North American Idol...

We live in a day and age where many Christians define themselves as New Testament Christians...

And...if they read and study the Scriptures at all...they often limit themselves to the New Testament...forgetting the other 4/5's of God's word...that God gave to teach us, correct us, and instruct us in right living...

One of the problems that Christians fall into when they head down this trail...is that they don't have as clear of picture of how God relates to His people...over many years...let me explain.

The New Testament teaches about the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ...then it talks about 1st century history...up to the time just prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D...thats approx 70 years of history to look at.

The Old Testament gives us thousands of years of history...showing us centuries of the lives of the people of God...

It shows us the time periods where they were trusting Yahweh...and it shows us the times when they were living in unbelief...living in disobedience...and rebelling against their God...

The reoccurring sin of God's people was idolatry. This usually took form in a couple ways. The first way was they kept God's name...but then they made an idol...shaped and formed it the way they wanted...and worshipped it.

The second form of idolatry was when God's people began to worship the idols of the unbelieving people around them.

Read the Old Testament...it is a real eye opener!

When God's people forsook the Lord their God...then God would discipline His people...to show them that idolatry leads to bondage and death...to teach them this lesson...He painted them a literal picture...

God would take away His hand of protection...and would allow unbelieving, enemy armies to come in and bring His people into bondage...for decades...even for centuries...until His rebellious people turned away from their idols...and cried out to the God of life to deliver them.

Our God is unchanging...He doesn't like idols...North America is no exception...