“You
shall have no other gods before Me.”—Exodus 20:3
To put
someone or something on a pedestal
means to place on a raised stand so that it can be greatly admired and magnify
its importance. Have you ever seen an
art object or a molded bust of someone put on something that raises it to about
eye level, so that it can be easily admired?
Sometimes the expression is used of a husband or wife putting their
spouse on a pedestal; meaning that the
individual is greatly thought of or admired, either for something that they do
or perhaps it is their physical appearance.
In the Church, for example, a minister or ministry can be put on a pedestal for their ministry gifts or
talents. What happens in the spiritually
realm when this is done is that the person or object is elevated to a position
of importance that is higher than God.
And often times the person or object either falls off the pedestal or we
knock it off because of our emotional outbursts. This same thing happened to Samson in Judges
14 -16.
An angel visited Samson’s mother and father and told them
that they would have a child and that he would be a Nazirite to God from the
womb until his death (Judges 13). In Numbers we find what being a Nazirite means,
“He shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither
vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat
fresh grapes or raisins. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing
that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin. All the days of the vow
of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are
fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. All
the days that he separates himself to the Lord
he shall not go near a dead body. He shall not make himself unclean even for
his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because
his separation to God is on his
head. All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the Lord” (Numbers 6:2-8).
In verse 25 of Judges chapter 13, we find that the Spirit of
the Lord began to move upon Samson.
Judges 14 details how Samson saw a Philistine woman and lusted after her,
and put her on a pedestal. As a result, Samson, who had been set-apart
by the Lord, dishonored God and His commandment and did not fulfill the
assignment of the Lord.
The prophetic word has been given that the Spirit
of the Lord is moving. Today,
ask yourself the question: Have I put anything or anyone on a pedestal that will not allow me to
fulfill the assignment that the Lord has given to me? Have I allowed someone or something to come
between me and God? Allow the Spirit of
God to move in your life by aligning your heart with His hopes and dreams for
you. Repent of any pedestals in your life and ask the Father to restore you into a
right relationship with Him.
Father—Lord You commanded me not to have any other gods
before You. I repent of any pedestals that I have placed
in my life that replaces You or elevates above You and I ask You to forgive me. Holy Spirit move in my life and bring me into
my destiny, in Jesus Name. Amen.