What is an idol? Most of us think of idols as just a statue or image that people worship. But I'm here to tell you that any thing that you place more importance on or give more attention to or have more belief in than God is an idol.
With that being said, our material possessions can be idols. If we place so much attention and give so much love and time to our houses, cars, cell phones, money, we make these things our idols.
Our children and spouses can be idols. If we place so much love and give more attention to them than God, they too become idols. Do you remember the story of Abraham and his son Issaac? God wanted to test Abraham's love and his heart. Whether he loved his son more than him. So God told him to offer his son as a sacrifice. Many of us would not even think too hard on this matter and would have told God no. Abraham did the opposite, he was obedient. He went to offer his son to God and when God saw his heart, he was gracious unto him and sent an animal sacrifice instead.
God wants us to have a clean and pure heart. A heart that is submissive and obedient, a soul that values him more than anything else in this life. He desires patience and truth from us.
Our work/ jobs can also be our idol. If we spend so much time working and reserve no space for worship or spending quality time with God, this too becomes an idol. Having no time for church and doing God's work.
If we worship other Gods, they too become idols. The Bible says in 1 John 5:21 "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols" and in Leviticus 19:4 "Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the LORD your God".
The Bible tells us that God is a jealous God and he does not share his glory with any other. Exodus 20:5 says “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”.
The devil wants to distract us so that we do not give glory and spend quality time with God. This is because he knows the benefits to be reaped from the Lord for those who love and trust him.
Let us not be easily distracted and allow the devil to steal away what is rightfully ours. If you find yourself giving too much attention and time to something or someone, desist from doing so and turn to God who desires to be our God, our shepherd, provider, protector and our everything.
Thank you for reading. Please share your experiences in the comments section. Have you ever had an idol? Is there anything else that can be idolised that we have not included in this article.
Please leave your comments for this article. Let's live Kingdom Ready as we learn from each other.