I laughed when the man of God proclaimed from the TV: "Well, we all know America doesn't worship idols, so we can skip that verse."
Really?
Isn't an idol something you replace with God? Isn't it something you fill yourself up with, revere, pay homage to? America is full of idols. Maybe we don't offer incense to them, but we do offer our lives, our reputations, our money. Here's a list I've recently developed. I don't list these to impugn, per se, but to illuminate some of my own idols.
First a definition: "Idolatry is always the reason we ever do anything wrong.” Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods
What is an idol? Romans 1:24-25
- Setting your heart on something other than God.
- Something other than God that you must have to be happy.
- Anything that captures your imagination more than God.
- Anything you seek outside of God that only God can give.
- If I have _____________, then my life will have meaning; I will have value; I’ll be significant and secure.
- Something you can’t live without or imagine your life without.
Determining your idols. Ask yourself:
- What is operating in the place of Jesus as your salvation or savior?
- What are you most afraid of?
- What is the worst thing that could ever happen to you? Be honest.
- Where does your mind wander when you’re not thinking of other things? What do you daydream about? What worries keep you up at night?
- What do you spend the most on? (In what area is it hard to control your spending?)
- How do you react when disappointment comes? Whatever causes despair=idol.
- What are your most uncontrollable emotions?
- What must you have at any cost?
- Fill in the blank: I would be horrified and humiliated if ________________.
Some of our idols:
- Love, romance
- Invincibility, risk taking, thrill seeking
- Something tangible to point to that shows worth: a building, a ministry, a house, a car, a promotion, a successful hobby, an empire, a business, a perfect family
- Exploitation of others, or allowing yourself to be exploited (Victim mentality)
- Appearing or being better than someone else, needing to be right
- Athletics (either playing or following)
- Peer approval, people pleasing
- Money, prosperity (conversely: austerity, poverty)
- Work, workaholism
- Looks, body image, beauty, getting or being in shape, being thin
- Power, demanding respect
- Avoidance (of enemies, criticism, uncomfortable situations)
- Control (your children, your world, your life, your job, your relationships)
- Reputation, critical acclaim, achievement
- Stability, safety, security, lack of change, lack of suffering
- Peace, lack of conflict
- Relationships, family, friends (harmony)
- Favorable political climate (your party in power, the laws you like passed)
- Success (work, ministry, parenting, relationships, sports, etc.)
- Knowledge, education
- Competence, skill
- Morality, perfectionism, virtue, personal piety
- Sex
- Addictions (porn, shopping, alcohol, food, drugs, video games, approval)
- Art, creative expression, music
- Entertainment, recreation, vacation, sloth, lethargy
What now?
It’s not enough to identify them. It’s not simply repenting. It’s repenting connected to rejoicing, as Timothy Keller expounds in Counterfeit Gods. You must worship Who is greater. You must place God as the central part of your life. Anything short of that is idolatry.
I type this with trepidation, with fear. Because I know myself. I know how much I "need" approval from others. How I long to feel pretty to experience deep satisfaction. How I equate my output with my worth. I have worshiped idols. Given my life for them on many levels. And I've experienced the emptiness that comes from such a thing.
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6 comments:
Mary,
What a great topic for a blog. I, personally, think that idols are something that we need to be in constant awareness, as they can so easily sneak in and take over .
Please don't giggle when I tell you that at a point in my life, my biggest idol was Pepsi. I found that as long as I had a bottle in my hand, I could handle almost anything. It was a great stress conquerer! Well, the Lord was working in my heart. I was using Pepsi as a source of strength, instead of God. So, I started to pray that God would help me replace pepsi with Him ...I was doing good until one really, horrible stressful day at work. It was later in the afternoon, I had missed lunch, patients were crabby and the physician I worked for was 2 hours behind schedule. I asked to take a quick 5 minute break and sprinted clear across campus to the one and only pepsi machine ...I could smell the aroma of my long anticipated treat, I could taste the bubbles burning down my throat. Just as quickly as I feed the pop machine my dollar, the dollar comes spitting back at me! What? I try again and again and again...I than see the flashing red lights--out of order! My very first thought was "very fun God--you got me on that one!" I am happy to share that Pepsi is still a favorite of mine, but it now is in it's proper place--a treat, not an idol.
Thanks again for sharing (and reminding!)
Idols are the drive and compulsion of our grief. We perpetuate our pain all the time through pursuit and denial, pursuit and denial... freakin' merry-go-round, I tell you.
Validation. Approval. Performance... these are my wretched rides of peril.
However... it is in those quiet times, when we've finally owned our contribution to the chaos, that we offer up to God the truth... I can't change me, please help.
Today, I say, "Lord, please help."
Oh.my.word. Idols. Wow. Yeah. I have had plenty of those - still probably have a few I'm not aware of - yet.
I think my biggest one was approval of man. The need to be "out front" and the "best" - it ate me up.
Thankfully God has been helping me with that (namely by removing me from any type of position while He works on my heart and placing me in this 'anonymous season' which has been good and bad.)
That's crazy that the minister thinks we don't have idols in America. HA!
Idol. An ugly little word. Recently my pastor stole my thunder by speaking about it in a Sunday message. I had already written my speaking script for women's retreat, and planned to say that we rarely hear about idolatry these days. We'll I quickly changed my mind about him stealing my thunder. I realized that God wanted to confirm my pastor's message. God wants us to recognize that although we may not worship a bronze idol or image of wood or stone, we still have idols. Even here in America, and perhaps, more so.
Not until reading your post, Mary, did I realize that jealousy could be an idol, or people pleasing. Thankfully, God has helped me work through both, but they still raise their ugly heads at times. I pray He makes me aware of other idols that I repent and overcome them in His strength.
By the way, you're lovely, Mary! and I spend far too much time on my looks, make-up and such.
Kim, glad to hear your humor as you've relegated Pepsi to its rightful place.
Angus, thanks for stopping by. Good words, those.
Mary, I struggle with the same thing.
Danie, wow, God is speaking the same word to many of us.
Have you seen the Bible study titled No Other Gods by Kelly Minter? It is a great study that addresses this topic. Thanks for mentioning this on your blog.
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