DEALING WITH SECRET IDOLS IN YOUR LIFE

“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts
and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces.
Should I let them inquire of me at all?”
EZEKIEL 14:3

Have you ever watched the reality series, American Idol?
The contestants are unknown singers who have a dream of a singing career.
They compete over weeks and with some coaching, try to improve their skills.
There is nothing wrong with individuals having a desire to use their God-given talents
as a means of making a living for themselves.
These contestants may not have made singing their idol,
but merely want to make the best use of their talents.

However, the scriptures warn us about making idols of anything.
We are warned many times to have nothing to do with idols.
We should not make them with our hands or allow them to form in our hearts.
The children of Israel chose to make idols with their hands;
believers of today struggle with allowing them to form in our hearts.
Yes, we can have secret, hidden idols in our hearts.

An idol of course, is anything we allow to take the place of God in our lives.
A ‘heart idol’ can be the attention of others, material possessions, career obsessions,
athletic abilities, reading novels, addiction to television, or food just to name a few.

For a friend of mine, it was food.
Here is what she shared:

I was idle for too many years about my idol.
I sported too much weight on my female frame.
I consumed too many calories and burned too few to boot!
The result? I was sick and tired. Weak and miserable.
But for years I refused to take action.
I sat idly by and it was killing me…literally.
When my cholesterol level skyrocketed over 300
and the chest pains became more frequent, I finally took action.
God was ready and willing, as He had always been, to meet my every need.
He supplied daily strength and lifted me up when I failed.
Over 10 months and 100 pounds later, food was finally put back into proper perspective in my life.

It wasn’t hard for others to see that I had an issue with gluttony,
but other secret idols of the heart can be more evasive.
While handmade idols of world religions are easy to spot,
these secret idols of the heart are not always so.
Sometimes only we know they exist, so we procrastinate.
We say, “Perhaps I’ll quit tomorrow.” Or next Monday. Or next month.
Before we know it, we can count the years we have devoted to our idols.
Idle, wasted time.

Quite often we are the only ones who know our ‘secret’ idols exist.
We are the only ones who can tear them down through God’s grace and His power.
In order to destroy an idol action is required.
We can’t get rid of an ‘idol’ by being ‘idle’.
Quite often, it cannot be destroyed overnight, but if we don’t consciously start taking steps
to remove it (again with God’s help), it will only grow stronger over time.
What ‘secret’ idol exists in your own life?  Be honest with yourself.
Is it selfishness, or a desire to get the attention of others?
Are you driven by the approval of others instead of the approval of God?
When will you begin to tear down this hidden idol in your life?
I believe that God loves to hear the sound of an idol being broken.

Pray the following (and mean it):
Dear Lord, You know the idols I have set up in my heart.
I need to stop making excuses and sitting idly by.
Please grant me the courage to get rid of any other gods in my heart.
Only You and You alone should be on the throne of my life.
I’m ready to make that a reality. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.