“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or 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.”
Exodus 20:4
“Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 19:4
“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”
1 John 5:21
Idols…the word seems so…so…Old Testament.
We laugh at Aaron and think it is absolutely ridiculous that he told Moses he just threw the people’s gold into the fire and out came a calf to worship (Exodus 32:24).
We do the very same thing…but it appears different.
21st Century Idol
Imagine with me what it looks like to have a 21st century idol…
You are standing in a room by yourself. You are bigger in stature than your idol. You are able to manipulate your idol with your hands, having it do whatever you desire. You are doing all that you can to try to get what you want out of your idol. Then you realize that God is above you, watching you. You have three choices – you keep “controlling” your idol (rebellion), you hide because you are embarrassed (coward) or you admit to and agree with God that what you are doing is wrong and thus you turn to Him in repentance and thankfulness for His grace.
Idols have a Name
Now let’s put a name to this idol…
…your spouse
…your children
This imagery is more disgusting when you put a “name” to your idol, right? But this is precisely what we are doing in idolatry.
If Aaron and the Israelites named their idol “calf,” what are the names of our idols?
What is an Idol?
An idol is anything that we think about, desire, go to – ultimately trust in and love – more than God in any given moment. An idol replaces God and we give our allegiance to it instead of God. Idols start with “my”…my health, my job, my spouse, my children, my happiness, my time, etc. – forgetting God and replacing with “me”.
An idol can also be harder to identify. Perhaps it is wanting a hurt-free/pain-free life, concerned about the performance of yourself or others, wanting to be popular or attractive, doing drugs, getting drunk, sex outside marriage, over/undereating…the list is endless.
Edward Welch helps us by grouping the endless idol possibilities into twelve categories: pleasure, power, love/intimacy, comfort, meaning, control, freedom/autonomy, peace, happiness, significance/reputation, respect/admiration and success.[i]
Notice that the word “idol” starts with an “I” – ultimately, what we are idolizing is ourselves.
Idols do not Satisfy
When our idols don’t satisfy us, we will try to manipulate them. We either lash out in anger or tear down our idol because it isn’t giving us what want. We may even inflict some type of self-harm upon ourselves because we aren’t getting what we want out of our idols.[ii]
Idols will never satisfy us. Only God can satisfy us (Psalm 145:16).
Idols will hurt us. God will never hurt us (Jeremiah 29:11).
Idols will destroy our life. Jesus came to give us life (John 10:10).
Why do we engage in Idolatry?
So why do we really seek after idols and not immediately go to God even though we know that He told us to keep away from them and that they don’t satisfy?
Because we have nurtured our idols for quite some time (perhaps even since we were children) and it will take time and hard work to dethrone them from our hearts. They are snares that hinder our walk with God, blocking the grace that He would freely give us if we would just repent (Psalm 106:34-36, Ezekiel 14:5, Jonah 2:8). Idolatry becomes habits in our life, but like any habit, they can be broken (Galatians 5:1).
Identify your Idols
Brad Bigney helps us spot the idols in our life by following the trail of where we spend most of our time, money and affections. [ii]
These questions can help you identify your personal idols:
- What do I want, desire, seek or wish for?
- What do I want to preserve at all costs?
- What am I willing to sin for to get?
- What am I willing to sin for in order to keep from losing?
- What were my intentions designed to accomplish?
- How am I punishing or judging others when my desires are not fulfilled?
- What do I fear or what am I worrying about?
- What desires result in frustration, anxiety, resentment, bitterness, anger or depression when they are not fulfilled?
Idol Dethroning
Now that you have identified your personal idols, write a specific plan of how you are going to think and act differently about these idols. Renewing your mind regarding these idols can be accomplished by the Word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit as you chose to put off these idolatrous affections and put on what God desires (Romans 12:2, Ephesian 4:17-32)[iii]. Pray that God will help you put this plan into action so that your idols will be overthrown by the grace of God. Ask others to pray for you as well.
God Satisfies
We are no different than those written about in the Old Testament. Our idol may not be a calf, but it has a name.
Our heart is an idol factory. We are either worshipping God or an idol at any given moment. Don’t be surprised when you go back to your idol and if it’s not giving you what you want that you seek after another idol because idols multiply. You will never get what you truly want out of your idols. Instead, they will leave you filled with anger, disgust, shame, sadness – driving you further away from God.
The Lord is true to His Word. He will turn your anger to peace, disgust to satisfaction, shame to courage, and sadness to joy. He will satisfy your desires if only you would go to Him and not your idol (Isaiah 58:11, Matthew 11:28-30).
[i] Motives: Why Do I Do the Things I Do