It is something you own that possesses you. Anything that gets in the way of your worshiping God with a whole heart is idolatry. God is in the process of showing me my idols, and I am amazed at the three He has shown me lately. Covetousness is one such idol. If a person has something that you covet enviously, that is idolatry. This something doesn’t have to be a tangible object. It can be looks, or voice, or personality. If you want it so much that you are envious of that person’s voice, et cetera, you are being covetous. You are putting the love of that person’s voice—the desire to have it—above your love and desire for God.
Another example is self-reliance. When we go along doing for ourselves without asking God’s help, then we are relying on our own abilities rather than relying on God to guide us. That, too, is idolatry. God’s will should be our will. We need to depend on God and trust what He is leading us toward. John 15:5 tells us, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing. (NKJV).
If we are trying to carry out our intentions while God is leading us in another direction, that is idolatry. By this I mean, if we are trying to carry out our will, we are overruling God’s plan for us. We are putting our will before God’s will and that is idolatry. It is also unwise and not the way to fulfillment. 1 Corinthian 2:9 says it this way:
But as it is written:
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for
Those who love Him.
These are all intangible in nature, and should give us all some thought as to just what is idolatry. If we are holding onto an object that once had a purposeful use, but no longer does, then it has become an idol. And we need to get that object out of lives.
Why should we get rid of these things? Because the first of The Ten Commandments says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exo.20:3; NKJV). And verses 4-6 tell us, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth, you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My
commandments.
It is my desire for this post to help those who are truly searching out their idols and disposing of them. Some may have idols that are literally to be destroyed. Others may require a change of attitude or outlook. Every time I read the Bible through I learn something new. It’s my belief that a re-read of the Bible will help us sort out our idols.
A way to discern the idols in our lives is to take an honest accounting of ourselves. What do we spend a disproportionate amount of money on? What do we spend a large amount of time doing that we call fun? Do we tithe and give offerings—alms to the poor—or do we use that money to have a good time? Do we spend a large amount of our time reading the Bible, praying, and talking with God? These are all thoughts to get us thinking about our priorities. If we truly want to make God the center of our lives, with no idols before Him, then this is a good time for us to probe deeper.
God's World...as I see it 