Book Review "Idols of the Heart"

I just finished "Idols of the Heart:Learning to Long for God Alone" by Elyse Fitzpatrick. I highly recommend this book for believers in Christ. She has an appendix for those questioning whether they are a Christian or not. I find that refreshing. This writer shares my belief that Christ's sacrifice was enough for salvation and nothing more can be added by me to earn my salvation or "keep" my salvation. That is probably why I liked it so much. I think she presents about the best arguments I have heard yet of why we need to fight legalism. This is a tough balance in a book about working to keep your heart free from idols. She used tons of scripture and uses Biblical personalities such as Mary and Martha, Rachel, Hannah, Moses and Rahab to show how God wants to teach us through their lives how to guard our hearts from idols. 

She doesn't go into depth about specific idols because each of us need to delve into ourselves to recognize these issues. She gives practical advise, step by step, to work through idols. As I neared the end of the book I recognized how this book and "1000 Gifts" by Ann Voskamp tied together. Fitzpatrick reminds us that we cannot overcome idols by just using willpower, we need to find a positive "to do" to counteract the idol. Fitzpatrick and Voskamp emphasized that we look at God's wonderous blessings and gifts and overflow with praise to Him. By doing so, we find little place in our hearts for anger, jealousy, negativity, ungratefulness and cynicism.