peace and joy of the Lord, even though everything they owned was burnt up and a pile of ashes. That is more real than anything that can be seen! Our faith is not based upon any image; our faith is the Creator of everything seen and unseen, not in anything that is seen...

 ""What good is an idol carved by man, or a cast image that deceives you? How foolish to trust in your own creation -a god that can't even talk! What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols, 'Wake up and save us!' To speechless images you say, 'Rise up and teach us!' Can an idol tell you what to do? They may be overlaid with gold and silver, but they are lifeless inside. But the LORD is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him."" (Habakkuk 2:18-20) NLT