Fourth Week
What Are the Idols in Your Life?
Idols from thousands of years ago came in many forms. They may have been a wooden statue or something cast from bronze castings.
When we read the Old Testament books, we are shown groups of people who worshipped idols. The people felt that they had to ascribe power and blessings to something. See, while God revealed Himself to the Jewish people and named them as His chosen people, there were multitudes of others who were unaware of the one, true God.
Maybe you have heard of:
Asherah poles where the people of Canaanites made sacrifices.
Baal, who was another god worshiped by the Canaanites—Elijah dealt with this idol. 🔥
the golden calf that the Israelites had Aaron form while they waited for Moses.
Maybe you have also read:
God told the Israelites to cut down the Asherah poles when they entered the promised land. This turned out to be an ongoing issue for them.
God used Elijah to prove that Baal was not a real deity at all—check out 1 Kings 18.
When Moses came down from the mountain to the sight of the golden calf he threw the tablets with the Ten Commandments down and then threw the idol in the fire.
Many times, God would send his prophets into these regions to point out how false these gods were. Something that really strikes me is that both the Israelites and groups who worshipped multiple gods or idols needed to be told to eliminate the idols.
Wouldn’t you think that a group of people who had seen multiple miracles that led to their release from slave labor would hold fast and have faith in the God who freed them?
The Israelites who had seen the Red Sea waters part for them were the ones who asked Aaron to make them gods!
It blows my mind! How could they so quickly forget? Or maybe the question is, how could they so quickly fall back into a way of thinking that had been the norm of their old country?
It’s so easy for me to judge the Israelites who I have read about in Exodus. Yet, do I fall back into habits from my past and create idols in my life too?
Keep in mind that an idol is something that you put above God.
Idols may give you comfort that should be sought from your Creator.
Friends, I’m going to share some things that I have struggled with in the past because I know my issues are far from unique.
Do you turn to food or alcohol for comfort?
Friends, I have. This is something I have confessed over and over again.
Do you turn to sex or pornography for comfort?
This is an issue for men and women.
Do you turn to TV, video games, or even fun reading for comfort?
Mindless acts can seem like a comfort after long days, but I know there is something better through prayer and Scripture.
2. Idols may begin as something good, even seem to be a blessing, but when we put anything above God it needs to be examined.
Good things can become…complicated and tricky when we set them up on a pedestal, or fail to see the proper place they should have in our lives.
Does your work take precedence over your time with God?
Work is GOOD! But work cannot be your whole identity and source of fulfillment.
Does your spouse or child consume your thoughts more than conversations with your Lord?
Husbands, wives, and kids are great. But we cannot love them more than we love God. Do any of you need to read that again?
Do ministries that you serve swallow up more time than your weekly time in the Word or prayer?
Volunteering with other Christians and for other Christians is amazing! Just make sure that you balance your one-on-one time with God and the organizations that strengthen His kingdom!
3. The idols of your life may become clear when you think about where you turn to for help and guidance.
Just this week we talked about discernment at The Christian Help Center. That conversation is in my mind now as I bring up this third point.
Do you phone a friend when anxiety takes over your day?
I am not knocking this! I do want to encourage you to go to God first, though. I had a pastor who used to say that he would love to pray for our concerns, but only if we were praying over them too. Make sense?
Do you follow influencers religiously?
Christians are meant to follow Jesus, not other men and women. Keeping up with what your favorite authors and celebrities are doing is fun, but keep it in check. ❤️
4. Has money become an idol in your life?
I was going to include this in the second point, and then questioned if it fit into the third point. It may just need its own spot.
As Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24 NIV).
Let me say this clearly—money is not bad. But just as blessings can turn into idols, so can material wealth!
Do you rely on money and your emergency accounts to keep you safe?
We should have money stored away for emergencies. That is just plain smart. But you do realize that it will not ultimately save you, right?
Only Jesus can save us.
Does the number in your checking account affect your beliefs about who you are?
Have you caught yourself thinking really highly, or really lowly, of yourself based on the amount of money in your account?
Ask God who and whose you are!
Do your spending habits paint a clear picture of who you want to be?
If a stranger looked at your bank statement, would he guess that you are someone who is seeking God through this season of Lent?
When we remember that God is the source of our provision, giving back to Him is a lot easier to do!
I am just gonna be real with you all.
I am a mess.
I sin every day.
Some days it is in anger.
Other days I judge people when I know it is done unfairly.
Many days I don’t honor my body through food and exercise choices.
Perhaps most important is the fact that Jesus told us to love God and love people. But it is hard to love people every day, even for extroverts. 😏
Let’s end this eighth day that has focused on idols with a verse.
As Paul said to the Roman people, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24).
This verse from Romans does not give us an excuse to hold onto the idols in our lives! It does push us to solidarity with other Christians, repentance of our sins, and the need to acknowledge just how much we need Jesus.
Friends, let’s examine our hearts with honesty and ask God to shine light into our dark spots. Let’s keep preparing our hearts for Easter so that we can celebrate Jesus’ resurrection in a life-altering way this year!
