Category: Resources

Tuesday – The Idol of Convenience
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Today, as you begin your time of prayer and fasting,  pray like David:
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                    "Search me, God, and know my heart.
                                      Test me and know my worries.
                     Show me anything in me that offends you,
                                      and lead me to everlasting life."
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Psalm 139

We often don’t notice it, but convenience can become a hidden master in our lives. Our world makes everything easier and faster. While comfort isn’t bad, when convenience controls our spiritual life, it stops us from truly serving God.

How Convenience Can Hurt Your Faith:
- Time with God: Do you cut prayer short to scroll on your phone? Skip reading the Bible for more sleep? Listen to a quick podcast instead of really studying a sermon? Convenience can make us take spiritual shortcuts, choosing easy over deep.
- Serving Others: Serving God and others often means stepping out of our comfort zone. It might mean waking up early for an event, staying late for ministry, or going out of your way to help someone. If convenience is your main goal, you might avoid volunteering or only pick easy tasks. True service often requires giving your time and energy.
- Commitment to God: Being deeply committed to God means sticking with it, even when things are hard. Convenience teaches us to quit when challenges appear. When life gets busy, is it easy to go to church? To join a small group? To give generously? If convenience guides you, your commitment can weaken, making your faith journey inconsistent.
Pray and Think Today:

As you pray and fast today (from food, technology, or other distractions), think about how convenience might be affecting your walk with Christ.

Ask yourself:
1. Daily Life: Where do you choose ease and comfort over intentional time with God?
2. Serving: Is God calling you to serve in ways you’ve avoided because it’s inconvenient? What might you need to give up?
3. Commitment: When life gets tough, do your spiritual habits slide because it’s easier to let them go? How can you recommit to staying strong?
Let today be a chance to let go of convenience and find joy in serving God and growing closer to Him. May your time of prayer and fasting clear your mind and heart, helping you see and remove this hidden trap, so that God can truly be first in everything.
2025-10-14
Monday – Prayer and Fasting
How can we most effectively engage in this week’s prayer and fasting?

Firstly, we can learn from three things that Jesus did …

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:35).

CONSIDER:
- A CERTAIN TIME
  - Jesus got up very early in the morning to spend time with his heavenly Father. Choose a certain time in which, guided by your booklet, you commit to prayer this week.
- A CERTAIN PLACE
  - Jesus had a prayer place. Your prayer place needs to be in a distraction-free environment where you can pray out loud and, perhaps, have some worship music playing in the background.
- A CERTAIN PLAN
  - Go into your prayer time with a plan. Use this prayer guide and engage with its content. As part of preparing your plan, read our suggestion for starting each day with the serenity prayer and our explanation of fasting so that you can include it in your week of prayer.
Understanding fasting as a follower of Jesus

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:1-4

Jesus’ response to the devil was that he would not rely solely on human sustenance for fullness of life, but beyond the provision of the flesh, place his trust in God first, even if it meant sacrificing his own will. This is what fasting communicates, and placing our trust in God as we fast makes room for His presence in our hearts.

“Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” Eph 3:17

Fasting is a form of giving up to go up

What sustains your flesh is rooted in spiritual provision. Fasting makes us focus on the spiritual provision of God over the sustenance received by the flesh.

Fasting removes “static” from the line of our busy lives, guiding us, and aligning our focus toward God (see Acts 13:2; Daniel 9:3-23; Joel 2:12).

In Mark 2:18–20 it tells us:

Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

Jesus was referring to the time of his crucifixion, then His resurrection that gave way to the great commission that could only be achieved through prayer and fasting.

Prayer and fasting keeps us close to the one who has commissioned us.

Pastor, author and speaker, John Mark Comer, explains:

“In fasting, you are literally praying with your body, offering all that you are to God in worship. As you yield your body to God, you are breaking the power of the flesh to control you and opening up to the power of the Spirit in its place.”

You may choose to fast food or screen time. The key is that you give up something that usually feeds your flesh and use that time to focus on God in prayer. This would be part of your plan as you find a certain place and time for prayer this week. As you make room, may God lead you into the fullness of resurrection life. (See John 10:10.)

Starting Each Day with Psalm 139

In this week of prayer and fasting, we are going to explore the unseen internal idols in our hearts that seek to replace our unwavering devotion to God, because we recognise that idols aren’t just statues but inward allegiances.

“Anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.”

Tim Keller

And this will require our willingness to let God work in our hearts. Paul writes in the Letter to the Colossians:

So put to death and deprive of power the evil longings of your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centred instincts] immorality, impurity, sinful passion, evil desire, and greed, which is [a kind of] idolatry [because it replaces your devotion to God].

Colossians 3:5 (AMP)

This week, as you engage in your daily devotional during this time of prayer and fasting, I encourage you to begin each day by slowly praying to to God, Psalm 139:23-24
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 Search me, O God, and know my heart; 
           test me and know my anxious thoughts. 
  Point out anything in me that offends you, 
           and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
                                               Amen.
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2025-10-13
Unseen Idols – Consumerism
When we think of idolatry, images of ancient statues may come to mind. However, modern idolatry is often far more subtle, taking the form of internal allegiances and priorities that quietly take God’s place in our hearts. The Apostle Paul directly addressed, warning believers against the hidden idols that corrupt devotion from the inside out.

So put to death and deprive of power the evil longings of your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centred instincts] immorality, impurity, sinful passion, evil desire, and greed, which is [a kind of] idolatry [because it replaces your devotion to God].

Colossians 3:5 (AMP)

Defining the Idol: Consumerism in Faith

To dismantle an idol, we must first correctly identify it. The idol of consumerism is particularly deceptive because it cloaks itself in the language of blessing and personal fulfillment. It is a mindset that can transform faith from a relationship of devotion into a transaction for personal benefit.

Theologian Tim Keller provides a clear and challenging definition of an idol that helps us see the danger:

“Anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.”

Tim Keller

This mindset finds its roots in a worldly principle. At its core, consumerism is the theory that individuals who consume goods and services in large quantities will be better off. When this theory seeps into our faith, it redefines God’s role in our lives from Lord to provider of spiritual goods and services. As author Carey Nieuwhof observes:

“Through consumer Christianity, the value of God in our lives becomes predicated on how well He fulfils our needs – whether that’s a better marriage, our emotional well-being, a meaningful life, or an enthralling worship experience.”

Carey Nieuwhof

Jesus did not invite followers to a life of self-fulfillment but to a life of self-denial for a greater purpose.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

Luke 9:23–24 (NIV)

From “For Me” to “Through Me”

Defeating the idol of consumerism requires an intentional renewal of the mind. It is a conscious decision to reject a self-serving framework and adopt the selfless posture of Christ. We need to change the questions we ask in our faith journey.
1. From Getting to Giving A consumer mindset asks: What can I get? A Christ-like mindset asks: What can I give?
2. From Convenience to Obedience The consumer asks: Is what is required convenient for me? The Christ-like asks: Is this what obedience to God requires from me?
3. From Blessing Me to Blessing God The consumer asks: How can my faith release God’s blessings for my life? The Christ-like asks: How can my faith bless God through my life?
We are chosen not to be passive recipients, but active participants in God’s redemptive work. This perspective changes everything, even the effectiveness of our prayers.

Reflect:

Take a moment to honestly consider your own heart and motivations in light of this message. Allow these questions to guide you into a time of personal introspection and prayer.
1. When I pray, are my requests focused more on what God can do for me or what He can do through me?
2. In what area of my life am I valuing my own comfort and convenience over what God requires of me?
3. Does my involvement in my faith community depend on how my needs are being met, or on how I can serve the needs of others?
4. Reflecting on Rick Warren’s question, “Is what you’re living for worth Christ dying for?”, what personal ambitions or desires might I need to surrender?
5. What is one practical step I can take this week to shift my mindset from “getting” to “giving” in my relationship with God and others?
Closing Prayer:

We close with a prayer adapted from David’s own vulnerable plea in the Psalms, inviting God to search our hearts and expose any allegiance that competes with our devotion to Him.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you—especially the unseen idol of consumerism—and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Amen.

Watch the sermon on Youtube.
2025-10-13
Unseen Idols – Convenience
When we reshape our faith to fit our comfort, we must ask ourselves what is being lost in the process. What is the true cost of a faith that demands nothing difficult from us?

King David understood that the most dangerous threats to our faith are often the ones hidden deep within our own hearts. He prayed for honest self-examination, inviting God to search him and reveal any offensive way that might lead him away from the path of life. Let us make his prayer our own as we begin.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)

In our spiritual lives, it is crucial to identify the modern, unseen idols that compete for our ultimate allegiance. While we may picture ancient statues of wood or gold, idols are not merely physical objects. They are powerful internal loyalties that misdirect our devotion from the one true God and onto things that can never satisfy.

Theologian Tim Keller provides a clear and penetrating modern definition of an idol as:

“Anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.”

This definition moves the struggle from an external temple to the internal landscape of the human heart. Keller goes on to state that “the human heart is an idol factory,” a sobering reminder that the temptation to create and worship counterfeit gods is a constant and universal human struggle that requires our vigilance.

One of the most subtle and pervasive idols of our time: the idol of convenience. This idol promises a life of ease, efficiency, and comfort. A headline in The Guardian observed, “Modern hyper-convenience is a kind of deal with the devil.” This statement hints at a profound spiritual truth: a life relentlessly pursuing convenience stands in direct and unavoidable conflict with a life of authentic Christian faith.

When we reshape our faith to fit our comfort, we must ask ourselves what is being lost in the process. What is the true cost of a faith that demands nothing difficult from us?

Jesus did not call his followers to a life of ease; he issued a radical invitation: “take up your cross.” This call to sacrificial living is the polar opposite of a modern desire for a spiritual experience that is exclusively uplifting. As Pastor Byron Chicken warns, when convenience shapes our souls, we become “no longer capable of or hungry for what faith requires.” We lose the spiritual muscle needed to “stretch, strengthen, suffer, and endure.” A faith built on convenience is a faith that avoids the cross, not understanding that the power of resurrection is only accessed through the suffering of crucifixion.

The idol of convenience, therefore, can steal the power within our calling, because our resurrection power in Christ is accessed through the inconvenience of carrying our cross first. When we systematically avoid the cross, we are left with what the Apostle Paul calls a “form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). This hollowed-out spirituality often manifests in several ways:
- Detached Consumption: We replace participation in a local church community with consuming sermons from celebrity pastors online, enjoying the message without the relational cost.
- Shallow Engagement: We live off “fast food scripture verses” delivered by phone apps, substituting quick spiritual snacks for the deep, transformative nourishment of diligent study.
- Individualized Worship: We trade the corporate gathering of God’s people for on-demand worship with our favorite bands on YouTube, fitting worship into our schedule rather than scheduling our lives around worship.
This temptation is perfectly illustrated by what we might call the “Esau syndrome.” In Genesis 25:29-34, a famished Esau returns from the field and trades his significant, long-term birthright blessing to his brother Jacob for the immediate convenience of a bowl of stew. He did it without a second thought. As the scripture puts it, “That’s how Esau shrugged off his rights as the firstborn.” This is a powerful metaphor for the modern Christian who is tempted to trade the profound, eternal blessings that come from conviction and perseverance for the fleeting satisfaction of an easy walk with God now.

Having understood the high cost of this idol, let us now turn to the practical, biblical model for dismantling it in our lives.

The story of the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18 provides a practical model for how to defeat the idols in our hearts. Facing the prophets of the false god Baal, Elijah did not simply make a speech; he took specific, intentional actions before calling down the fire of God. His actions show us a three-fold path to breaking the idol of convenience and returning to a faith of deep conviction.

Elijah’s first act was to call the people to “Come over here!” as he “repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down.” The first step in overcoming any idol is to return, moving God from the periphery of our lives back to the absolute center. We must refocus our hearts on our why—God Himself and His purpose for us. This means consciously reorienting our work, our relationships, and our decisions around Him, not our own ease.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

After calling the people to return, Elijah “used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the Lord.” We must rebuild our what—our active worship. True worship is not a passive feeling but an active offering, and it almost always requires the sacrifice of our convenience. We rebuild our worship when we intentionally reintroduce the “inconvenient expressions of worship through service, generosity, commitment and disciplines.” This is what the Apostle Paul calls us to in Romans 12:1-2, urging us to take our “everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” Worship becomes the willing surrender of our comfort and preferences as a loving response to God.

Elijah used twelve stones to rebuild the altar, “one to represent each of the tribes of Israel.” This was an act of remembrance. He was reminding the people that their faith was not a solo contract with God that could be cancelled when it became inconvenient. It was a covenant—a deep, binding relationship with God and with His people. God promised:

I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Hebrews 8:10 (NLT)

Remembering this truth changes everything. We are faithful servants, not perfect saints, and faithful servants aren’t perfect in their performance but faithful in their pursuit of God. A contract is based on performance; a covenant is based on promise and perseverance. In a church community, covenant continues to bring us back to finding one another when things become inconvenient. Instead of just abolishing the contract when we are offended, we fight for reconciliation under covenant.

These steps provide a clear pathway from a life of convenience to a life of conviction, preparing our hearts for a more honest self-assessment.

Reflect

Dismantling an idol requires honest and sometimes difficult self-examination. Use the following questions to allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal the influence of the idol of convenience in your life.
1. In what specific area of my life has a desire for convenience caused me to avoid the sacrificial “cross” Jesus calls me to carry?
2. If my spiritual life were assessed, would it be described as having true resurrection power, or merely a “form of godliness” that prioritizes comfort?
3. Am I currently in danger of the “Esau syndrome”—trading a long-term spiritual blessing for a short-term, convenient satisfaction?
4. What is one practical, inconvenient act of worship (in service, giving, or discipline) I can “rebuild” into my life this week as an offering to God?
5. When I am offended or challenged within my church community, is my first instinct to break the “contract” and leave, or to honor the “covenant” and seek reconciliation?
Closing Prayer

Father, we thank you for your loving and clarifying Word. Forgive us for the times we have elevated our own comfort and convenience above Your call on our lives. Grant us the strength to choose deep conviction over shallow convenience. Help us to joyfully take up our cross and follow You. Teach us to return our hearts to You daily, to rebuild our lives as an authentic act of worship, and to remember that we are Your covenant people, called to persevere together. May our lives be a pleasing offering that honors you above all else. Amen.

Watch the sermon on YouTube
2025-10-06