We are to bear one another’s burdens in times of trial.

God gave us the church, He gave us one another to be a source of support in difficult times. We are called to help give strength and comfort to one another. But do we make idols of people in our lives?

I’ve been discipling women for 38 years. During that time I have been lifted up on pedestals, I’ve been run away from, I’ve been looked to as the sole source of wisdom and strength. NONE of these are things that I want for the women I disciple.

My goal in discipling others is to always lead them to Jesus.

All of us have a tendency to want to put others with spiritual maturity on a pedestal. But God is a jealous God and no one should hold that place in someone’s heart that is intended for God.

There have been many many times over the years when women have been in really tough situations and looking for help from me and God has shut the door. Either they try to call me and can’t get through or I’m simply not available. The funny thing is that most of the time, I’m right at home but God has intervened so they cannot reach me.

[clickToTweet tweet=”When you’re in the midst of a trial, who’s the first one you turn to? Is it the source of hope?” quote=”When you are in the midst of a trial, who is the first one you turn to? Another believer? Your pastor? A friend? Or do you go right to the source of hope, strength and wisdom Himself?”]

We don’t like to think about how easy it is for us to create idols in our lives. We don’t like to think about how easy it is for us to replace God with other people as the first one we run to. Whenever we displace God, we are making an idol. That’s what it means: to usurp God’s place in our lives.

Yes, God has given us the saints to minister to us with their gifts; to strengthen and mature one another for His glory. BUT we must learn to turn to God first. We must learn to seek God above all others. We must learn to let God lead us in our trials and hardships. He will often lead us to others (and often, lead others to us). But when we pick up that phone or write that email before we step into prayer, we need to honestly examine our hearts to see if we’ve made an idol of another believer in our hearts. Repentance and re-surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus is in order.

Don’t stifle your walk with God by turning to Him only as a last resort!

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All Scripture quotations are taken from the NASB.
Unless otherwise indicated, photos from pixaby.com