Genesis 35:4-5 (NKJV)

“So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands…and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree…And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.”

Once we can get rid of all the foreign idols in our lives, we can be sure of God’s presence going with us. And once God’s presence is with us, surely the terror of God will be upon all our enemies. God only asks that as we journey through life, we be disciplined and discerning not to gather the different idols and strange affections along the way. If we want to see God work for us, we must put away everything that offends God.

Jacob took the idols and earrings and “hid them”; so that no one is tempted to go back for them. We must not just remove our strange idols; we need to hide them away from sight, lest we return to them again.

“Lord, I know what some idols are in my life. I do not want them around me anymore. Grant me the discipline to not only reject them but also to bury them away from sight. I know that is the only way I can secure Your presence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”