Revive Our Hearts Keep Out: Guarding against the Devastation of Idolatry When I was seven years old, my family moved across the world to the vast and rugged country of Mongolia, where I would spend most of my childhood and teenage years. The cultural learning curve was expansive, and our first year was peppered with trips to significant landmarks in and around our new home.  Gandan Monastery was one of those sites: the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in the country. Passing through its ornate red and green gate, you enter a long courtyard scattered with pigeons and prayer wheels before being met by a formidable white building with the same red and green trim. Somberness as thick as the incense being burned settles in as you enter and approach a towering, eighty-five-foot-tall, golden statue of Buddha.  Even as a child, the sense of dread and darkness that filled the place didn’t escape me. Contrary to the meaning of the monastery’s name (which, ironically, is “complete rejoicing”), the scene is anything but joyous. I can still remember the sense of confused, fascinated sadness that came over me as I, a young girl raised in a home where Christ was center, took in the scene. People all around me worshiped this statue with belief but no assurance that they could do enough to attain the peace promised to them if they gave enough money, spun enough prayer wheels, and offered enough incense. Our unbelieving friends were held captive by terror and hopelessness as their petitions to this idol were not granted.  It should be obvious when standing at the foot of a lifeless idol just how futile it is to think it could bring any sort of hope or good to a person’s life, either now or after they die. Yet, idolatry abounds—yes, even in the western world. We might not see physical shrines and offerings like in many countries around the globe, but that doesn’t mean the idols are any less prevalent. The objects of worship are just harder to identify because many are normal, everyday things. But clandestine as the idols themselves might be, the devastation caused by idol worship is everywhere, plain as day. The biblical imperative to keep ourselves from false gods hasn’t become obsolete—it’s as important as it’s always been. Understanding what idols are and learning how to identify them is how we can protect ourselves, our families, and our homes from the consequences of bowing to anything or anyone but the One True God. As we do, we’ll better understand the safety and freedom that can abound in our hearts and homes when God is lifted high. Defining Idols  1 John 5:21 is a pointed command for New Testament believers to beware of idols. It’s the very last verse in the book, and it simply says, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”  This feels like a bit of a head-scratcher at first, because nowhere else in the letter does he refer to idols—the rest of the book is about the importance of loving God, loving others, walking in the light, and being watchful of false teaching. However, the more we consider this statement in light of what comes before, the more it makes sense. Keeping ourselves from idols goes hand-in-hand with all that it means to love and obey God. What falls under the category of idols? I came across this definition from Pastor John Piper that resonates with my own study of Scripture on the topic. He says an idol is “Anything that we come to rely on for some blessing, or help, or guidance in the place of a wholehearted reliance on the true and living God.”1 Essentially, anything (or anyone) other than God that we depend on for ultimate fulfillment of any kind has become an idol to us. Idol-worship skews our ability to see and live by what is true, because we intrinsically shape our lives around (and are shaped by) what we hold in highest esteem. So if we worship anything other than God, who is the Definer of reality and the only rightful recipient of worship, our lives will be conformed to a false narrative of reality.  Self: The Ultimate Idol What’s the number one idol from which all other idols flow? I would argue it is the self. Why? Because any idol we make for ourselves is ultimately for our own appeasement. That’s why John Calvin called the heart “a perpetual idol factory.” Our natural bent is to reject the idea that we have an idol problem rather than admitting that our heart is the root problem. Our natural bent is to reject the idea that we have an idol problem rather than admitting that our heart is the root problem. We blame-shift responsibility to everyone else, seeing ourselves as simply victims of our circumstances. However, this can be directly traced back to the first sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, it distorted everything good and darkened our hearts to what is true. God made humans in His image—reflective of Him. But our first parents bought the devil’s lie that disobeying God would make them more like God(Gen. 3:5).  Satan is the father of lies and is skilled at his horrific craft. In fact, he had rebelled like this before. He had been the highest of the angels, given much authority by his Creator. But he coveted what was not rightfully his: the place of God. The result? He was cast out from heaven and doomed to eternal punishment for his rebellion (Isa. 14:12–14). However, even with this kind of punishment looming, he wasn’t content to stop—He wanted to take God’s prized creation with him. Because Adam and Eve chose to listen to Satan, they quickly found out the devastating reality of trying to put themselves into the position of God, destined for the same fate of eternal separation from Him because of their sin.  Praise Jesus for His redemption through the cross and resurrection. But the warning to our hearts that are so prone to wander remains the same on this side of eternity. Idol Indicators What are the indicators that we’ve made something an idol in our lives? How do we know when an activity, a relationship, an object, or a goal has moved from being a good gift to an object of worship? Let’s take a look at two signs of idolatry. 1. A Covetous Heart Colossians 3:5–6 says, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming” (ESV). Covetousness can be defined as “marked by inordinate desire for wealth or possessions or for another’s possessions.”2 You could also use the word greed. If the desire for something begins to dictate our attitudes and actions, it’s become an idol to us. If we become irritable or angry when the craving for that thing isn’t being met, it’s in the position of a false god.  The thing is, once we get whatever it is we’ve been scraping and clawing for, we realize its emptiness. Our desire for it rots into loathing it. Why? Because it’s become our slavemaster. This can happen with anything—even good things—if we’re pursuing them outside of God’s good intention. Another reason we must have a no-nonsense policy about covetousness is because it never comes alone: it opens up the doors of our hearts to a whole bunch of other sins. James 3:16 says, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice” (ESV). Every vile practice. This one hit me hard when the Lord convicted me of various roots of jealousy that were popping up in my own heart. If we are to take seriously our call as keepers of our homes and the hearts that live within them, covetousness (or jealousy or envy or anything else we might call it) must be kept out. Otherwise, we’ll let in a lot more than we bargained (or compromised) for. 2. Harm to Our Children Psalm 106:36–38 (ESV) describes the chilling results of idolatry this way: They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. This should be a wake-up call for us moms. It’s a reminder that worship of idols requires the sacrifice of those we’re called to love and serve: specifically, our children. We live in a culture that has an overarching negative attitude toward kids, and it’s important for us to understand how our thinking and actions can be influenced without us realizing it.  The most prominent example of this in our society is the mass slaughter of babies in the womb. The abortion industry is built upon the altar of self love, promising success, liberation, and prosperity. But it’s all lies. The void and guilt left in the wake of child murder can never be filled with temporal pleasures or achievements of any kind.  Countless other examples are less extreme, but harmful to children nonetheless, from speaking harsh words to neglecting our children when we feel like they’re getting in the way of something more important.  By His grace, the more seriously we take the command to keep ourselves from idols, the more we’ll protect ourselves and our kids from idolatry’s devastating effects. The Grace to Obey First Corinthians 10:13–14 says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” (ESV). Along with the sobering warnings against idolatry, we also have the incredible hope that God hasn’t left us alone to reject idols. He’s given us all we need to resist this temptation to idolize anything we’re prone to placing on the throne of our lives.  What a faithful God we serve. Don’t miss our Spring Sale! Shop now through April 30 to save on meaningful gifts to help moms, dads, couples, and grads thrive in Christ!  1 John Piper, “What Is an Idol?,” Desiring God, April 21, 2025, https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-an-idol. 2 Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “covetous,” accessed April 23, 2025, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/covetous.

Revive Our Hearts Beautifully Made: Breaking Gender Stereotypes for God’s Glory I was always a different sort of girl. I rarely if ever played with dolls. During recess, I joined the boys for a game of football and left jump rope to the girls. I detested wearing skirts, dresses, or anything pink, preferring instead jeans, T-shirts, and tennis shoes.  My long hair always went into a ponytail, which was in turn swept up into a baseball cap. I enjoyed helping my dad work on cars, playing in the dirt, riding bikes with the neighbor boys, and staying out until dark shooting baskets in our yard. I remember wondering if the doctor had made a mistake when I was born and if I really was a boy. Though I grew out of many of my “gender non-conforming” ways—I no longer wear baseball caps all the time or particularly enjoy working on cars—many have remained. I still don’t like to wear skirts or dresses, I wear my hair in a ponytail more often than not, and I prefer ESPN to HGTV or TLC. My nails are never painted, and if I can help it I don’t wear pink. I felt most aware of my “deficiencies” in girliness in the months leading up to my wedding. Though I was thirty-two when I got married and had desired a husband for some time, I had never even thumbed through a bridal magazine. Because I hadn’t spent my life fantasizing about my “dream wedding,” I was pretty much worthless at planning. I spent my entire engagement feeling like a fish out of water trying to answer questions, make decisions, and not act like an ignorant fool in the process. Why I didn’t elope still mystifies me.  To put it simply, I’m just not that kind of girl.  What the World Says  I’m thankful to have grown up in the nineties when I was given the innocuous badge of “tomboy.” The term “gender non-conforming,” or perhaps even “gender dysphoria,” had not yet entered the vocabulary of the average person. However, were I a child today, perhaps I’d be approached by someone who would question my “gender identity” because my “gender expression” didn’t conform to that of a typical female. In preparing to write this post, I did a quick Google search for “signs that you might be transgender.” The Google AI bot listed behavioral and emotional cues that might tell a person that he or she is “mislabeled” as the wrong gender. While I didn’t meet the emotional criteria, my younger self certainly checked a lot of boxes on the behavioral list—all because I didn’t like hot pink, baby dolls, or nail polish. Ironically, in an effort to “liberate” people who don’t fit the typical stereotype of their gender, the world actually reinforces those stereotypes. The logic goes something like this: if you don’t fit the mold of a girl (or a boy) and it seems like you’re a better fit for the other gender, then that’s probably where you really belong.  But do you see the problem? (Okay, bad question. There are lots of problems with that statement.) Do you see how the entire transgender movement is predicated on the idea of boy and girl molds? The stereotypes that feminists and progressives have tried so hard to break are actually the backbone of the notion that boys can be girls and girls can be boys.  Ironic, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a worldview that had room for girls to be girls even if they like football, NASCAR, and power tools? Or for a boy to be a boy even if he’d rather crochet than swing a hammer and listen to showtunes rather than heavy metal?  I have good news. There is.  A Better, Biblical Way  While a biblical worldview may be accused of reinforcing gender stereotypes and putting women into a straightjacket of patriarchal oppression, when applied rightly, it actually provides beautiful freedom in gender expression. At the same time, it leaves no ambiguity regarding gender identity.  Genesis 1:27 removes all question marks when it comes to the question of the binary nature of the genders:  So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female. (Genesis 1:27, emphasis added) In the new and “very good” world, free from the deceit and stain of sin, God created exactly two genders. And while we suffer under the curse, which brings with it physical, emotional, and mental suffering, we don’t have to wonder if God made a mistake in His creation of each one of us.  For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you  because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous,  and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from you  when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. (Psalm 139:13–15, emphasis added) We can rest assured in our sexual identity because we can trust our good and faithful Creator in doing what is right. Each of us is “remarkably and wondrously made.” God did not accidentally put a male into a female body. He did not give the wrong parts to a girl who likes professional wrestling or to a guy who prefers ballet. We can rest assured in our sexual identity because we can trust our good and faithful Creator in doing what is right.  The news gets better. Because I am secure in who God made me to be, I don’t need to wonder whether I am actually a female. The great variety and spectrum in gender expression—from the girliest of girls to the most rugged of men and everything in between—speaks to the creativity and imagination of our Designer.  God created a world filled with diversity: from the changing seasons to varied landscapes and the vast array of animal species and plant life. Everywhere we look we see variances. Why wouldn’t He give us variety not only in our appearances but also in our tastes, abilities, interests, and talents?  I realize that gender dysphoria may be a real and painful struggle for some individuals, and I am not downplaying that at all. But rather than feeding that pain, we can start from a place of freedom. It’s okay to express your gender in ways that don’t fit neatly into our culture’s box. We can break the gender stereotypes all to the glory of our intelligent, creative Designer!  Are you ready to learn more about God’s good design for women? The generous gifts of friends like you make it possible for us to offer a growing library of absolutely free resources like audio and video content, articles and blog posts, and more, all year long. When you support the ministry, you’re making it possible for us to continue to produce dynamic, trustworthy, FREE biblical content. Thank you for partnering with us in calling women to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ. 

Revive Our Hearts How Do I Leave My Sin at the Foot of the Cross? “Give it to Jesus.” “Surrender it to Him.” “Leave it all at the foot of the cross.” You’ve likely heard these expressions in Christian circles. They sound so applicable when they’re repeated by a friend sitting across from you at brunch that you nod along, tucking one of the phrases into your mental pocket to pull out later. Then you do. On the drive home or in a quiet moment, you wonder if you’ve been doing it right.  Because it doesn’t seem to matter what your struggle is. Maybe it’s gossip. Maybe it’s porn. Maybe it’s a quick temper that picks a fight every time you’re provoked. Maybe it’s a quiet bitterness from a hurt you thought you’d forgiven but continues to resurface.  Whatever it is, even when you’ve consciously given it to Jesus, you wake up the next morning and it’s back. Or it reappears because you gave in to temptation during moments of stress or exhaustion, even though you thought you’d fully surrendered the struggle to the Lord.  What then? When you feel caught somewhere between the guilt that clings to you and the truth of Scripture, what does it actually mean to leave a sin struggle at the foot of the cross?  10 Things You Should Know  A dear friend sent that question to our group text a little over a month ago––not as a theoretical exercise but because she was frustrated to once again be facing the same issue she’d been working so hard to be free from. Maybe you’re there too. Maybe you’ve wondered something similar after picking up a struggle you’d already given to Christ. If so, here’s some of what I said to her then, what I’ve been realizing recently, and most importantly, what God’s Word says about this topic.  1. It all rests on the gospel.  Do you remember the place where Jesus first found you? Return to the moment you realized you had no hope but Him. Go back to the moment you saw the nails in His hands and knew you not only needed His mercy but that you wouldn’t find forgiveness anywhere but Him. Everything that comes after is rooted in that place––every step forward, every battle you fight. If you lose sight of this foundation, you’ll lose your footing for all the rest. “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) 2. You can’t undo what He’s already done.  When Jesus declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He wasn’t offering a partial payment that would ultimately depend on how well you perform. He knew the ways you’d fall short. He knew the promises you wouldn’t keep, no matter how hard you tried.  It doesn’t matter how loudly shame tries to tell you, “You’re too broken to be fixed” or “you’re too messed up to be loved.” Christ’s forgiveness wasn’t conditional. It’s all covered, no matter what. Do you believe that? But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 10:12)  3. Surrender begins at the cross, as you see the weight of your sin and the wonder of His mercy.  It’s what sets you free to confess all of your sin to Him, knowing it’s already been crucified with Him and forgiven. It’s why the encouragement to surrender all to Him resonates with you so deeply. The only response to Him paying it all is to offer Him everything.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)  4. You must continue to rely on Jesus for everything—day by day, moment by moment. This is the part we often get wrong. We start out at the cross, knowing we’re in need of God’s mercy, but then we begin to drift––trying to manage, fix, or perfect ourselves apart from the grace that saved us. We proclaim the first part of Galatians 2:20 with our lips: “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” But if our lives told the story, they might read more like this: “The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God controlling everything myself.”  In Galatians 3:3, Paul asks, “After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?” Surrender doesn’t mean that you confess your sins and struggles to the Lord during a powerful moment in a worship service, only to walk away determined to fix your life and live out your freedom by yourself. If you had what it takes to do this without Christ, you never would have ended up at the cross in need of Him in the first place.  I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing. (Galatians 2:21) Here’s what surrender looks like:  You stop running. You stop making excuses, minimizing what you’ve done, or promising you’ll do better in the future (Prov. 28:13).  You stand before Jesus, and tell Him the whole truth: “Jesus, I chose ______ instead of You.” Confession isn’t a performance; it’s a cry for help (Psalm 32:5).  You remind yourself that your help has a Name. You remember that Jesus died for this sin too. You ask the Lord to help you believe that––because of Christ––what you’ve done is not counted against you anymore. You are fully forgiven (Rom. 8:1).  You hand it over. Whether you write it down, pray with your palms open, or simply talk to the Lord in the quietness of your heart, you ask Him to take this from you and to continue to be your help: to show you what needs to change, to strengthen you in your weakness, and to lead you every moment––in your thoughts, habits, and daily decisions (Psalm 37:5).  Then you walk with Him. You take Him at His Word that you’re forgiven. You rely on His Spirit for everything, and when He leads, you are willing to follow (Gal. 5:25). 5. You surrendered, but sin didn’t.  The hard reality is that just because you’ve surrendered a sin struggle to the Lord doesn’t mean that it will automatically fade away. As long as you live this side of heaven, sin will wage war, trying to reclaim territory in your heart. As the Puritan writer John Owen said,  Sin not only still abides in us, but it still acts, still labors to bring out the deeds of the flesh. When sin lets us alone, we may let sin alone. But sin is never less quiet than when it seems most quiet. Its waters are deepest when they are still. So we need to vigorously root out sin at all times and in all conditions, even where we least suspect it. . . . Sin is always at work.1 This doesn’t mean that your surrender was incomplete, or that you didn’t do it the “right way.” Let your struggle remind you to draw closer to Christ and find help in the perfect Savior who overcame sin. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. . . . But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. (Romans 6:12–13) 6. Surrender to Christ includes making war.  The battleground for surrender is your heart, your mind, and your actions. In Romans 8, Paul wrote, If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. (Romans 8:13–14)  “Put to death” is a strong term, violent even. It reflects the seriousness of the struggle. John Owen said, “You need to be killing sin, or it will be killing you.”2 This may look like identifying areas of weakness––whether it’s certain environments, people, or digital content––and setting boundaries. It may mean replacing the habits you’re putting to death with Christ-centered ones. As you keep fighting, the Lord will equip you. Don’t forget: He’s already won. Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Corinthians 15:57) 7. You can expect His supply of grace.  You can count on the Lord to never fail you. He knows you’re weak; He knows the limitations of your heart and mind and how difficult it is to fight temptation. Look back on ways that He’s already been faithful to you. Look to Him with the expectation that He will be able to provide all you need in the moment you need it. No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) 8. When conviction sets in, see it as an invitation to return.  In moments when you sin once again and are discouraged, or when what you’ve done weighs heavily on you, rather than allowing it to condemn you, consider it evidence that the Spirit of God is alive and at work in your heart. Imagine where you’d be if the opposite were true: If sin hardened your heart (Heb. 3:13).  If sin clouded your ability to see that it’s hurting you (2 Cor. 4:4). If sin deadened the sting of guilt until the situation hardly felt wrong anymore (1 Tim. 4:2).  If God is drawing attention to areas of your life that need to be surrendered to Him, take it as a call to turn away from the things that lead you from Him. Praise God that He is committed to your growth and holiness, shaping you to be more like His Son rather than shaming you.  I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)  9. God’s already renovated more than you realize.  When my friend texted our group and mentioned the sin cycle she’s been stuck in, one of my responses was simply to tell her I was proud of her. She felt as if she was continually going back to square one, but as someone who had known her for years, I’d seen how much work the Lord had already done in her heart.  You need trusted friends to hold you accountable, and you also need people to remind you that you’re not the same person you once were. As they encourage you with ways that God has already changed you, thank Him and trust He’ll continue His work until the day you’re fully transformed.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)  10. In Christ, surrender always leads to life.  Keep looking to Jesus. He had no sin to lay down, but He endured the cross, scorning its shame, “for the joy that lay before him” (Heb. 12:2). The cross was never the end of the story. On the other side of His surrender, on the other side of loss, came resurrection and glory. It will for you too. As you seek to leave your sin at the cross, keep your eyes on your risen Savior. The same Spirit that raised Him from the dead lives in you, working resurrection power in every part of your life.  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you. (Romans 8:11) The message of freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ is spreading far and wide—like a river that cannot be stopped. It’s reaching more women, leading them to thrive in Christ, and shaping lives for generations to come. Would you prayerfully join us in this work? We’d love to send you the 50 Promises to Live By Card Set this month as our thanks for your donation of any amount to help women thrive in Christ as a constant reminder of God’s unchanging care for you.  1 John Owen, On the Mortification of Sin, ed. William H. Goold, vol. 6 of The Works of John Owen (London: Johnstone & Hunter, 1850–53; modernized and annotated by William H. Gross, 2002), https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/owen/Mortification%20of%20Sin%20-%20John%20Owen.pdf. 2 Owen, On the Mortification of Sin.