The Old Testament relates the perpetual pattern that God’s people Israel follow throughout their existence.  They would live devoted to God for a time, but then grow find of the pagan cultures around them and begin to mingle their worship of God with the idol worship of their contemporaries.  Eventually, they soon would devolve into full-blown idolatry and eventually experienced the punishment of God.  After a time of oppression at the hand of a foreign king, God’s people would cry out to Him in repentance, and God would deliver them only to see the pattern repeated a few years later.

At least eight times in the Historical Bible Books of Kings and Chronicles we find this phrase: “But the high places were not removed…” These high places were locations where they once participated in idol worship.  They were souvenirs of their previously sinful life.

Maybe they left them there because they found it difficult to give up a place to lovely and relaxing. Maybe their High Places remained just in case worshipping God only didn’t work out too well for them. Maybe their High Places remained because they didn’t trust God to meet completely all of their needs. Whatever the reasons, the High Places stood as evidence of hearts that were not completely reliant on and devoted to God.

Where or what are your High Places? What souvenirs of sin do you keep just for comfort sake?  Is it a habit – just in case you get bored or God is not as much fun as you thought He would be? Maybe it is power, or pride, or plans, or a prejudice. Maybe your High Place is an attitude, an agenda, or an affection. What are you withholding from God . . . just in case?

Tear down your high places and trust God with everything in your life.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth,
to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. – 2 Chronicles 16:9