Have you ever been to New York? I’ve only been three or four times. But one thing I’d always heard about was that NY was a place where you could knock-off bags on the street side! I’d never seen one, though, until a trip made around New Years one trip. I was pretty surprised, actually. Not just by the number of places up and down the street selling, but also surprised by the number of products available. And the craziest part of all to me was that they were selling these things in plain sight! Crowds gathered to look. I was no exception. I wanted to take a look at some of these treasures. There were bags and belts and duffels and totes. Mens and women’s. We walked around and observed. We never bought anything, but the draw of it had been exciting. Even I couldn’t deny that. But I still couldn’t help but wonder how in the world these illegal counterfeits could be on display for the whole world to see, though! 

The memory of this came back to me this week as I kept feeling God speak to me about the counterfeit things in life. In my spirit, I heard, “If you don’t know what’s genuine, you’ll buy any knock-off.” That’s a true statement if I’ve ever heard one. And the sad truth of it is.. sometimes people know what’s genuine and STILL buy the knock-off! 

And that is exactly what I felt like God was saying. If you aren’t familiar with God.. you’ll run to anything else or anyone else. Any idol. The Bible is full of these warnings and reminders. Many of the idols in Biblical times were carved from stone, shaved from wood, or molded from metal. Every culture introduced gods of their own for every little thing. Sounds silly to think of people offering up sacrifices and burning offerings to inanimate objects, doesn’t it? But then again… What those people were really doing was choosing to give their time, energy, and worship to something that wasn’t God. Once something replaces your dependency on God, that becomes an idol. And if we are being honest, that’s what most of culture looks like today isn’t it? 

I love this quote from John Bevere: He says, “A believer is drawn into idolatry when he allows his heart to be stirred with discontentment and looks for satisfaction outside of obedience to God. This satisfaction could be a person, possession, or activity.” 

So let this be our lesson to us today. The Price of obedience may be expensive. It may cost your time and your energy. It may even look like denying yourself every day..choosing God’s will over your own feelings. Dying to self. But it will always beat the cheap imitations of ‘happiness’ offered by the world. The convenience may be luring in the beginning, but the gratification will be short lived.. And last but not least, remember this:  Compromise can cancel the promises God has for you. Not just the promises, but the purposes He has for you, too. And to be honest, guys? It’s just not worth it. A genuine relationship with God is irreplaceable. And if you really know Him… you won’t buy all the knock-offs. If you have have Him in your heart and have really tasted His goodness in your life… You won’t even be tempted to search anywhere else. Today, I pray you’ll look at you’ll invest in the real deal. I pray the counterfeits of this world show themselves lacking. I pray you’ll recognize them for what they are. A shiny imitation of what God really has for you. The truth is, God has peace, purpose, and fulfillment waiting on the other side of a life invested in knowing Him.. 

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