Idolatry – Hope for Complete Healing

UNSEEN IDOLS OF EARTHLY SINS AND NEEDS

Are you unknowingly an idolater? This is the fifth post on unseen idolatry. The first post explains why practicing idolatry will cause you to not enter the kingdom of heaven and how to recognize your idolatry. The second post shows you how people become idols and how you please them out of fear of loss, but why you are to fear God. The third post explains how to break worldly soul ties that control you long after a relationship is over, and how you can find a friend who is devoted to God. In the fourth post, I exposed the problem with getting your identity and self-worth from people and money instead of God. In this post, I will show you the idols you set up to satisfy your earthy needs and sinful flesh.

Colossians 3:5 tells us to, “Put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passions, evil desires, and covetousness (greed), which is idolatry.” The New American Standard Version says, “Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as dead to….” Something dead no longer exists. So, if you put to death the earthly passions described in Colossians 3:5, then they will no longer exist for you to serve them. Remember, an idol is something you are devoted to and serve, expecting something good in return, but only get disappointment.

Living by the Spirit of God helps you put to death your earthly passions. To live by the Spirit is to yield your life to God and be led by Him. Romans 8:13 states, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” And Galatians 5:16 states, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” To walk in the Spirit means yielding to His control through prayer, and allow Him to exert His influence over you. It is the Spirit of God in you who helps you put to death your sinful passions. Read my post called How The Spirit Gives Life. To learn more about how to walk in the Spirit go to https://www.gotquestions.org/Spirit-walk.html

Idolatry of Fleshly Desire

So, how can fleshly desires be idols in your life? Your fleshly desires are self-focused sins that demand you please your sense. Sin is disobedience of God’s perfect will for you. Pray and ask God to show if you have idols of sensual pleasures in your life. For example, a person with sexual sins may have a pornography addiction that controls them. Someone who idolizes possessions may have a problem coveting other peoples’ belongings or has an addiction to wanting things. Hoarding falls under this addiction. A person who hasn’t died to impurity may watch R-rated movies or afternoon soap operas. People with evil desires may hold on to grudges and wish harm to the people who have done them wrong.

Earthly passions are vises the devil uses to control you and causes you to sacrifice your dignity, peace, and self-control to satisfy your sensual pleasure. For example, you have an earthly desire to go to the bars. The vise of alcohol becomes your idol, and you will sacrifice everything to it. This vise causes you to lose self-control and get drunk and then you sacrifice your dignity and fall into all forms of temptations. Satan uses your vise for alcohol to bring destruction in every area of your life.

Do you see how fleshly sins are demanding and never satisfied? One drink never satisfies the idol of alcohol. One purchase never satisfies a person who gets pleasure from shopping. A person who needs affirmation to feel good about themselves is never satisfied with just one affirming word. If you see you have an idol in your life, humbly acknowledge it and ask God to help you overcome it by loosing the unhealthy beliefs and evil spirit attachments in Jesus’ name.

The key to overcoming unseen idols is to give your life to God’s control and flee the temptations to give in to your earthly passions to satisfy sensual pleasures. 1Corinthians 10:14 states, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” When you see the word “therefore”, it refers to an earlier thought. The previous verse is 1Corinthians 10:13, which says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is human (common to man); but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able. But with the temptation, He will also make the way out, so that you may be able to bear (endure) it.” Idolatry tempts you to not believe in a faithful God who wants to help you? Next time you are tempted, look up and seek God’s help to show you the way out, then walk by His Spirit’s control.

Idolatry of Needs

The devil will persuade you to doubt God’s willingness and ability to provide what you need. Needs vary from person to person, but some basic emotional needs are to feel loved, accepted, respected, significant, secure, approved, happy, needed, and protected. Satan puts doubts (lies about God) in your mind that God will meet your needs. When the devil causes doubt, he tempts you to turn to self-gratifying idols of people and things to satisfy your needs. However, trusting God and obeying Him is the key to having victory over all the temptations of the demonic forces at work against us. Also, when you are abiding with God, you will have all your needs met and everlasting blessings, love, acceptance, joy, and peace.

Another temptation is to distrust God and act independently of Him. When you distrust or doubt, you believe lies or half-truths about God and His ability to give you what you need. Eve fell into this trap when she was tempted in the Garden of Eden. Doubts cause you to worry that God will not take care of you. As a result, you try to live independently of God, trusting instead in idols to meet your needs. The best way to eliminate idols is to memorize the promises and truths found in God’s Word and to trust Him to meet your needs. Then loose/put off the sin of rebellion.

Grace and peace,

Joyce

Where do You Get Self-worth and Significance?

What shapes your identity? Do people, things, or activities shape how you view yourself? Have you noticed how advertisements appeal to your sense of security, self-worth, and significance? The messages we hear are: “You have to have this to be popular.” Or, “You have to have or do this to be truly satisfied.” Or, “You have to do this to be healthy and fit.” Advertisements appeal to our fleshly desires, doesn’t it?

Idolatry of People’s Opinions

Where do you get your identity, security, significance, and self-worth? Does it come from people’s opinion, or money, your work, secular and church activities, sports, people, material possessions, riches, etc.?

Review the following questions to realize if you have unseen idolatry of peoples’ opinions and perceptions of you.

Are you devastated, depressed, or despaired when the people you admire ignore you?
Do you become anxious when people disapprove of you?
Do you have an excessive concern about what others think about you, and you try to manipulate their thinking?
Do you have a preoccupation with acceptance, approval, popularity, self-image, or pleasing others?
Do you avoid being transparent, confront bad ideas, or ask for help because you fear what other people will think?
Do you get upset when no one recognizes you for a contribution you made?
Because of self-pride, do you want people to confirm your excessive opinion of yourself?
Do you cover up your failures or inadequacies so people think well of you?
Do you believe that you will be popular and accepted if you wear the latest fashions, are a good athlete, have a fancy car, have a lot of money and possessions, accomplish something great, etc.?

Proverbs 29:25 states, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” A snare is anything that entraps or entangles you when you are not aware. The fear of man snares you in the trap of pleasing the one you fear instead of serving and pleasing God. Trust the LORD to take care of your needs for worth, acceptance, and significance. As fellow heirs with Jesus Christ, you have tremendous value and significance; read Romans 8:17 and Galatians 4:7. Also, read my posts called Fear God, Not People.

Meditate on and journal the following Scripture: Jeremiah 17:5-8,

5) Thus, says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6) He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.’

7) ‘Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8) He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.’

According to this passage, you will receive good things when you trust God, but Satan does not want that, so he will tempt you to trust in idols.

Idolatry of Riches

Do you try to get your worth, security, significance, and value from how much money you have? If yes, money is your idol. The Bible says in Matthew 6:20-21 and 24 to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 24) No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Money is an idol when you devote your time to earning a lot to show your status over others. Trust in your income potential, bank accounts, and investments to meet your needs instead of trusting God is idolatry. A wise person prepares for retirement but also trusts God and not their investments because investments can be lost in a day, but God will never leave you. Hebrews 13:5 states, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

Do you value money more than God? 1Timothy 6:9-10 explains what happens when you love money more than God. “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

If you realize you love money more than God, then take that thought captive and say a prayer of repentance and submission to Him. Serving money will bring many sorrows. The Apostle Paul also instructs us in Timothy 6:6-8 that being content will bring blessings. “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8) But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” Which do you want; sorrows or blessings? Are you content with what God gave you, or do you want more money?

Wealth is not a sin, and many people in the Bible were very wealthy, yet they loved God, such as Job, Abraham, Daniel, King David, and King Solomon. The worldly desire to be rich tempts you to do evil and fall into ruin and destruction. Living comfortably is not a sin, but remember to tithe and give to those who are less fortunate since what you have was given to you by God. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 states, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18a) You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth.”

You will feel empty and disillusioned when you depend on people or things to give you security, self-worth, and significance. The following questions will reveal if you are trusting God to meet these needs.

Is your primary motive to love and glorify God, or are you seeking riches, a comfortable life, personal approval, or acceptance from people?
Does God fill the void in your soul, or do you go to food, activities, people, etc.?
Do you thankfully pray in every circumstance, expecting God to meet all your needs?

RELATED POSTS:

Are You a Sheep or a Goat?

What Will Cause You to Lose Your Inheritance

Idolatry and Soul ties

Breaking Childhood Rejection and Insignificance Strongholds.

Fear God, Not People

Dear Friends,

King Solomon shares the following wisdom in Proverbs 19:21-23. “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. 22) What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar. 23) The fear of the LORD leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.” Proverbs 29:25 states, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.”

In the 2020 election, people fear that the country will be destroyed if either presidential candidate is elected. DO NOT BE AFRAID! Fear is a bondage that will cause physiological stress on your body, which will make you sick. LOOK UP and find peace and rest in God’s ability to fulfill his purpose for you and our country. The fear of God is to reverence and trust Him, that His purpose and judgment will prevail in our country, no matter who is president.

If you fear or show reverence to the Lord, you will be free to not fear the future because no harm will visit you. We may have troubles, but that will not harm us, but help us grow in our faith in God’s provision and protection. If you don’t fear God but instead fear for the future of our country, then you will NOT rest satisfied, and your fear will invite the devil to harm you. See my post called “How the Devil Causes Trouble”

I wrote in my post called “Are you a sheep or a goat?” that love is the defining term of a true Christian, who loves those who do not believe as they believe. In verse 22, King Solomon tells us that steadfast love and truth are to be desired in your life, so seek to love and speak the truth to everyone you meet. Another action of a true Christian is to fear God. People who fear and trust God will be content with whatever happens in this election because their eyes are on God not the concerning circumstances.

In my last post, I explained that you can lose your heavenly inheritance by having idols in your life, even unseen idols. In this post, I will reveal how you can make activities and people into idols when you do not fear or trust God. Idols are often called vanities, or vain things. Jonah 2:8 states, “Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love (of God).” Idols are lying vanities, as opposed to the living and true God because they are imaginary and are powerless to help you. So, putting your confidence in idols is vain.

Idolatry of Activities

You can identify unseen idols by evaluating where you spend excessive time and effort; even ministry can be an idol, or gardening, or blogging. Ouch, I stepped on my own toes. I can give specifics, but we are each tempted in different ways to serve unseen idols of activities. So, ask God to show you what controls your life? Remember, an idol is anything that draws you away from your love and devotion to God and people. Idols could be your work, hobbies, sports, TV, movies, books, social media, video games, pets, alcohol, drugs, food, etc. How do you spend your time and energy that then keeps you from spending time with God? Raising children doesn’t count because that is a God-given purpose. Even if you’re busy caring for your children and home, you can fill your home and car with praise music or scripture reading while performing your tasks.

Idolatry of People

How do people become unseen idols? A celebrity becomes an idol when you get your identity and a sense of belonging from them. Our loved ones become idols for the same reasons, plus, you expect them to love and accept you unconditionally. Yes, you want people to love and accept you, but they cannot meet your expectations because they cannot love you the way you want. Only God can meet your need for love, acceptance, identity, and belonging; all other sources are idols in your life. Why do you idolize people? To hopefully get something from them.

People are foolish to make idols of the presidential candidates. They worship their candidate and think their candidate will make their lives better. People, especially politicians, make the worst idols because they will let you down and will not meet your expectations most of the time. Plus, people make the worst idols because they are sinners.

People also make idols of pastors and other spiritual leaders. You know those who have made the pastor or spiritual leader an idol when they leave the church when the spiritual leader leaves or fails to give them what they are looking for. They had no interest in loving God and loving people.

Conclusion:

God’s purposes for you and this country will prevail. We can trust God to always love us and provide the things we need. Trusting the government is foolish. So to, people and activities will let you down eventually because they cannot meet your expectations. Fear God and worship Him only, love others, and be truthful and you will be satisfied, and no harm will come near you. Above all, do not fear the future, only fear God as the judge of the world.

Grace and peace to you,

Joyce

Related Posts:

HOW FEAR CONTROLS YOU!

Why, What, and How to Submit to God and be FREE