How should Christians be faithful disciples in the political turbulence of Trump and Brexit? Christopher J H Wright unpacks the Biblical theme of idolatry and connects it to discipleship in today’s world. As Christians, we desperately need to name and expose the false gods and idols that we are tempted to bow down to – ‘Here are your gods!’ The Bible challenges the idols of political power and nationalism. The Biblical story is filled with hope that the kingdom of God will ultimately triumph over all human empires. How then should we live as followers of Jesus, the Messiah, Saviour, Lord and King? Part One is adapted from chapter 5 of Wright’s The Mission of God, ‘The Living God Confronts Idolatry’. Parts Two and Three bring the Bible to bear on contemporary politics in the UK and USA, and for all Christians seeking to make sense of the changing world we live in.

Take comfort in knowing that God hears you. The story of Hannah in 1 Samuel tells of one woman’s personal heartache and trust in the One who could fulfill her desires. She poured her heart out to God, and He heard her. The Our Daily Bread devotions selected for this collection reassure you that God is with you, God is for you, and God hears you. The personal stories and Scripture passages lift you up and remind you that God is bigger than the trials you face.

What you believe about God sets the foundation of the person you will become. In God Has a Name, pastor and New York Times bestselling author John Mark Comer invites you to rethink many of the prevalent myths and misconceptions about God and weigh them against what God actually tells us about himself. After all, what you believe about God will ultimately shape the type of person you become. We all live at the mercy of our ideas, and nowhere is this more true than our ideas about God. The problem is many of our ideas about God are wrong. Not all wrong, but wrong enough to form our souls in detrimental and disheartening ways. God Has a Name is a simple yet profound guide to understanding God in a new light--focusing on what God says about himself in the Bible. This one shift has the potential to radically alter how you relate to God, not as a doctrine, but as a relational being who responds to you in an elastic, back-and-forth way. John Mark Comer takes you line by line through Exodus 34:6-8--Yahweh's self-revelation on Mount Sinai, one of the most quoted passages in the Bible. Along the way, Comer addresses some of the most profound questions he came across as he studied these noted lines in Exodus, including: Why do we feel this gap between us and God? Could it be that a lot of what we think about God is wrong? Not all wrong, but wrong enough to mess up how we relate to him? What if our "God" is really a projection of our own identity, ideas, and desires? What if the real God is different, but far better than we could ever imagine? No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, God Has a Name invites you to step into a fresh and biblically rooted vision of who God is that has the potential to alter your life with God and shape who you become.

We're facing an information overload. With the quick tap of a finger we can access an endless stream of addictive information—sports scores, breaking news, political opinions, streaming TV, the latest Instagram posts, and much more. Accessing information has never been easier—but acquiring wisdom is increasingly difficult. In an effort to help us consume a more balanced, healthy diet of information, Brett McCracken has created the "Wisdom Pyramid." Inspired by the food pyramid model, the Wisdom Pyramid challenges us to increase our intake of enduring, trustworthy sources (like the Bible) while moderating our consumption of less reliable sources (like the Internet and social media). At a time when so much of our daily media diet is toxic and making us spiritually sick, The Wisdom Pyramid suggests that we become healthy and wise when we reorient our lives around God—the foundation of truth and the eternal source of wisdom.

Join pastor and bestselling author Kyle Idleman as he illustrates a clear path away from the heartache of our twenty-first-century idolatry and back to the heart of God--enabling us to be completely committed followers of Jesus. What do Netflix, our desire for the corner office, and that perfect picture we just posted on Instagram have to do with each other? None of these things are wrong in and of themselves. But when we begin to allow entertainment, success, or social media to control us, we miss out on the joy of God's rule in our hearts. In Gods at War, Idleman helps every believer recognize that there are false gods at war within each of us, and they battle for the place of glory and control in our lives. According to Idleman, idolatry isn't an issue; it is the issue. And he reveals which false gods we are allowing on the throne of our lives by asking insightful questions, including: What do you sacrifice for? What makes you mad? What do you worry about? Whose applause do you long for? We're all wired for worship, but we often end up valuing and honoring the idols of money, sex, food, romance, success, and many others that keep us from the intimate relationship with God that we desire. In this updated and expanded edition of Gods at War, Idleman adds a new introduction as well as new content about the battle many of us face with technology, whether we are tempted to send just one more text, stay online when our bodies need rest, or put email before in-person relationships, teaching us how to seek God with our whole heart instead. Praise for Gods at War: "Today's false gods are more tempting than ever as they promise comfort, wealth, and happiness. Kyle Idleman equips us to kill the deceitful pests that harass our hearts. Get ready for battle." --Mark Batterson, pastor, National Community Church, and bestselling author of The Circle Maker "Don't just read this book--read it now! Kyle's words will dig deep to expose the false gods that drive us away from the real One. In these pages, liberation awaits." --Lee Strobel, bestselling author of The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith

Toba Spitzer's God Is Here is a transformative exploration of the idea of God, offering new paths to experiencing the realm of the sacred. Most of us are hungry for a system of meaning to make sense of our lives, yet traditional religion too often leaves those seeking spiritual sustenance unsatisfied. Rabbi Toba Spitzer understands this problem firsthand, and knows that too often it is traditional ideas of the deity—he's too big, too impersonal, and too unbelievable—that get in the way. In God Is Here, Spitzer argues that whether we believe in God or fervently disbelieve, what we are actually disagreeing about is not God at all, but a metaphor of a Big Powerful Person that limits our understanding and our spiritual lives. Going back to the earliest sources for Judaism as well as Christianity, Spitzer discovers in the Hebrew Bible a rich and varied palette of metaphors for the divine—including Water, Voice, Fire, Rock, Cloud, and even the process of Becoming. She addresses how we can access these ancient metaphors, as well as those drawn from rabbinic tradition and modern science, to experience holiness in our daily lives and to guide us in challenging times. In the section on water, for instance, she looks at the myriad ways water flows through the Biblical stories of the Israelites and emerges as a powerful metaphor for the divine in the Prophets and Psalms. She invites us to explore what it might mean to “drink from God,” or to experience godly justice as something that “rains down” and “flows like a river.” Each chapter contains insights from the Bible and teachings from Judaism and other spiritual traditions, accompanied by suggestions for practice to bring alive each of the God metaphors. Rabbi Toba Spitzer has helped many people satisfy their spiritual hunger. With God Is Here she will inspire you to find new and perhaps surprising ways of encountering the divine, right where you are.

Christians desperately need to name and expose the modern-day false gods of prosperity, nationalism, and self-interest. Combining a biblical study of idolatry with practical discipleship, Old Testament scholar Christopher J. H. Wright calls readers to fight the temptation of idolatry as we consider connections between Old Testament patterns and today's culture.

Have you ever closed your Bible and thought, What did I just read? Whether you're brand-new to the Bible or you grew up in the second pew, reading Scripture can feel confusing or boring at times. Understanding it well seems to require reading it thoroughly (and even repeatedly), but who wants to read something they don't understand? If you've ever wanted to read through the Bible or even just wanted to want to read it, The Bible Recap is here to help. Following a chronological Bible reading plan, these recaps explain and connect the story of Scripture, section by section. Soon you'll see yourself as a child of God who knows and loves His Word in the ways you've always hoped for. You don't have to go to seminary. You don't need a special Bible. Just start reading this book alongside your Bible and see what God has to say about Himself in the story He's telling. "Tara-Leigh gets me excited to read the Bible. Period. I have found a trusted guide to walk me into deeper understanding of the Scriptures."--MICHAEL DEAN MCDONALD, the Bible Project

Christopher Wright examines a theological, social and economic framework for Old Testament ethics. Then he explores a variety of themes in relation to contemporary issues including economics, the land, the poor, politics, law and justice, and community.

Pastor and author J. D. Greear reveals that the secret to a robust, passionate faith isn't getting all the right answers about God, but seeing God as the awesome, glorious, and infinite presence that He is. We like God small. We prefer a God who is safe, domesticated, who thinks like we think, likes what we like, and whom we can manage, predict, and control. A small God is convenient. Practical. Manageable. For us, thinking of God as so infinitely greater and wiser than we are and who would cause us to tremble in his presence is a leftover relic from an oppressive, archaic view of religion. But what if this small version of God we've created is holding us back from the greatest experience of our lives--from genuine, confident, world-transforming faith? In Not God Enough, J.D. reveals how to discover a God who: is big enough to handle your questions, doubts, and fears is not silent is worthy of worship wants to take you from boring to bold in your faith has a purpose and mission for you on earth is pursuing you right now The truth: God is big. Bigger than big. Bigger than all the words we use to say big. Only a God of infinite power, wisdom, and majesty can answer our deepest questions and meet our deepest longings. God is not just a slightly better, slightly smarter version of you. God is infinite and glorious, and an encounter with Him won't just change the way you think about your faith. It'll change your entire life.