NorthStar Church Blog

Digging Deeper – What Does ‘In Vain’ Mean, Anyway?

C.A. Phillips on June 9, 2026

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”

Exodus 20:7 (ESV)

WHAT DOES ‘IN VAIN’ MEAN, ANYWAY?

For those of us who grew up reading and hearing the King James Version of the Bible, we are familiar with the commandment not to “take the Lord’s name in vain.” For the longest time, I thought this referred only to the misuse of His name through expressions such as:

• “Oh my God” (I still say, “Oh my goodness” or “Oh my gosh.”)

• “Jesus Christ” (or any variation thereof)

• “G.D.” (not “gosh darn”)

Even today, when I hear someone use one of these phrases, it bothers me. However, the Third Commandment is far more far-reaching than simply avoiding certain words or expressions of exasperation.

Let’s look at some wisdom from the writer of Ecclesiastes to gain a clearer understanding of what “in vain” encompasses:

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2 ESV)

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 12:8 ESV)

“So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:9–11 ESV)

There are many more examples throughout Ecclesiastes, as the writer wrestles with the purpose and meaning of life. “All is vanity,” he concludes, even after pursuing pleasure, comfort, success, and riches.

When we look at the New Living Translation, the word “vanity” is often translated as “meaningless.” This brings the Third Commandment into sharper focus. Not only should we avoid misusing the Lord’s name; we should also avoid using it in a meaningless, careless, trivial, or insignificant way.

Again, the Lord is speaking to believers here. He expects more from His children. He calls us to be different from the world.

Go back and read Exodus 20:7, and don’t miss this: “The Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”

If you are a Christian and you use God’s name in a flippant manner, that is serious business.

Consider Isaiah 29:13:

“And so the Lord says,

‘These people say they are Mine.
They honor Me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from Me.
And their worship of Me
is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.'” (NLT)

Ultimately, this is a heart issue. Tomorrow, we’ll dive a little deeper into how we can align our hearts with His.

C.A. Phillips serves as Communications Pastor and Director of Men’s Groups at NorthStar Church. He is a graduate of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, and he loves the Dawgs and the Atlanta Braves. He has two (grown) boys and lives in Kennesaw with his wife, Amy.

Digging Deeper – Treasure His Name

C.A. Phillips on June 8, 2026

“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.”

Exodus 20:7 (NLT)

TREASURE HIS NAME

Have you ever given much thought to the significance of your name? Your parents likely spent a great deal of time, prayer, and debate coming up with the two or three words that precede your surname.

While you know me as C.A., my full name is Charles Alfred Phillips III. I was named after my dad, who was named after his dad—a man he never met because his father passed away in a chemical explosion two months before he was born. It was my grandmother who suggested to my parents that I be called “C.A.” And what do you know? It stuck!

Names tend to carry emotional weight for us—but only if we have a relationship with the person who bears that name. When you hear the name David, you likely know a David, and images and feelings enter your mind. If you have a close friend or relative named David, the name means even more to you. Names aren’t just words—they create deep connections.

Now think about how you would feel if someone cursed the name of your child or a loved one. Perhaps they spoke with contempt or falsely accused them. That’s not something we can quickly move past. It lingers. It stings. Our defenses rise. Not because of the name itself, but because of our love and affection for that person.

In the Third Commandment, God is not talking about a loved one. He’s talking about Himself. It’s important to understand that God isn’t addressing these commandments to all people. He’s directing them to His children—the ones with whom He has the most intimate relationship.

Thousands of years later, Jesus echoed this sentiment when He taught His disciples how to pray. In Matthew 6:9, He said:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.”

This is how Jesus began the prayer—by emphasizing the holiness of His Father’s name.

We only treasure a name when we have a close bond with the person. If there’s a lesson for us today, it’s that we need to cultivate our relationship with our Heavenly Father by spending time with Him, reading His Word, and listening as He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit.

When we do this consistently, we develop a deep and meaningful relationship, one that cannot be broken and one that we will honor through our words and actions.

Digging Deeper – Idols of Relationships

David Griffith on June 5, 2026

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

Exodus 20:4-6

IDOLS OF RELATIONSHIPS

What happens when the WHAT of loving my neighbor replaces the WHY of loving them?

That’s right: idol worship!

So this commandment, born out of the last six of the original Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20, makes me ask two questions:

What is love?

The LOVE spoken of here is the same love with which the Lord loves us: Agape Love. It is unconditional in nature and does not ask for anything in return. When we love ANYONE in this way, we are glorifying the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit because that is how God loves us.

Who is my neighbor?

A neighbor is anyone God puts in my path to love with God’s love.

In Luke 10:30-37, Jesus gives us the answer in the story of the Good Samaritan. Reader’s Digest version: a Jewish businessman gets mugged and left for dead beside the road. Two different religious men, who were also Jewish, saw the man and passed by, unwilling to help him for religious reasons. But a Samaritan man, on a journey to who knows where, saw him, felt compassion, and helped him.

The Good Samaritan helped his neighbor because:

a. He felt compassion (God’s heart).
b. He stopped because that was who he was, who he BE in his soul.
c. He had a plan to help the injured man, which means he used his MIND to think through what needed to be accomplished.
d. He used what God had given him to help, so he used his God-given STRENGTH to help the man.

The Samaritan had a bent toward recognizing a neighbor in need and then acting upon that bent. He did not allow the act of service, the WHAT, to overtake the WHY of service.

So you may be asking, “How can a relationship become an idol?”

Relationships become idols when they become more important than God Himself. They become idols when we offer our love or friendship while expecting something in return. They become idols when we believe people can fulfill a longing, need, or provision that only God Himself can fulfill and has promised to fulfill. (Read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.)

People become idols when we place burdens on them that they are incapable of carrying. When we do that, we end up crushing them under the weight of our expectations.

God calls us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We are called to love our neighbor with the unconditional Agape Love of Christ. And guess what? We are called to love ourselves with that same love.

I am going to finish this week with a reminder of how the Holy Spirit describes love through the pen of Paul the Apostle in his letter to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a: “Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…

Do you love this way? Or are you an idol worshipper?

As I have studied for this week’s Digging Deeper, I have been cut to the quick as my own sin has been revealed through God’s gentle Word. I write not as a man who has all of this figured out, but as a man who echoes Paul in Romans 7 when he says, “Wretched man that I am! Who will free me from this body of death?” (v. 24).

I struggle with idol worship.

So I ask the Lord each morning to guard my heart, soul, mind, and abilities so that they may be used for His glory and His glory alone.

Then I ask this simple question: “Who will it be today, Lord? Who is my neighbor today?”

Perhaps today, it is you.

I love you so much forever!

Quite simply, Dave Griffith loves getting to know Jesus better by studying His Word daily and is passionate about teaching his siblings in Christ how to study His Word as well. He is passionately in love and like with his helpmate, Jackie; and is most fulfilled when he is hanging with his 10 kids (3 of his, 2 of Jackie’s, 3 are married, 2 more spiritually adopted) and 9 grandkids. He is a small group leader and a men’s group leader. He is a serial entrepreneur owning or having owned numerous businesses. He also enjoys naps!

Digging Deeper – Idols of Strength

David Griffith on June 4, 2026

Exodus 20:4-6

IDOLS OF STRENGTH

This idol may be the most hideous and damaging of the five idol categories because it is so easy to hide inside of, if not behind.

Strength becomes an idol when we begin to rely on our own strength and power instead of God’s strength and power.

The businessman or businesswoman who climbs the corporate or entrepreneurial ladder quickly and begins to believe in, and bask in, the acknowledgement of peers. The pastor who believes that the sudden growth of their church is due to their preaching, teaching, and administrative skills. The parents who believe they are the reason for their children’s success, discipline, athletic prowess, or grades.

The list is literally endless. Just have success, take credit for it, and now it has become an idol.

For years, I took great pride in how I handled my late wife’s perpetual illness, accepting the heartfelt accolades of people for myself instead of redirecting them to God. And then I fell badly.

Then, because she was limited in what she could do as a mother, I jumped in to become “Super Dad” and took credit for that too whenever people acknowledged it, until I found out that my kids resented me in so many ways.

Strike two.

Slowly, I have learned, as my good friend Terry Cash says, “There is nothing good in me; it is all of Christ!”

Here is a very, VERY limited list of verses to explore that reiterate Terry’s encouragement: 1 Chronicles 16:28; Nehemiah 8:10; Psalm 28:7; Psalm 29:1 (and this truth is found throughout the Psalms); Isaiah 40:31; Jeremiah 16:19; and Ephesians 6:10.

Look up these passages and be reminded that any strength we possess is from the Lord and nothing else. We cannot even take our next breath without His strength holding our atmosphere together.

So the next time you begin to feel giddy about some accomplishment, take a step back and give God the glory He rightly deserves. Take yourself off the perch and put God back where He belongs.

Ask the Lord this morning to show you where you have taken credit for literally anything, and repent before Him. Be consumed by His forgiveness and comfort. Then be on the lookout for the enemy the next time he tells you how awesome you are.

Pride is Satan’s sin; it does not need to become ours!

Tomorrow we look at the Idol of Relationships (neighbors)!

I Saw, I Thought, I Felt

Kevin Burrell on June 3, 2026

“When I saw that the men were scattering… I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me’… So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

1 Samuel 13:11-12

I SAW, I THOUGHT, I FELT

Have you ever felt the weight of mounting pressure while facing an important life decision—knowing that one wrong choice could have devastating consequences?

In moments like these, fear can cloud our judgment, urgency can overpower wisdom, and emotions can push us to act before seeking God’s counsel and direction.

Like Saul in 1 Samuel 13, we often find ourselves caught between panic and patience, struggling to trust God when circumstances seem to be falling apart around us. Yet it is in these critical moments that our faith is truly tested—not by what we see, think, or feel, but by whether we will remain obedient to God despite the pressure.

Saul’s downfall did not begin with rebellion. It began with fear.

The pressure was mounting. His army was leaving. The enemy was advancing. Samuel had not yet arrived. In Saul’s mind, delay felt dangerous. Silence felt threatening. Waiting felt irresponsible.

So Saul acted.

His explanation reveals the dangerous progression that often leads us away from obedience:

1) Fear of Urgency

“I Saw”

Saul said, “I saw that the men were scattering.”

What he saw around him became louder than what God had spoken to him.

Fear thrives in what we see:

Shrinking numbers
Limited resources
Unanswered prayers
Delayed promises
Uncertain outcomes

Faith says:

“Even if things are falling apart around me, I will not abandon the promises of God or what He has told me.”

Sometimes the greatest act of obedience is simply refusing to panic.

2) Impulsive Actions

“I Thought”

Saul continued, “I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me.'”

What began in his eyes moved into his mind.

Fear, when left unchecked, fuels imagination. And imagination, when left unchecked, leads to impulsive decision-making.

When emotions become our counselor, wisdom is usually dismissed.

Impulsive actions are often born from assumptions rather than surrender.

Just because something makes sense logically does not mean it is aligned spiritually.

3) Consequences of Disobedience

“I Felt”

Finally, Saul said, “I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

His feelings became permission.

Not every action done “for God” is approved by God.

Poor decisions can carry deep consequences. What seems like a small compromise in the moment can become a turning point in your life, influence, and leadership.

Believers are not called to be led by fear, assumptions, or emotions. We are called to be led by God.

Listen closely: In every season of pressure, remember that fear distorts what you see, impulsive thinking corrupts what you believe, and unchecked emotions can lead you into disobedience.

Saul’s mistake was not simply offering a sacrifice—it was allowing urgency to replace his trust in God. When life feels overwhelming and decisions carry heavy consequences, God is not asking you to panic; He is asking you to remain faithful.

True faith is revealed when you choose obedience under pressure.

“I Saw. I Thought. I Felt.”

Love God. Love People. Live Sent.

Be Worth Being.

Kevin

Kevin Burrell has worked in professional baseball as both a player and MLB scout for the past 45 years, and currently serves as an area scouting supervisor. Kevin was drafted in the 1st round of the 1981 free agent amateur draft (25th selection overall), and played ten years of professional baseball with four different organizations. He and his wife, Valerie, live in Sharpsburg, Ga.

Digging Deeper – Idols of the Mind

David Griffith on June 3, 2026

Exodus 20:4-6

IDOLS OF THE MIND

So where does the sin of idol worship begin?

That is correct: it begins in the mind! What we think about, who we think about, and how we think all matter.

And how do we combat sinful or evil thoughts? Right again, by renewing our minds with God’s Word!

Romans 12:1-3 is, to me, one of the most complete battle plans for facing the Idols of the Mind. It says:

“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to THINK more highly of himself than he ought to THINK, but to THINK so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

A complete study of Psalm 119 will also shore up our mental defenses, as all but four of its 176 verses speak of God’s Law, God’s precepts, or God’s Word. But verse 11 is particularly helpful as it reminds us, “Thy Word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.”

How did the enemy attack Eve in the garden? By putting doubt in her mind concerning the goodness and reliability of God.

And what did Satan use against Jesus when he tested Him in the wilderness? He used half-truths and twisted Scripture in an attempt to tempt Jesus to sin. But God the Son used His Word to combat the enemy and cast him away.

Our minds are the most brilliant computers ever created. And like computers, they can be used for both good and evil. Our minds themselves can become idols when we place intelligence and knowledge on the pedestal of our lives.

Our minds are only good when we use them for God’s glory, not our own!

Do you think of yourself as smarter than those around you? Worse yet, do you sometimes think of yourself as smarter than God Himself? Do you KNOWingly sin against Him? Do you THINK about the sin and then do it anyway?

Then your mind has become an idol that you worship instead of Jesus.

On your knees before the Lord, ask the Holy Spirit to help renew your mind. Make a promise to Jesus that you will spend time in His Word every day so that renewal can happen. Repent of the pride of Bible knowledge for knowledge’s sake instead of pursuing a relationship with the Son.

Tomorrow we will look at Idols of Strength!

Digging Deeper – Idols of the Soul

David Griffith on June 2, 2026

Exodus 20:4-6

IDOLS OF THE SOUL

I believe Scripture is very clear that the SOUL speaks to the essence of who we are eternally. Our soul is what the enemy wants to destroy and what Jesus came to redeem. The soul is who God created in eternity past to serve Him now and for all eternity future. The soul is our BEing. It is what we BE.

In Mark 8:34-37, Jesus summoned the multitude with His disciples and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s shall save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his SOUL? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

The word translated LIFE and SOUL is the same word: psyche. It is where we get the word psychology. Our life, our soul, our very who-ness is described in this word.

So how do we make our soul an idol?

Based upon this passage in Mark, I believe we idolize our souls when we idolize ourselves.

Here is the question I believe God is asking us: “What do you think is so special about your life apart from Me? Your life was lost until I found you. Only then did I make you alive in Christ and give you a purpose” (Ephesians 2:1-10). “So why do you strive in every area of your being as if you do not have an Advocate, even My Son?”

The idol of the soul is, I believe, the most all-encompassing idol. It permeates everything we do and everything we are because we fear losing it. Jesus assured us that we never will so that we could finally rest in His grace and lose our lives in Christ (1 John 5:11-12).

Worshipping the idol of the soul is the ever-present death grip on all that is important to us.

Let go.

And by doing so, find that Jesus is holding all things together according to the counsel of His will.

Colossians 1:16-17 says, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

Most people do not know that the Greek word for ALL actually translates to… ALL!

There is nothing in my life or yours that is outside of God’s sovereign control.

So this idol of the soul is really the idol of unbelief; a lack of faith, a lack of trust in the God of the universe who sent His Son to hold on to US through ALL of life.

Are you ready to let go completely and fall into His nail-pierced hands?

Go to Him in prayer and ask God to reveal where you have blisters and callouses of the soul. Ask the Holy Spirit to gently help you release your grip on this life He paid the price for.

Tomorrow we will look at idols of the mind!

Digging Deeper – Idols of the Heart

David Griffith on June 1, 2026

Exodus 20:4-6

IDOLS OF THE HEART

Jesus was asked this question in Matthew 22:36: “Teacher, which is the great (or greatest) commandment in the Law?”

Why did this Pharisee lawyer ask Jesus this question? Because the religious leaders of the day had just heard that Jesus had totally humiliated the Sadducees, and they wanted a crack at the untrained, uneducated Rabbi who was challenging the law they held so dear. So they got a lawyer to ask the question.

And Jesus did not disappoint.

He said to them, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your HEART, and with all your SOUL, and with all your MIND. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (See also Luke 10:25-27 where ‘Strength’ is added).

This answer stated that the Ten Commandments could not be separated, but they could be condensed. The first four commandments are summed up by loving God; the next six are summed up by loving our neighbor.

With this answer, Jesus exposed the idol worship of the Pharisees. Over the centuries, the religious elite had replaced the freedom of a relationship with their Father with the prison of a relationship to laws. The law had become what they worshipped. The Law of Moses had become their IDOL.

But in Jesus’ answer, He revealed, I believe, the five categories of idol worship that all of us struggle with to some extent, and we will study them this week!

First, idols of the heart.
Second, idols of the soul.
Third, idols of the mind.
Fourth, idols of our strength.
Fifth, idols of relationships.

An idol is anything that takes glory away from the Father.

Idols of the Heart!

What do we love more than Jesus? It is easy to determine. All we have to do is look at our calendar, our online banking account, or our scrolling summary to see what we love more than spending time with our Redeemer, our Savior, and our Friend.

What moves us emotionally? When we are in church or at a worship service, does our heart burn for Jesus? Do our eyes fill with tears when we are reminded of Jesus’ sacrifice? Does our sin wreck us in the presence of His glory? Do we love Him more than we love our spouses, children, parents, or friends?

Have we made these relationships of the heart into idols that have replaced our Lord?

In Luke 14:26, Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”

A little clarity here: Jesus is not advocating actually hating these people. He is making a comparison between how we should love HIM and how we love our family. Our love should be so immersive in Him that our great love for our family pales in His great light.

So, are our hearts completely His, or has an idol taken His place?

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal who or what has crept onto the throne that we worship before Him. Spend time in prayer today repenting of this sin and returning Jesus to His rightful place in your heart!

Tomorrow we will look at idols of the soul!

Digging Deeper: No One Will Ever Love You Like This

Kelly Skelton on May 29, 2026

NO ONE WILL EVER LOVE YOU LIKE THIS

By the end of Exodus 14, Israel stood safely on the other side of the sea while their enemies were defeated behind them. God’s rescue was complete. His people were fully protected by His power and care. This chapter reveals why God calls us to have no other gods before Him. It is not because He wants control for selfish reasons. It is because nothing else can truly love, protect, sustain, or save us the way He can. So many things compete for our hearts. We are tempted to seek worth in relationships, appearance, accomplishments, attention, money, or the approval of others. But eventually, every false god disappoints us. People change. Circumstances shift. Feelings fade. Earthly things cannot carry the weight of our deepest needs, but God remains faithful. Exodus 14 shows us a God who sees His people terrified and trapped, and instead of abandoning them, He moves toward them with protection, patience, and deliverance. That same God still cares for us today. He sees every hidden hurt and every silent longing. He knows exactly what you need before you even ask. When we truly understand how deeply God cares for us, the blind idols we may have never realized existed, begin to lose their hold on our hearts. We stop searching for ultimate security in temporary things because we realize we already belong to the One who faithfully carries us through every storm.

Prayer:
I pray as you close out your work week that you are reminded that you have a Father that loves you so much. Lord, forgive us when we seek security and worth in things other than You. Help us remember that nothing can care for us the way You do. Just as You delivered Israel through the Red Sea, remind us daily that Your love, protection, and presence are more than enough for our lives.

Kelly Skelton is a Georgia native, raised in the south on Jesus, Georgia football and sweet tea. She is her husbands’ biggest fan and her two daughters’ loudest cheerleaders. She recently published her first children’s book titled, But God Had a Plan. She stays active in the Dallas area as a photographer, videographer, writer, and middle school teacher.

Digging Deeper: He Makes a Way Through Impossible Spaces

Kelly Skelton on May 28, 2026

HE MAKES A WAY THROUGH IMPOSSIBLE SPACES

Israel stood trapped between the sea and an approaching army. From a human perspective, there was no way forward. Yet God created a path where none existed.

There are moments in life when we feel emotionally trapped too. We may feel stuck in grief, anxiety, disappointment, heartbreak, or uncertainty. Sometimes we pray and still cannot see how things could possibly improve. In those moments, the world offers many false saviors — success, relationships, entertainment, or distractions that temporarily numb the pain. But none of those things can truly rescue the soul.

The parting of the Red Sea was not only about escape; it was about showing Israel that no other god could care for them the way the Lord could. No idol could hold back the waters. No earthly comfort could protect them from Pharaoh. Only God could make a road through the impossible.

Sometimes God allows us to stand in impossible places so we can experience His faithfulness more deeply than we ever have before. Often, it is in our weakest moments that we finally realize how completely we need Him. Those moments become the very testimonies our children, families, and neighbors remember most — not our perfection, but God’s faithfulness.

When we trust Him fully, our lives quietly teach that God alone is enough. And the beautiful thing is that He never fails to make a way.

Prayer:
God, when we feel trapped by fear, pain, or uncertainty, remind us that You are the God who makes a way through impossible situations. Forgive us for turning to temporary comforts instead of trusting Your love and power. Open our eyes to the ways You are already working in our lives, even when we cannot yet see the outcome.