Take Away the Idols and the Stumbling Blocks

Take Away the Idols and Stumbling Blocks

Daily Scripture Threshing for Today, Sunday, December 21, 2025

Today’s Text: Ezekiel 14:3-6

Key Verse: Ezekiel 14:3 (KJV): “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?”

As this year takes a bow, the Lord once again exposes a hidden peril and calls us not to worship with lips alone, but to purge the heart of secret idols that block God’s presence. He is not calling us to external reform only; but summoning us to internal cleansing: a life unhindered by cherished sins that masquerade as harmless desires. Through prophet Ezekiel God warns His people against dual allegiance, where idols—ambition, fear, pleasure, or pride—throne silently in the soul while prayers rise hypocritically to heaven. As this year ends, He wants us to take a new journey from divided devotion to undivided loyalty, from stumbling over iniquity’s debris to walking freely in His straight path.

Heart idols are insidious, but they are also damning when tolerated. Like men of Israel, many profess faith outwardly yet harbor “stumbling blocks”—unrepented addictions, unforgiven grudges, covetous pursuits—directly in their path, tripping fellowship with God. But God wants us to remove idols and stumbling blocks. He wants us to accept heaven’s demand for thorough housecleaning, reject compromise, and yield to the Holy Spirit’s convicting fire. It means refusing to enquire of God while iniquity blocks the way, when the Lord seeks hearts fully His.

To clear the idols, we need a holy surgery to uproot what once enthralled. We need to lay aside soul-cluttering affections, self-justifying excuses, and convenient blindness. This call is not about human willpower, but about divine deliverance—yielding to God’s searching gaze as He exposes and excises every rival throne. Those idols in your life speak of displaceable rivals. Yes, that affections misplaced, trusts misdirected, and loyalties misaligned with God’s supremacy can be done with if you let God auditing your words, examine your heart’s hidden altars for purity, surrender, and singular devotion.

How do we clear off those idols? We do by allowing God's Word and Spirit to expose and strengthen what's true. It's not about being perfect, but being purified - swift repentance, obedience, and watchfulness. Purity turns exposures into opportunities for growth and snares into stepping stones for others. Believers cultivate habits that guard the heart through meditation on the Word, deep confessions, and welcoming exposure because we understand that God demands heart purity, and not outward show. This is a daily, Spirit-led progression, yielding to His power, repenting, and keeping the way clear. Refuse to let yesterday's struggles hold you back; instead, respond to God's call to a clearer, stronger walk with Him.

Action Steps: Identify one idol or stumbling block in your heart (fear, lust, bitterness, or materialism). Confess it to God and renounce it aloud. Commit to one concrete purity habit this week—heart-searching Scripture, fasting from a trigger, or confessional accountability. When next temptation arises, consciously respond as a cleansed believer: pause, pray, and choose God’s path over iniquity’s pull.

Quote for the Day: “Idols in the heart and stumbling blocks on the way are not God’s will for you; they are your choice to remove for His presence to fill you.” (Simon Olatunji #quotablequote)

Let Us Pray: Father of all purity, thank You for exposing idols in my heart and stumbling blocks on my way. Forgive every tolerated rival and every excused iniquity that hinders my approach to You. Work in me both to see and to sever every false throne. Train my heart through Your Word, Your Spirit, and even through exposure, that I may grow in fidelity, obedience, and undivided devotion. Lead me step by step into heart holiness, and let my life reveal Your delivering power. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

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Thank you for walking this journey of heart purity. For more encouragement, read: Ezekiel 14:7-11, Psalm 139:23-24, 1 John 1:5-9.

With all my love and prayers,

Simon Wale Olatunji, Ph.D.

Your Darling Bishop (DaBishop)

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