When God spoke His words to Moses from Mt Sinai there were to come to be known as the Ten Commandments. These were not suggestions, but rather note they are commands.
Let’s have a look at the first two of the 10.
“You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3, NIV).
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 4-6, NIV).
Have you ever thought about these two commandments or have you, like many, just skip over them? If you just know them as commandments, but have not really considered them, take a look at what the sovereign LORD is saying to you and I.
Are you making yourself a god by exhibiting too much pride? Do you place your will before the will of God? God’s will is provided in the Bible, and there are many examples of people who placed their will before the will of God and paid the consequences.
Is money your god? Are you consistently thinking about gaining wealth and following schemes and charms and any manner of ploys to obtain money?
Listen to what God spoke to the Apostle Paul: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10, NIV).
I was convicted of this and stopped playing the lottery a year ago as a result.
Maybe TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, your cell phone, Mobile Legends, your car, your spouse, a laptop, an image of a “saint,” a statue, food, alcohol, drugs, gaming in general, the need for approval from your peers, your comfort, or even celebrities, are but some idols that we place before God in our lives.
Examine yourself truthfully and cast your idol aside and make God number One in your life. He wants to give you all you seek but you are blocking Him with your idolatry.
The brief list above is obviously not exhaustive. In fact, whatever it is that you esteem, love, fear, worship, delight in, or depend on more than God is an idol.
Do you pray to saints? They are idols, too! We are all saints in Christ Jesus, if we have believed on Jesus, and those who place their trust in those various idols are disobedient to God’s commandments.
But, you may say the Ten Commandments no longer apply to me as a believer. That would be a mistake in thinking.
The Ten Commandments remain in effect! Jesus said: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17, NIV).
To obey the Law like Jesus did is our mission and demonstrates our obedience to God.
Some people argue that when Jesus summed up the Law in two new commandments that the Law was discarded. This is also wrong. It is simply bad theology.
Note what Jesus replied to a teacher of the law when he asked Jesus what the greatest of the commandments was:
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this” ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31, NIV).
If we say we love God we will obey his commandments. If we say we love God we will not have any idols before Him. But how do we recognize idols in our lives?
We can recognize the idols in our life by reading God’s word, the Bible. The Holy Spirit will convict you of your idols if you ask Him to purify your heart.
In summary, an idol is anything that takes the number one place of God in your life.
As you recognize the idol(s) in your life, cast it or them aside, repent of your sin(s), and give your all to God. Don't give up, because ingrained sins are difficult. You cannot do it alone, but God will, so be encouraged!
And remember, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
