In the Bible, idolatry is represented by man-made objects like statues, figurines, “gods” made out of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone (Daniel 5:4). Sometimes, idols are talisman-like trinkets used to ward off unwanted outcomes (1 Samuel 5:6-7:2). God even made a commandment for the Israelites against idolatry – “You shall not make for yourself a carved image – 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; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands to those who love me and keep My commandments.” – Exodus 20:4-6.
Then there’s the golden calf. Aaron fashioned it out of gold jewelry for the Israelites to worship instead of God while Moses was on the mountain waiting to receive the Ten Commandments (Exodus 32). It seems that there was quite a big problem in the Bible of people making and worshipping physical idols instead of God.
Today, in our culture, idols tend to be quite different. They are desperate desires of the heart and flesh for things like money, status, children, power, marriage, etc. So, what changed for idols to go from handmade figurines to heart/mind obsessions? We in the West live in cultures that usually don’t use images for religious worship like other cultures do. So, do biblical teachings about not bowing down and worshiping statues have relevance for us?
Yes. I don’t think using the term idolatry to refer to the God-demeaning love of money, power, sex, etc. is a misuse when you get into the essence of what an idol is.
Romans 1:21–23 talks about how the people know God but do not glorify Him as God. Instead, they change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible men, birds, four-footed animals, and creeping things. The people weren’t thankful or faithful to God but became futile in their thoughts. Their foolish hearts were darkened and God gave them up to debased minds and out-of-control passions.
Basically, an idol is anything in the world that seriously competes for our love of God. Idolatry puts something else entirely over God. You might read about the golden calf and think that it’s silly, but it’s directly relatable today. For example, did you know that one of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway shareholders keeps a lock of Warren’s hair in a frame on his wall? (The shareholder got it from the barber shop that Buffet frequents). Now, no offense to Warren Buffett, but that’s just as foolish as worshipping a golden calf. A person can admire him, learn from his investing prowess, and seek to put some of his practices in play for their portfolio, but keeping a framed lock of his hair is just too sinfully idolatrous as this is putting him on a pedestal (not to mention, it’s a little creepy).
Now, it’s definitely normal to have goals and desires. You’re human. And, even more so, if you feel like sinning and find yourself with an idol, there’s nothing inherently wrong with you. Of course you feel like sinning, you’re a sinner! Humankind has gone through this since the beginning of civilization. But If you start to crave, love, obsess over, depend on, or trust something more than God, whether that’s self-exaltation, a promotion, dating a certain person, trying to conceive a child, fanning over a celebrity (think of the old “teen idol” trope with thousands of adoring “fans” aka fanatics), for the greatest blessing, help, guidance, and satisfaction, then idolatry has taken over.
All idols come from the same foundation: “Give me what I want.” And, often, our wants are short-sighted or temporary, and we place too much importance on achieving them (and you know once you get it, you’ll be on to the next thing soon after) rather than growing into the transformation God wants of us. If you refuse to be happy right where you’re at, you’ve probably built an idol.
It can be immensely trying and painful, hoping and waiting for things. But if you are grieving too much over an earthly desire as yet unrealized, you may be relying too much on your own strength and not letting your heart be joyful in Him, praying in belief, trust, and expectation that His will be done.
Sadly, it probably wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say that the idol that most threatens to replace God is the image we see in the mirror. We are lovers of self-idolization, which threatens our love of God-idolization.
So, what are some prominent signs you’re idolizing something?
4 Signs of Idolatry
I would venture to say that pretty much all of us have created at least one idol in our hearts at one time or another. In our culture, we often don’t realize we’re doing it because we don’t go to shrines and bow down before hand-carved figurines.
But we do bow down and sacrifice to more subtle idols. We sacrifice time, energy, relationships, family, God, etc. to get what we want most. Idolatry creates thoughts that influence our lives and wreak havoc on our mental and emotional states. Anything that you idolize takes the focus off of God and brings you further away from Him. It’s the thing you think about all the time that’s stealing your attention and affection for God. It’s something that you’re desperate for!
An idol is always in the foreground or background of your mind bothering you. You may even knowingly or unknowingly attempt to use God to achieve the goal of your idolization (a common misstep among those who pray is thinking of God more as a genie that grants wishes than the Father).
We try to get God to orbit around us to fulfill our desires. God becomes a means to an end, not the end.
To put it plainly, idolatry is self-centered, not God-centered.
4 signs of idolatry include:
– Desperation: “If I don’t get this thing in my life, than my life is worthless.”
– Fear: “If I lost my spouse/child/youth and beauty/house/money, my life would be over. I would just want to disappear.”
– Recklessness: “I just may do anything to get/keep this thing.”
– Depression: “I don’t have what I want therefore I’m not happy and I won’t be until I get it.”
What does this lead to?
The Results of Idolatry
When you trust idols to satisfy your heart/mind/body, you’re not trusting in God. Idolatry can lead to:
– Pride, pretentiousness
– Fear, unease, worry
– Bitterness, resentment, hatefulness, envy
– Distress, desperation, stagnation, loneliness, suicidal thoughts/attempts
– Controlling behavior, disrespect, self-centeredness
– Harming others emotionally or physically, grieving God
– A broken relationship with God, spiritual powerlessness, dysfunctional thoughts and relationships
It’s a pretty safe bet that you don’t want these results so let’s look into how exactly to tear the idols out of your life and refocus your attention on God. Take a deep breath, relax, and feel better, resting in His comfort and promises. Stay hopeful, stay optimistic, stay faithful.
9 Steps to Break Free from Idols
God is so zealous for our direct, personal dependence, reverence, and adoration that He not only disapproves of competing “gods” but also the creation of idols pretending to represent Him. Why is He so desirous of that kind of direct, personal dependence on reverence and adoration? I think part of the answer could be found in Psalm 96:5, which states: “For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.”
Why did Jesus die for us? What did He get from it? He already lived in a community of joy, glory, and love. He didn’t need us. He received no self-fulfilling benefit, which means He came into the world to die on the cross for our sins – serving us.
“And the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one” – John 17:22. He did with us what he’d been doing with the Father and the spirit from all eternity. He loves us, and centers on us, without benefit to Himself.
If this beautiful act moves you, you can start to get out of your own way and begin centering your life on Jesus in a reciprocal relationship. In the world, we’re used to giving ourselves to relationships and pursuits that pump up our efforts at self-justification and self-actualization but they often just lead to looking down on others who haven’t accomplished the same things. But, when we realize that Jesus is encircling us with infinite, self-giving love, we’re invited to focus our attention on a new foundation. Make Him the center of your life and stop trying to be your own Savior and Lord. He’ll help you accept that you’re both a sinner in need of His salvation and His renewing love. Then, you don’t need to prove yourself to yourself or others!
To tear idols out of your heart, first:
- Acknowledge, confess, and surrender the idol to God
I’m sure you’ve heard that the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. First of all, you have to surrender the idol to the Lord, fall on your knees and cry out, give it to Him and tell Him you can’t do it on your own! You need Him. You can say something like “God, I’m done with this (fill in the blank) in my life.” “I’m putting my whole trust in you to take it away as an idol even though I desire it.”
Yes, it will be hard to do this but it’s harder to try to get rid of it on your own. Thankfully, the power of the Holy Spirit will help you and you don’t have to do it alone. The Lord will help you surrender your idols when you bring them to Him. Pray and ask God to help you in the process. For example, if you long to be married and you’re making a potential love interest an idol, thinking about him or her constantly, and making him or her the center of your universe, surrender that desperation to God in Jesus’ name and pray to Him to keep your focus on Him and not a fallible, imperfect person. Never put anything other than God on a pedestal. Ask Him to keep you clear-headed and logical about any idol you have.
A commitment to prayer most likely will not automatically produce transformation. But Christ can renew your heart and mind continually, even if you fall or backslide, and that will transform you.
- Get to know God
Study His character, words, and actions. He is good. He is life. He is love. He is perfect. There is nothing evil in Him. He is your Creator, Judge, and Savior and He alone is worthy to be worshipped.
- Ask Him for humility
Understand your place in the universe. God is infinitely higher and holier than you and your thoughts (sorry). You’re not God. You’re small and weak next to Him, full of neediness and sin, and that’s okay! Recognizing it leads to humbleness which God desires. Your identity is in Christ, not your desires and society’s idols.
- Don’t fan the flames
For example, if your idol is a high-powered career, you might not be able to read productivity books every day or watch financial influencers on social media all the time if you end up feeling disappointed with your life afterward. Know that this thing can’t ultimately satisfy you, and your human nature will get bored and crave more once you get what you want in a never-ending, vicious cycle. Only Jesus can give the living water. Nothing else will persistently satisfy.
- Nourish your soul with daily prayer and Bible reading
If you want to put God in his rightful place, you must get into His presence throughout your day. Adore Him, confess to Him, Thank Him, and pray to Him (ACTS) daily. Read the Word in the morning or evening or anytime in between. Listen to worship music. Do things that are going to stir your affection for Jesus. Go to Him for a two-way relationship. Bow to Him and receive His goodness, love, and fellowship. Ask God to help you desire Him far above anything else. It’s not necessarily natural for people to appreciate God just for who He is because we live in the flesh and are of the world, but the more you seek Him (and ask Him to find you), the more you will desire Him and want to put your relationship with Him before anything else.
- Confess and repent immediately
Don’t let sinful thoughts brew, fester, and get worse. Remember that as you are going through an idol demolition process, you still need to take your thoughts captive. You’ll probably backslide a lot and it’s your mission to get back up and set your mind on the things of God.
- Praise God and speak His Word and promises out loud
Idolatry is a form of spiritual warfare and your weapons are praise, prayer, gratitude, worship, and God’s Word. You cannot escape the enemy all on your own. But the Lord sure will help you!
- Ask God to help you hate idolatry like He does
You might not be able to get over idolatry with your own free will but God can help you do what you can’t on your own. Ask Him to help you see why you’re idolizing something so you can catch faulty thinking and take your thoughts captive for Christ. Ask Him to help you become aware of your thoughts and renew your mind.
- Put Jesus in his rightful place as the one and only true God
The last point to cover is that idols will not satisfy your soul. Idolatry’s obsessive nature happens when we refuse to accept the present or how something worked out because we’ve overidentified with an outcome. If you’re obsessing over something or someone, you might have equated your worth, value, and identity to getting it. You think you will not feel at peace or be able to “live” until you get what you’re obsessing over. Obsession shows us what we’re not giving proper attention to. Even if you get into that relationship, get that promotion, or whatever else, you’ll still end up hungry for the next thing soon after, ultimately feeling an emptiness that can only be filled by the Holy Spirit.
John 17:3 – “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” God will satisfy the thirst you have deep inside. He’s the Eternal life and the only true God. Give Jesus everything this season and pray for God to help you.
Flee from Idols
The very last verse of John’s letter (1 John) says: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” Why does he end the letter like this when he never even directly referenced idols in it before? This closing sentence seems to come out of the blue. Earlier in the letter he says: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.”
John might have been thinking of literal physical images when he said “keep yourselves from idols” but he was probably thinking of the more immaterial problem that anything in the world that successfully competes with our love for God is an idol.
If we want to get rid of our idols and put God first in our lives, we need to work at it, seeking God with all our hearts (Jeremiah 29:13). Our work doesn’t take away from His grace – it merely shows our appreciation of it.
Giving up idols is like breaking free of the chains that hold you back. To break these chains, you first have to want to. God will take it from there.
Blog written by Dana Hornor Mosologo
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