Idols

When we hear the word Idol…what comes to mind a brass or stone statue in some foreign country that people worship, or do we consider it something of ancient days gone by?  No one really worships idols today do they? Hmmm…or do we?

What is the definition of an idol? A couple are; a person or thing devotedly or excessively admired, the idea of something perfect; something that one hopes to attain, to love or admire a person too much.

Well…with those definitions in mind is there anything in our lives we could classify as an idol? Like…our jobs, our spouses, our children (ouch) a lifestyle, a position, our own self? You see human beings can make an idol of almost anything. Anything that we seek or trust above God can be considered an idol. 

That hurt my feelings…seriously! I once knew a woman who idolized her children to the point she lost her marriage. Her kids became everything to her. She “needed” them to feel loved and necessary. My job at one time became an idol to me. It gave me an endorphin rush to tell me I was valued and needed. So I worked that job to the point it became my priority and it nearly permanently broke me. 

Having an idol in our lives can drive us to worship it in ways that become harmful to us physically and spiritually. We were created to love the Lord our God with our whole being. Idols drive us to do too much, say too much, work too much, self-soothe too much, you name it, and we simply obsess too much over it because our self worth and satisfaction are derived from it. We trust IN that thing.

Our Father is all that we need and as we set him first in our lives, worshipping and loving him FIRST, then everything else we need flows from that relationship. We don’t have to try to have enough, be enough or do enough to satisfy our needs. The word states, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Phillipians 4:19 TLB 

But Torey I’m not worshipping an idol! No…? The definition of worship is; to adore or reverence, the object of reverence, to honor or love, to have extravagant devotion to. Do we obsess over our looks, our home, our finances, our marriages, and you “fill in the blank”. We can worship anything. So we must ask ourselves, what am I seeking, needing or desiring more than God and his will? #selah

For me currently I am idolizing worry or lets call it concern (because that sounds better). I find myself thinking about the future and what will happen, where will we be, how will we pay the bills etc. more than I think about my Father and pray to him about all of those things. My job is to pray, worship and trust that those needs will be met because I am his child and he loves me. Obsessing over “how” or “when” these things will happen is idolizing them. I’ve been convicted thank you very much…

Scripture says, “Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value].  For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.” Col. 3:2-3 AMP 

My responsibility is to set my mind on the right things. Not on the problem or it’s eventual solution. That is God’s job...and he’s good at it. All of our worship, worry and fleshly zeal will not make it happen. It’s wasted time, effort and strength. The enemy loves for us to waste time doing things that produce nothing because we can’t get that time back and he gains ground in our minds. He desires control of our thoughts so that he can get us to go in the direction he choses. We must recognize his schemes! We can conqueror our thoughts, gain control and make Jesus first and foremost again in our thinking!

Let’s pray…Father I repent for any idol in my life. I repent for worry and care that I am carrying. I give each of those things to you now in Jesus name. Help me Holy Spirit to put you first, to worship only you, to cast all of my cares on you for you care for me. Help me to quickly see when I am idolizing any thing in my life but You! Give me the grace to walk out this truth in my life. I stand against the plans of the enemy against me and call his efforts null and void of power. Holy Spirit warn me when my mind is bombarded with Satan’s lies and give me the strength to resist his lies and believe your truth. I trust you for any and every need that I have and know that you are working it all out even now…