Anne Reed
AFA Journal staff writer
June 2014 – The author of Desperate for More of God calls believers to prayer, repentance and the Word.
Are we affecting the world or is the world infecting us? Are we desperate for God or are we living for the things of this world? With questions like these, Shane Idleman (photo at left), founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, California, pleads with his hearers to honestly search themselves.
Old life
Idleman grew up in a Christian home. He attended church, a Christian school and even read his Bible on occasion. He knew religion – he had it mastered.
Just as Idleman had worked as a youth to achieve a certain standard of Christian-like conduct, he became driven to succeed in other areas of his life as an adult. That drive took him up the corporate ladder and down a road that left him nearly destroyed in a pool of alcohol, anger and regret.
Depressed and desperate for something solid that would fill an aching void, he pulled his long forgotten Bible off the shelf. Two passages of Scripture struck him deeply: “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25), and, “Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah …” (Psalm 95:7-8).
New life
The idols of success and money melted. And so did his pride. Joy and peace filled his heart as he found himself humbly trusting in the God of the Bible.
Perhaps for the first time in his life, Idleman began to understand what is described in Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Idleman soon left his promising career as a corporate executive. He has authored seven books and teaches with a determined objective to see the power of the gospel challenge hearts so that deep and meaningful change takes place. He knows it is possible – he is living it.
With a bold and straightforward style, he regularly compares and contrasts biblical truth with error. Idleman believes that it is not too late to make a difference in a nation plagued with moral decline and relativism. His sermons are marked by an uncommon degree of transparency about himself and the human condition.
He admits, “If we encourage truth and fail to relate to our culture, the church can seem formal and dead. This fact fuels the postmodern movement.” But, he stresses, “When truth is sacrificed for the sake of relating to the culture, as we see today, the very foundation is destroyed. Truth, the foundational beliefs clearly outlined in Scripture, must remain unmoved and unchanged. Times change, but truth does not!”
Call to prayer
He notes a dangerous trend in the evangelical church today: “A futile attempt is being made to conform God’s word to social norms, rather than to conform social norms to His Word.”
How do we get out of this mess? What is the answer? Appropriate questions for a man who wrote a book titled Answers for a Confused Church.
“We need to see men and women again on their knees praising God and repenting and worshiping and letting revival occur,” he said, referring to 2 Chronicles 7:14: “[If] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
In the end, Idleman says, “All hurting people need the same thing. They need more of Christ.”
Plea to pastors
Idleman believes the weight of responsibility lies at the pulpit. “If half of [our pastors] don’t talk about the wicked ways, then what turning is going to happen?” he said.
He noted three reasons he believes pastors are often silent on important issues that call for repentance:
1) Concern with crowd appeal. A lack of time in the prayer closet will likely cause a pastor to fall into this trap.
2) Fear of offending those who have or are currently participating in sin. While the gospel offends, it is important to be sensitive and build the case upon God’s mercy and grace.
3) Fear of being identified with terms like “moral majority,” “fundamentalist” and other terms that have attached stigmas. Believers are called to be concerned about what God thinks, not about what the culture thinks.
In a recent article, “An Indictment Against America: God Help Us,” he wrote:
One of my greatest concerns is the pulpits of America. Many are exchanging truth for tolerance, boldness for balance and conviction for cowardliness. The pulpit regulates the spiritual condition of God’s people, which affects the nation. A lukewarm, sex saturated culture (and church) simply reflect the lack of conviction in the pulpit as well as the pew. Pastors, we are not just cheerleaders, we are game changers. We are called to stir and convict so that change takes place.
But there is hope for those who are teachable and humble. The journey with God begins with the first step in the right direction. Simply say, “Lord, I’ve been wrong …remove my carnality, crush my pride, draw me closer to You. I repent of my sin, and I turn completely and unconditionally to You. You are my only hope. God help me!”
Look in the mirror
Does that mean that the rest of us are off the hook? 2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”
In his newly published book, Desperate for More of God, Idleman quotes Puritan John Owen: “Secret lusts lie lurking in your own heart which will never give up until they are either destroyed or satisfied.”
“Culture reflects our religion,” Idleman said. “In other words, the culture around us reflects who and what we value. We are the reason that the nation is deteriorating. We are the reason the family is breaking down. We must stop blaming everything from God to the government; we are the stench in the nostrils of a righteous, holy, pure God … Repentance is the first step. Knowledge is knowing that we need to repent, but wisdom is doing it.” 
Scripture quotes are from the New American Standard Bible.
Seven prayers for greater satisfaction in Christ
▶ Search my heart and help me to recognize the sin within. Psalm 139:23-24
▶ Grieve me over the pride and idols of my heart, and grant me repentance. Ezekiel 6:9
▶ Reveal evidence of the world’s influence on my life, and transform my thoughts and desires through the truth of Your Word. Romans 12:2
▶ Help me reject my faulty understanding, and teach me to trust You completely. Proverbs 3:5-6
▶ Reveal my lack of zeal and lead me to a life of wholehearted devotion to You. Romans 12:11
▶ Convict me of “faith” without works. Fill me with compassion, and give me the courage and determination to take action. James 2:14-26
▶ Fill me with Your Spirit and bless me with a yearning for communion with You. John 4:13-14
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Shane Idleman’s sermons are available at here. His books are available at online or local booksellers or at shaneidleman.net.
