IDOLATRY


What is Idolatry?

The dictionary defines Idolatry as excessive devotion or the worship of idols. It is bestowing allegiance, service or covenant and worship on a supernatural being other than God, the creator of the heavens and the earth. It is trust in any other supernatural being for guidance, for help, for power, for protection and provision. The bible defines Idolatry very clearly as SIN.

What is an Idol?

According to the dictionary, the definition of an idol is any image of deity as object of worship, or an object of excessive or supreme devotion. In the book of the Old Testament, when Moses went up to Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments of God, the people became restless and told Aaron to make an idol to go before them. Exodus 32: 1-4

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down
from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said,
“Come make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses
who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened
to him”. Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that
your wives, your sons and daughters are wearing and bring them to me.”
So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron.
He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the
shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said,
“These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egpyt.”

Idolatry is a serious deadly sin. Deadly because it does not only destroy one generation, or the one who started it or worshipping the idols but it goes on from generation to generation. It affects families, lineages, communities and the world as a whole.

God detests Idolatry. He hates it. Divided allegiance is the sin God hates the most. He clearly sees it as spiritual adultery. God wants us to be motivated by love to obey Him. That is why Exodus 20:6 says: – “But showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (NIV)

Exodus 20: 3-5 (KJV) warns us against Idolatry.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto
thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven
above, or the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself
to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God Am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third
and fourth generation of them that hate me.

We as Christians need to be spiritually alert. We must walk closely with God. Idolatry is not only worship of idols and created beings. It can be anything that takes priority in our life such as family, husband, wife, children, job, position, money, goals, and dreams. These are things that are made into idols by our attitudes toward them.

Deuteronomy 4:24 says, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire.” He is satisfied only when His love totally consumes us. He gave us life and He wants to protect us from anything that could harm us. That is why He has commanded His children to worship no other gods, allowing nothing to distract us from His consuming love.

The Lord opposes anything that hinders our relationship with Him (Deut.6:15). He knows the danger of other gods-- how they will lure us away, deceive us and leave us empty. He will tolerate nothing that takes precedence over our love for Him. Our faithfulness to God assures us of the abundant life He wants to give us. If we reject Him, He will pursue us until we return to Him.

Our relationship with God should be our TOP priority. It should dictate how we spend our time, our money and our energy. If certain people or our possessions separate us from God, we must re-examine our hearts and give our devotion first to Him, as He commands us to do. God wants each of us to love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. (Mark 12:30).

Activation: Pray with the youth about idols in their lives. Give them time to talk with the Father and for healing and repentance to take place. Break, through the Blood of Jesus and his finished work on the cross, any agreements that the youth made with the enemy because of their giving place in their hearts to idols. Allow the youth time to pray for each other.