Busting Up the Stills

If God would have given us boys instead of girls, one of them would have been named Josiah. His life has always amazed me.  When God told him to reform, he got serious about it.  Many kings tried to correct what was wrong, but hardly any ever touched the high places.  The high places were the highest hills or mounts of Israel and they were set aside for worship...the wrong kind of worship.  Most tops were marked with some type of cultic worship temple.  It seems that every time reform came, the high places were left.  After great revival, the citizens would end up back on the mountaintop before long doing the wrong thing.  Reforming without removing the high places is like quitting smoking, but keeping a fresh pack  (I don't know if cigarettes are ever considered 'fresh') in the sock drawer.  It is like going on a diet and buying a half gallon of Blue Bell ice cream at the same time (I DO know all about that).  It does not lead to success. 
Josiah made sure the sweep was clean:
2 Kings 23.14- Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned, reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah.  (www.lifejournal.cc)
What are our high places? 
I have always aligned the high places with the pet sins in our lives.  There are, sometimes, sins that we, too often, fall back into, can't seem to get away from, and really don't want to let go of.  Some of them are just bad habits, some are security blankets for us, but all are big trouble spiritually for us.  For real reform to happen we have to wander down into the personal woods of our lives and bust up the stills that we too often go back to.  The 'stills' are the fallbacks that we too often find ourselves relying on.  For real reform to happen we have to rely upon the Lord and the Lord alone.  It is best if we remove any distractions that may ever come in our way.

Let nothing distract you!  Worship the Lord today!  Give Him this day!  And go on and give Him all of you!