About My Father's Business: The Reality of Idolatry

Yesterday Brian, myself, and two others went to 3 Buddhist temples to walk around and pray. One of the temples is a landmark in Dan Sai (the village where I stay) and holds the actual remains of Buddha. This temple is a big stronghold in Dan Sai and many people cherish it and come from all over the country. I could actually feel in my spirit a heavy dark presence as we walked through these temples. Brian said, "you know what the cool thing is? That Jesus is walking with us through these temples. That we are in a den of demons, and Jesus the King is with us". It was heartbreaking seeing people bowing down to idols and praying to them. They even had children there on field trips. In America I hardly ever see this being done, but here it is everywhere. It reminded me of the Old Testament when people would build golden images and worship them. As I was walking around and praying, I wondered if these people felt any satisfaction in their hearts. I wondered if they had any hope for the afterlife or in this life. In Thailand, the mindset is that if you are Thai, you are Buddhist. So because of tradition, most Thai people follow tradition and worship idols. Many do not even know what they believe, but do it out of fear. We were praying that the people there come to know Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life... and that they see the fact that they are worshipping images made by man.

As I was praying and reading Hebrews 8 and 9 the other day, I was realizing the beauty of Jesus and His sacrifice for us. He has provided a way that no one else could provide. He has shed His blood and made Himself our High Priest forever. Thank you Lord for providing us with "A new covenant" (Heb. 8:13) by which we can come before your throne and have communion with you. The new covenant by which you change our hearts if we repent, believe, and follow. Thank you Lord

Temple #1