Idolatry is the worship or extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone. An idol is an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship. Its also defined as a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered. Since the beginning of time men have created and worshipped many idols and things they called gods. When you think of someone worshiping an idol you think of an ancient tribe sacrificing to something in nature like the sun, moon or stars or a man-made object like a carved statue. For example, Exodus 32 talks about God’s fury with the Israelites when they built a golden calf and began to worship it in the desert.
There are over 4000 religions in the world. The Hindu religion alone has 330 million gods! If you are reading this, more than likely you believe in God. The true God. The God of the Bible. In Exodus 20:1-6, the first commandment God gave to Moses was: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments”
You can never imagine or ever consider worshipping any other God or idol. There is no way you would worship any other God like Buda or any of the Hindu Gods, right? But what if I told you that you are a worshiper of other idols? What if I told you that you worship that other idol every day. You worship that idol so much that it’s second nature to you like breathing air.
The truth is that it doesn’t have to be a statue of a foreign God like Buda for something to be an idol. An idol can be anything. What are the idols in your life that you are worshipping? I pray that the following reading will make you aware and reveal the idols in your life that you need to get rid of.
Anything that you spend more time on than the things of God is an idol and you are practicing idolatry.
You might think to yourself, “That’s crazy, I don’t worship any other gods or idols.” Well, you may want to ask yourself a few questions to uncover the truth. How much time do you spend with God, praying, reading the Bible, worshipping, helping other people outside of your job? What would you say, maybe 30 minutes?
Now how much time do you spend watching television or Netflix? How long do you spend starring at your smartphone following people on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube? How much time and money do spend following your favorite sports team, favorite musical artist or your favorite celebrity? How long do you spend playing video games or spend on your hobby? How long do you spend trying to make more money than you need? If its more than the 30 minutes that you spend on the things of God, than more than likely its an idol and you are practicing idolatry.
Anything that takes the place of God in your life is an idol.
Whenever a problem arises or you’re sad and need to be comforted, who or what do you turn to? When you need relief or need to release built up hurt or tension what do you do? Do you run to the nearest bar so you can have a drink? Do you turn to drugs, prescription or illegal? Maybe your idol is food and you need to eat something to make you feel better. Maybe you run to your “hobby” to keep your mind occupied. Is your body an idol? Do you spend hours and hours at the gym looking at yourself in the mirror?
Yes, your tv, computer, smartphone, drugs, alcohol, food, your sports car, the gym and your job could all be your idol and you may be worshipping it.
Do not misunderstand, if you have a job and are working, that is a blessing from God. If you are a student going to school and spend all your time studying and doing school work, that is not an idol. 2 Thessalonians 3:9-11 says,
9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
God sees your heart and your intentions behind the things you do. God knows when you are working out to stay healthy or if you’re doing it for vain reasons. God knows if you are working extra hours to put food on the table to support your family or if you are working extra hours instead of spending that time with your family because of your love for money.
Jesus addresses mans love and idolatry for money in this parable in Luke 18:18-30 it says:
18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.”
21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Its not a sin to be rich if God has blessed you with a lot of money and many possessions. Money becomes a sin when you spend more time, energy and effort seeking more money and possessions for your own personal greed and pride then for the purposes of God and God’s glory. Again God see’s your true motives and intentions. In the previous parable Jesus is not telling us to sell all our possessions and follow him. He is telling us to get rid of our idols and follow him. To the rich man, his wealth was his idol. He chose to love his wealth more than God when he walked away from Jesus after He told him to sell his possessions. Money was his idol.
Jesus explains this again in another parable in Matthew 6:19-24 that says:
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “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
You might say to yourself, well if almost everyone has an idol and everyone is doing it then it must not be such a bad thing and not such a big deal? …..Wrong! It is a very big deal to God. There is a reason why the commandment not to worship other idols is the 1st commandment, because it is a big deal to God.
God warned the Israelites about the consequences for worshipping other gods in 1 Kings 9:6-9, it says,
6 “But if you or your descendants turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 8 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 9 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.’”
You might say, if everyone else has an idol and is sinning, maybe its not a so bad if you do it too. Wrong!.. It is a big deal if you do it too. You heard the old saying, if everyone was jumping off the bridge would you jump off of it too? Or in this case, if everyone was jumping into the pit of hell would you jump into it too? As a Christian, you are to separate yourself from sin even if everyone else is doing it. 1 Peter 1:14-15 says:
14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
2 Corinthians 6:17 says,
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
17 Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
An example of not conforming to the things of this world or not worshipping the idol that everyone else is worshipping is in the book of Daniel which tells of the 3 men in the fiery furnace. It tells us about 3 Israelites (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego), who refused to bow down to worship a golden idol that the King of Babylon ordered everyone to worship. Although everyone else bowed down and worshipped this idol, these 3 men refused to bow down and worship even though they knew that by not worshipping the idol it could cost them their lives.
Daniel 3:13-29 says:
13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”
It would have been so easy for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to bow down and worship the idol. No one would have thought less of them since everyone else was doing it. But these men feared God. They knew God’s commands. Their love and faith in their God was stronger than the love for their own lives. The reality is that if they would have bowed down to that idol, they would never have met God in the fiery furnace that day. Their names would never have been remembered or written in the Bible. The miracle in the furnace would never have occurred. Is that idol you are worshipping keeping you from meeting God, keeping you for realizing God’s purpose and blessings for your life?
Every God or Idol requires a sacrifice as a form of worship. Believe it or not every time you are worshipping your idol, you are sacrificing to it. You are sacrificing your time. You are sacrificing your money. You are sacrificing time and money that could be spent on your family or helping someone you love. Time you could have spent making a positive impact on someone’s life. Money you could have used to bless someone in need or money you could have used to advance the Kingdom of God.
Choose to worship God over any other idol
Like the 3 Israelites in the book of Daniel, you have the choice to worship God or worship your other idol. Again, Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, 24 “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 can not worship both God and your other idol. Just like the rich man in Luke 18, if you walk away from God to follow your other idol, you are choosing not to enter into the true life that God has in store for you. In the book of Genesis we read how Abraham was unable to have a child by his wife Sarah. God made of covenant with Abraham and promised him a son which Sarah bore him at the age of 100. Abraham loved his son Isaac. God tested Abraham, he wanted to know his heart. God wanted to know if Abraham loved God more than anything else. Genesis 22:1-14 says,
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
People are afraid to get rid of their idols. They think, “I need my fill in the blank, what will I do if I don’t do that? What will I do with my time? I will be bored. I wont have any friends. I wont be able to release stress or unwind. Abraham did not have another son with his wife Sarah. He knew that if he sacrificed his son there is a chance that he will never have another son. But he loved and believed in God and God’s promises more than anything and he obeyed Him. When the time came to sacrifice his son Isaac on the mountain God stopped him when He saw that Abraham loved Him so much that he was willing to sacrifice his only son. Genesis 22:13 says that when God stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son, at that very moment on the mountain, God provided a ram for Abraham to sacrifice instead.
The truth is that God will provide whatever it is that you think your idol is providing for you. Stop believing the lies and excuses that satan puts in your head to make you fear. The devil wants you to keep your idol. Satan wants you to waste your time and money on your idol.
Your excuse might be, “Well im not hurting anyone, im just watching TV” That’s exactly what Satan wants you to believe. He wants to ruin your relationships with your family and friends. He wants you to waste away hours and hours in front of the screen, worshipping your idol instead of building relationships and spending time with the people who love you. The more time you waste worshipping your idol, the less time you have to discover the true purpose that God has for your life.
God will provide that relief you need instead of that drug. God will provide you with true happiness instead of that TV or computer screen. God will show you what true happiness and peace feel like. It is not that temporary relief that you may get for a few hours from playing video games, watching tv, or taking drugs. Instead it is true happiness that comes and makes a permanent home in your heart.
In John 4, it says that while Jesus was traveling thru the town of Samaria, He stopped and asked for a drink of water from a woman who came to draw water from a well. John 4:10-14 says, “10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus is the only thing that will fill your void. He is the only thing that will give you permanent relief. Jesus is the only way to true happiness. In John 14-6 Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Don’t wait to be set free from your idol. Do it today. Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and receive the freedom, joy and peace that comes with God’s Holy Spirit. Click here to ready more about freedom and salvation through Jesus Christ.
