Idols

I am sure everyone has struggled with idols in their lives. Idols don’t always have to be a statue that we worship like the Israelites worshiped the golden calf in the wilderness (Exodus 32). Rather we make idols out of things around us, money, popularity, people, hobbies, and the list goes on. An idol is anything that takes our focus off of the Lord Jesus and acts as a stumbling block in our path.

As I mentioned earlier, I had a huge obsession with someone when I was younger. My obsession became an idol in my life. Looking back on it I am ashamed that I would have allowed it to become my idol. The person was an actor, he didn’t even know I existed and he also lived in another country miles and miles away. I allowed this actor to become my idol; he took my vision off of God. I still loved the Lord, but I know that my vision was not on the Lord.

God is a jealous God, He hates it when we look to something else and create an idol. In Deuteronomy 5:9 God tells the people of Israel, “you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,”

I had to deal with my idol, and I had to focus on God. I had to acknowledge that I did have an idol in my life and that it was a problem, I had to ask God to help me deal with the problem, and I had to clean myself out and get rid of the idol.

I didn’t mean to make the actor into an idol; rather I created an idol out of my obsession without knowing it. I believe that most Christians create idols in the same way I did.  Whatever it is slowly turns into an idol and we don’t even realize it.

I believe that the hardest part in getting rid of an idol in our lives is acknowledging that it is an idol, that it is taking our focus off of God, and that it is a big problem. We don’t want to have to admit that we have an idol in our lives and sometimes we don’t even realize that it is an idol. We have to continually ask God to show us the idols in our lives and to help us get rid of those idols. When we realize that our focus has been taken off of God we have to immediately begin the process of getting back to God. We want to deny ever having the idol, but denying them will not help our relationship with God. Our relationship with God is the most important part of our life and He desires us to repent and build back our relationship with Him when we fall into sin. Having an idol is a sin if we don’t let go of it and ask God to forgive us and heal us. After more than a year and a half I realized that my innocent crush on an actor had turned into an obsession, which in turn had become an idol. But realizing it is not the same as acknowledging it. I continued to deny it. In my heart I knew it had been keeping me from God, but I tried to cover it up. When I finally took it to God and allowed Him to work in my life and forgive me, I felt relief. When we repent God always forgives and His forgiveness is better than life! (Psalm 63:3)

I write this in the hope that you will ask God to show you any idols you may have in your life and that you will act quicker than I did in getting rid of that idol.