When we think of idolatry, we tend to think of the worship of man made things such as golden statues or carved wooden images that people pray to. However, this is just a form of idolatry and there is a much more subtle and dangerous form that I bring to light in this article. Lets first see how the bible defines idolatry, this can be summed up in the following verses in the bible.
5. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Colossians 3:5 (NLT)
In Colossians 3:5 idolatry is defined as worshiping the things (any thing) of this world. There are several versions of worship in the Hebrew language, the one described when mentioning idolatry is shachah, which means to bow down, or to pay homage to as described in an article by East-West Blog called “5 Words for Worship“. To pay homage means to pay a deep respect or praise to someone or something.
27. To an image carved from a piece of wood they say, ‘You are my father.’ To an idol chiseled from a block of stone they say, ‘You are my mother.’ They turn their backs on me, but in times of trouble they cry out to me, ‘Come and save us!’
Jeremiah 2:27 (NLT)
In Jeremiah 2:27, Jeremiah speaks to the behavior of idolatry that is still very much prevalent today. Often times we will turn to earthly methods before we even reach out to God. It is often that we don’t even reach out to God until we have hit rock bottom or all has failed. This is a form of idolatry.
21. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Matthew 6:21 (NLT)
Matthew shares what Jesus had to say about matters of the heart. Jesus said “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”. If we fix our hearts on things of this world, be it sports, TV shows, or other obsessions, then that is where our heart will be. I have experienced this as a believer in Christ. I remember a few years ago, before God freed me of my obsession, I used to obsess over football. I remember sitting in church looking at my clock because it was getting close to kickoff time. At that moment I was worried more about getting home to watch football than I was in answering the altar call that day at church.
Jeremiah speaks to this matter of the heart as well in Jeremiah 29:13 where he is speaking in the voice of God saying “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me”. The wholehearted thing I should have done that day was go to the altar and fall on my knees before Jesus in reverence and worship, forgetting about the worldly things.
13. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT)
Conclusion
It is high time that we be very honest with ourselves and look deep within to see where our desires are focused. If someone tries to tell you that they have never committed idolatry, they are lying to you and to themselves. The best way to uncover these areas are to spend more time with Jesus and ask Him to uncover/reveal them to you. So then, join me in the best new years resolution anyone of us can do and start your day with Him, get up early so you can spend time talking with Him and getting in His word, letting it renew your mind for the day. The more you do this, the more your relationship with Jesus will grow and the farther removed from the things of this world you will become.
