Search results
- WHAT DO YOU RESPECT? We commit idolatry when anything – even any good and legitimate thing – gets too much of our respect, so that our happiness depends on it.
- WHAT DO YOU LOVE? We commit idolatry when we give our hearts away to created things – we’re addicted to them, we pursue them with excessive energy, we dote on them, or we sorrow immoderately when we lack them.
- WHAT DO YOU PUT CONFIDENCE IN? Putting our confidence in humans or human thing is idolatry. If we place our protection in humans, even in princes (Psalm 146:3) or in crowds, or in horses and armies, we are idolising them.
- WHAT DO YOU FEAR? We may fear people, or events, more than we fear God. Fear can make us sin, or at least keep us back from doing what we should, either in little things or important things.
- Jennifer Slattery
- Self. We are a self-obsessed people, or at least, I am. Throughout the day, I filter everything through the lens of how it affects me, and in social settings my focus usually lands squarely on myself.
- Security. The challenge with modern day idols is they often arise from really good things, even necessary things. These are needs and pleasures our loving heavenly Father longs to provide.
- Approval. We were created as social beings, to live in interdependent community with one another. Therefore, it’s normal to want to belong. God placed this longing within the human heart in order to draw us closer to Him and one another—to help us experience the same oneness God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit enjoy with one another.
- Relationships. When my daughter was young, I was obsessed. She was the center of my every thought and action. But no human can fill the empty places in our hearts.
Aug 22, 2024 · The good news is that we are not powerless against idolatry. The first step in overcoming idols is recognizing them. We must examine our hearts and ask ourselves honestly, “What do I value most in life? What am I placing above God?” Once we identify our idols, we must repent and turn back to God. In 1 John 1:9, we are reminded,
- Cynthia Garrett
- Obsession with Calling, Impact and Changing The World
- Rebellion Against Religion
- The Perception of Perfection
Our love for self-promotion often finds its outlet in striving to make an impact or leave a legacy. We get caught up in our personal story. Yet, world-changing is not a commandment in Scripture. What is commanded is faithful obedience to God. Wherever He has you. Whatever He has you doing. If our goal is glorifying, seeking and obeying Christ, our ...
Our lack of growth and emotional Christianity often finds safety behind our anti-religion soapboxes. We demand grace (ironic, because grace by definition isn’t something you deserve or are entitled to) and propagate authenticity. While both are great things, we often twist them to accommodate a watered-down version of Christianity when they’re actu...
We shelter our pride and jealous insecurity under the umbrella of perfectionism. “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31), right? We start comparing and competing with those around us to do more service, say the right things and look like “better” Christians. But how glorifying is it to God, though, if it simply emphasize...
However, sometimes we set up idols in our heart that get in the way of our relationship with Him. A group of Israelite elders came to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 14:1-8. We aren’t told why they came to Ezekiel because God cut them off from speaking and making their request.
Mar 3, 2022 · In a world embedded in social relations based on ties of loyalty (much unlike our own), the notion of idolatry was likened to the act of adultery, a transgression that would invoke the wrath of a jealous deity. Within this context, devotion to God appears to be predicated on a moral intuition regarding how we should treat one another.
Jun 30, 2022 · While our hearts can turn any good gifts into idols, when we trace any of those surface idols down to their core, we’ll find one of three idols (or possibly a mixture thereof): approval, comfort, and control.
