One of the major problems with Christianity today is the fact that we commit idolatry without even realizing it. Some people think that idolatry is only possible whenever it comes to making celebrities or other humans our idols, but that idea is very wrong. Some people think that worshiping an idol means to raise our hands, sing songs, or bow down to something like a golden calf, as they did in the Bible days. Once again, that idea is also incorrect. Worship is so much more than just raising your hands and singing a song. It is putting all of your focus on one thing and expressing how much you love it. Whenever we put all of our focus on Jesus and tell Him how much we love Him, it is a beautiful thing. Whenever we put all of our focus on anything of this world, it causes spiritual disruption.
I stated earlier that we commit idolatry without even realizing it. Let me remind you that the devil wants to deceive you in every single way that he can. He knows that our idols are something that he can twist and turn and make us think that it is OK for us to put these things before God. He uses idols as simple as how we look, to idols more complex like relationships with other people. Now, let me be clear, I am not saying that it is wrong to curl your hair in the morning, nor am I saying it is not okay to be in a relationship. That is perfectly OK as long as you do not put these things before God!
1 John 5:21 states, "Dear children, free yourselves from idols," and I want to help you do this. First, you must recognize what your idols are. So, I am going to ask you three questions. I want you to answer them honestly in your conscience, not for me, but for your own good. I am not asking you these questions to make you feel like your relationship with God is not good enough. I am simply just challenging you to bring to surface the things that are hindering you from experiencing the fullness of God.
The first question I want you to ask yourself is:
What is something that you cannot go five minutes without thinking about?
I will be honest with you, my personal answer is my phone. I am almost positive you can relate. I could be doing a devotion and every few minutes I will look to see if anyone has texted me or if I have received any other notification. Your answer does not have to be your phone. It could be something else, like a secret sin that you struggle with. It could even be something like how many likes you get on your Instagram pictures.
The next question I am challenging you to ask yourself is:
If Jesus asked you to get rid of ______ would you do it?
In the blank I want you to apply your answer for the first question that I asked you. I want you to really sit and meditate on this question. If Jesus said to you, "I want you to completely get rid of any social media." Would you do it? If He asked you to get rid of a sport that you play, would you do it? If your answer is no, then you automatically know that you have an idol upon your hands that you need to start separating yourself from.
The last thing I want you to ask yourself is:
Do you seek your satisfaction through _____ more than you seek it from Christ?
As much as you want to just answer "no" and move on, choose to be real. Being honest with yourself is one of the first steps to getting closer to God. When you admit to yourself that you are seeking satisfaction from something other than Christ, it makes it easier for you to get rid of that idol. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He (being God) is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." It is time to confess and let go!
Now that you have identified what your idols are, it is time to get rid of them. This will not be an easy process, especially if you have been focusing on this idol for a long time. It will take God-given patience and self-control. I cannot necessarily tell you how to do this step by step, but here are some steps you can take, some personal advice, and some key tips that will help you along the way:
1) Pray. Pray more than you have ever prayed before! There will be many times throughout this process that you will need to go to God in prayer. For example, the very first thing you need to do is pray and confess to God that you were putting something or someone else before Him. Praying is also a way that you will fill the void of the hole your idol left in your heart. Instead of going back to it, you will go to God in prayer!
2) Believe. You must believe with your whole heart that you have been forgiven! Okay, it is time for a Bible story. In John 8:1-11 we meet a prostitute in which her idols were sex and money. If you have been in a church I am sure you know the story. She was about to be stoned, but then Jesus showed her forgiveness and told her to go and sin no more! He is calling you to do the same!
3) Resist temptation. Do not get mad at God whenever you have a desire to go back to the idol. Because that is not God putting that desire in you. That would be the devil deceiving you.
4) Get in the Word. Read your Bible for at least fifteen minutes a day! This helps fill the hole that the idol left in your heart. What better way to be filled back up than with God's Word which brings life! Not only does His Word fill you up, but it allows your cup to overflow (Psalm 23:5).
5) Know where your value lies. You must realize that your value does not come from anyone or anything of this world. Your value is in the Lord! Whenever you truly believe that your value is found in God it will make it so much easier to let go of the idols you were holding onto.
6) Cast your cares upon Him. Last but definitely not the least, cast your cares upon Him! Psalm 55:22 says, "Cast your cares upon the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken." The word 'cast' literally means to throw and not pick back up. Please do not leave out the last part of that sentence. Do not pick it back up! Remember whenever I told you that Jesus said to the prostitute, "Go and sin no more"? That means you do not go and live in sin! You go and live without it!
With all of this being said, I want to imprint an image on your brain that will really allow you to realize how much letting go of idols will really change your walk with God. I want you to picture yourself trying to run a race with a suitcase loaded with different things within them in each of your hands. They are heavy and they are really weighing you down. You are not even a quarter of the way through this very long race and because of these suitcases, you can hardly go anymore. You are to the point of giving up. Then, your trainer calls out your name and says, "Put the suitcases down and run without them!" Your reply is, "No, I need them. I cannot go without them." Your trainer is pleading with you, "Please put them down! In the end, I promise you these things will be of no value at all! They are weighing you down," He says. By this time you can barely stand on your feet. As a matter of fact, you can hardly breathe because these suitcases are killing you, but you are still not willing to give them up. Your trainer sees how much you are struggling and says, "I am begging you! I do not want to see you struggling like this! I want to help you! This is going to cause you to not get the prize at all! Why are you so focused on these things of destruction more than you are on the prize?" Finally, you drop the suitcases. You put them down and you do not pick them back up. Whenever you do this, not only does your trainer encourage you to run, but he comes and takes your empty hands and he guides you all the way to the finish line without stopping once. He stays with you, even when you feel like giving up. Whenever it is hard for you to keep running or whenever you feel the need to pick the suitcases back up, he keeps a hold of your hands and says, "Keep your eyes on the prize."
If you have not caught on yet, this race is life. The suitcases stand for the baggage that idols inevitably cause. The trainer is Jesus. The prize is getting to spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven. The key points that I want you to get from this are that Jesus has been, and will be with you the whole time. As Romans 5:8 says, "He loved you even at your darkest." I also want you to realize that whenever you let go it allows you to truly hold onto God and it allows Him to hold onto you. Not only does He hold onto your hands, but He guides you and helps you get to the finish line. Without Him you would not be able to get through life's obstacles, but with Him and through Him you overcome every obstacle life throws at you. This includes idols!
My prayer for you is that you realize the things you put in front of God are not truly satisfying, even when the world is screaming in your face that those idols are everything. I pray that you seek your satisfaction from the only One that truly satisfies.
My friend, I leave you with this. Do not live in darkness and try to fill your cup up with idols that will only leave your cup empty.
