Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. 2 Kings 23:24
When I injured my back last fall, I found myself quite frustrated at the gym by the pain and weakness. It was difficult to feel like I was accomplishing anything at the bym because I was just so handicapped by my injury. As I’ve healed and the pain and weakness have subsided, I’ve been able to slowly return to training and improving.
My spiritual life is a lot like that. Whenever I’ve been trapped in some habitual sinful behavior, I’ve been spiritually paralyzed by that behavior. While addicted to drugs, I tried to be of service to God and I tried to grow spiritually, but while enslaved, my personal growth and usefulness to God have been severely restricted. It’s not until I’ve addressed the addiction, doing whatever it takes to get free from the drug, that I’ve been able to grow spiritually and to be of use to God.
While we’re running from God, disobeying him, we cannot also pursue his will. If we desire the life for which he made us, we must first abandon our self-destructive behavior. This principle is illustrated in today’s passage, in which King Josiah cleaned house, getting rid of all the idol worship in Judah. He did this so that he and the people could return to following God. While they were following their idols, they were incapable of pursuing God’s will. Only in abandoning their sin, could they truly seek and obey God.
We may not worship literal idols, but many of us are familiar with those things in our lives that inhibit us spiritually. In fact, I think we’ve got a whole generation of men in the church who’re spiritually paralyzed by an addiction to pornography. We simply can’t serve God effectively while we’re stuck in habitual sin. I’m not saying we must be perfect to be of use to God. I’m simply saying that we’re spiritually paralyzed by our addictions and if we desire to live in freedom and if we desire to know that life God intends for us, then we must do whatever it takes to abandon our self-destructive behaviors.