Idolatry.
What is idolatry?
Idolatry simply put, is whatever you subconsciously or consciously put above the true living God, or whatever you subconsciously or consciously make equal to or greater than the true living God.
If you really think about it, now a days idolatry is pretty sneaky and can come in any shape or form. It could be ourselves, ministry, food, a family member, body image, or cars. All in all, it could be absolutely anything.
Before idols were super easy to identify because they were mainly physically man made. But now a days they can come in the form of being both physically man made or spiritually man made sitting on the throne’s of our hearts.
As it is written in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
We cannot serve a false god and the true living God simultaneously. Our treasure must be in God so that our hearts can be fully with Him.
In Exodus 34:14 it says, “[...] for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God [...]”.
So if it is written that God “is a jealous God”, then this shows us that God is not willing for our desires or affections to be shared with any gods other than Him. Of course God is not saying we cannot show the love of Christ to others, but what He is saying is that He does not want just a part of us, but He wants all of us because we are His spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5 & Hebrews 3:6).
To put it bluntly, being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not easy, but we are so blessed to not be doing it alone. That Jesus Christ provided the Holy Spirit as our Guide, Counselor, Comforter, the One who convicts, and so much more.
We pray that as we go through this blog (we also have a video linked if you’d like to tune into the podcast) that the Holy Spirit will convict, encourage, and make every crooked path straight to draw us closer and closer to Jesus. Remember there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), so lets look into the topic of idolatry a little deeper so that we can expose and tear down any idols that may be on the thrones of our hearts in Jesus’ name, so that God can claim His rightful throne on our hearts in Jesus’ name.
How do we know if we are dealing with Idolatry?
1) Priorities are mixed up
Priorities are a big tall tale sign to see if there is anything that is being put above God.
If God is not the number 1 priority then there has to be some evaluating with the Holy Spirit for why there are things that are being put above God.
Is it because we don’t trust Him?
Is it because we love something more than Him?
Is it because we think He is not capable?
Once we can acknowledge and evaluate with the Holy Spirit of why our priorities may be mixed up, we will be heading on the right path to exposing and tearing down any idols in Jesus’ name :)
Which leads to my 2nd point...
2) You love, trust in, and/or rely on something more than God
The very things that we love, trust in, and rely on more than God is the very thing that is an idol. Like we mentioned before God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14). Which means that He is not willing to share our affections, trusts, and dependence with anything else. He wants us all.
-God desires all of our love - Matthew 22:37: “Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’”
-God desires all of our trust - Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
-God desires all of our reliance on Him - Jeremiah 17: 5-8 “Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man. And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
3) Treasure is laid up on earth instead of in heaven
The very things that we value the most are the very things that are on the thrones of our hearts. If we value God the most He will be on the throne of our hearts. But if we value other things more than God then those things can become enthroned on our hearts.
Our treasure is supposed to be laid up in heaven - Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
4) Obedience is tied to something else rather than God
Another word for obedience is worship. Whatever we worship and obey can become an idol. We should have the mindset of “If God didn’t commission it then I don’t want it.”
If the Holy Spirit has convicted us to see and acknowledge any type of idol(s) that may be sitting on the throne’s of our hearts, PRAISE GOD! Because this means that this is the first step to change, to tearing down, and overcoming idols!
Here are some steps to help with overcoming and tearing down idols in Jesus’ name!
How to Overcome and Tear Down Idols:
1) Acknowledge the idolatry for what it is
Do not make excuses
2) Repent
Make a change in our hearts and minds to no longer do things that are displeasing to God. In this case it is putting anything above God and/or anything that was made equal to or greater than the true living God.
2 Chronicles 7:14: “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
3) Decide to tear down all of the idols - physically and/or spiritually
If it is a physical idol, throw away everything and anything that resembles false gods whether it is a conviction or a personal conviction from the Holy Spirit.
If it is a spiritual idol, renounce those false gods and with the Holy Spirit tear them down and then rebuild the pure spiritual altar for the Lord.
Joshua 24:15: 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
4) Take Action/ Make a Plan of Action
With the Holy Spirit take action and/or make a plan of action. Sometimes it may be a process that takes some time because it was made into a habitual thing. Remember we want to break chains not continue them. This is why we need the Holy Spirit because He knows exactly how to break the chains by the blood of Jesus.
As well, if the Holy Spirit is leading you to reach out to wise counsel like a pastor or a Holy Spirit filled, washed by the blood disciple of Jesus Christ then by all means be obedient to the Holy Spirit and take action/ make that plan of action to tear down and overcome any idols in Jesus name. And allow the King of Kings to sit on the throne of your hearts in Jesus’ name.
Click here to listen to the podcast on this topic.
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